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Total revenues from e-auctions for timber sale amounted to BGN 84.148 million. The platform was built by Information Services and started operations in April 2016. Three of the six state forest enterprises which sell timber cut on state forest plots work with the platform. They are the Southwest Forestry State Enterprise (SFSE), the Northwest Forestry State Enterprise (NFSE) and the Northeast Forestry State Enterprise (NFSE). They have posted almost BGN 10 million higher revenue from the price rise due to the use of the platform. A total of 2,292 online auctions were held over the 5-year period.
"The platform for electronic trade in timber has guaranteed full transparency of the bidding process and scraps the vicious practice of candidates to strike preliminary agreements," the Information Services‘ CEO Ivaylo Filipov said. The online-based system has significantly boosted competition by allowing all registered timber-processing companies in the country to join the bidding, he added.
The e-sales system fully digitalizes the process of selling timber, and only a qualified electronic signature (QES) is required to participate in the auctions. Participants can bid in the e-auction from anywhere and at any time, which simplifies the process, saves them time and money, and the documentation is fully in electronic form.
The effectiveness of the platform for electronic sale of timber is also confirmed by the bidding records. The highest price increase in the e-auction is BGN 322,180 above the initial set price, and the highest percentage increase is nearly 99% compared to the opening price of timber. Often e-auctions with bidding steps over 100 are held, and the most contested auction recorded 135 bidding steps.
The electronic platform has greatly facilitated the registration process for participants in e-auctions, as well as the work of the commissions on auction procedures. Online auctions are open bidding and are conducted online through a web browser. With the advantages of the integrated service for verification of time and content Time Stamp, the authenticity of the documents and the submitted offers by the participants in the platform, is guaranteed. It supports and protects both the auction commissions and the entities which opted to join the bidding. The system automatically builds rankings based on the highest bid price, which significantly reduces appeals against procedures and ensures the transparency of the auction.
For the maximum comfort of the registered participants in electronic auctions, the platform also offers automatic notifications via e-mail concerning new auctions, in case of change of status or a reminder prior the start of the electronic auction.