The case file, which this newsroom has had access to, includes eight items relating to shortcomings in the provision of the service, a lack of staff and equipment, and failure to comply with municipal instructions. The proposal amounts to approximately 0.47% of the contract award value, estimated at more than €23 million.
Manilva Town Hall has processed a proposal to impose penalties totalling €108,601 on the UTE RELIMA joint venture, which is responsible for the municipal cleaning and waste collection service.
The contract was awarded for €23,231,118 for a period of ten years, so the proposed penalties represent approximately 0.47% of the total award value.
The document sets out the conclusions of the technical and legal reports drawn up during the processing of the case file, as well as the allegations submitted by the contractor. The proposal upholds the technical assessment of the failures identified and proposes imposing penalties under various headings.
The documentation also provides for the rejection of the allegations submitted by the UTE RELIMA joint venture, without prejudice to the final decision to be taken by the competent body.
Eight penalty items
The municipal proposal breaks the €108,601 down into eight items relating to the contractual obligations of the service:
- €12,000 for failure to meet documentation obligations.
- €12,000 for disregarding municipal orders and instructions.
- €6,000 for repeated delays in providing the services.
- €3,600 for the presence of leachate.
- €12,000 for repeated failure to meet the required quality levels.
- €3,001 for shortcomings in the performance of the VISION platform.
- €30,000 for failure to fill the posts offered.
- €30,000 for repeated serious failures relating to material resources.
Shortcomings in the provision of the service
The facts set out in the documentation include communications made by the municipal services while monitoring the contract, with references to incidents in street cleaning, the removal of waste and bulky items and compliance with work instructions.
The report also addresses the failure to fill the posts offered and the availability of material resources for the proper performance of the service. In relation to cleaning, it mentions incidents on various dates and in various locations, including housing developments where shortcomings in the removal of furniture and bulky items and in the bin areas had been reported.
The proposal is based on the technical reports drawn up during the procedure and on the documentation added to the case file. The company, for its part, submitted allegations which were examined during the processing.
An additional deduction from the July invoice
The document distinguishes between the contractual penalties and the financial adjustment corresponding to services that would not have been carried out.
Specifically, the proposal sets out a deduction of €7,097.18 from the July invoice, linked to the economic value of the services that, according to the case file, would not have been provided.
This amount is treated separately from the total amount of the proposed penalties, in order to avoid financial duplication for the same item.
FCC, also in the spotlight of the Mijas cleaning cases
Manilva’s proposal has a recent precedent in the neighbouring municipality of Mijas. Mijas Town Hall reported on 3 September 2026 that seven penalty proceedings had been processed during the year against the UTE FCC Barbetium joint venture, the contractor for street cleaning and waste collection.
According to the information published by Mijas council, the penalties envisaged in those cases together exceeded six million euros. One of the proceedings, relating to failure to meet the obligations to implement the service and the facilities committed to, envisaged a penalty of approximately €6.09 million, equivalent to 7% of the Mijas contract, valued at €87 million.
In addition, Mijas Town Hall stated that it had deducted €306,942 from the monthly certifications from January to August 2026 for services not provided and penalties under the Quality Plan.
In both cases, the figures must be interpreted bearing in mind the specific conditions of each contract and the status of the respective case files. In particular, the Mijas municipal information indicated that the largest proceeding was still pending enforcement.
Pending final decision
The supplementary technical report maintains the proposed penalties of €108,601 and refers it to the competent body so that it may take the appropriate decision; therefore, the amount set out in the document is a proposed penalty that will go before the council meeting on Thursday for presentation and approval.
