Italy drafts model tender for beach concessions with 5 to 20 year terms

National model tender for beach concessions

Italy's Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport presented a draft national model tender to the Unified State-Regions Conference on 30 September 2026. The draft establishes standardized rules for municipalities and regional authorities to reassign state-owned maritime, lake, and river concessions through public auctions. The regulatory framework applies to bathing establishments, catering and restaurant businesses, and equipped public beaches. Government officials prepared the document following consultations with sector trade associations to establish uniform bidding guidelines across all Italian coastlines and inland waterways.

Duration terms and lot restructuring

Under the proposed framework, new beach concessions will have a duration ranging between a minimum of five years and a maximum of twenty years. Municipalities can structure concession lengths in tenders through two distinct approaches. Local authorities may either fix a predetermined duration based on expected private investment, urban planning rules, and local beach utilization plans, or establish criteria to determine duration upon contract award based on the winning bidder's economic balance and depreciation plan. When defining tender lots, assigning authorities are not bound by the boundaries of existing concessions. Municipalities may redraw borders or combine multiple existing concessions into a single lot, provided the winning bidder pays required compensations to every outgoing concessionaire. Operators may participate in auctions individually or as part of a consortium, though tenders will restrict the maximum number of lots a single operator can win in each category.

Compensation rules for outgoing operators

The draft establishes detailed criteria for the indemnity that incoming concessionaires must pay to outgoing operators. The required compensation must equal the value of capital investments completed by the outgoing operator that remain unamortized at the end of the concession term. This valuation includes capital expenditures resulting from officially declared natural disasters or new statutory obligations, minus any public subsidies or financial aid received. The winning bidder must also pay an amount ensuring the outgoing operator receives a fair economic return on investments completed during the final five years of activity. In addition, tender notices must outline preliminary concession fees calculated from covered, uncovered, and appurtenant surface area, assigned tourism value, and regional state-property taxes, with all fees subject to subsequent adjustment.

Transition schedule and service continuity

To prevent administrative disruption and protect tourism operations, the draft guarantees full continuity of beach services while public tenders are conducted. Existing concession titles will remain valid and fully active until the winning bidder formally takes over the concession. Municipalities must publish tender notices at least six months before active concessions expire, with a strict final deadline of 30 June 2027 to initiate all tender procedures. The timeline prepares public administrations for the definitive expiration of current concession titles on 30 September 2027, a deadline reaffirmed by a ruling from the Council of State. The text is undergoing review by Italian regions and local authorities in the Unified Conference ahead of its final approval.