(The annual Rennies Hardwood Auction)
The locations and dates of future Forestry Commission auction sales are normally available from the relevant Country Director, or from this website, up to a year in advance. Additionally all forthcoming auctions will be advertised six weeks prior to sale. Attendance at these auctions is open to all interested parties.
A catalogue, containing details of the individual lots offered for sale, and the conditions of sale, will be published at least six weeks before an auction. Catalogues will be mailed to customers considered likely to be interested, and copies will also be available on request from the relevant Country Office.
Full particulars of the catalogue parcels, and the conditions of sale, will be given to the auctioneer before the auction, who may view the parcels himself if he so wishes. However, all measurement of timber prior to an auction will be the responsibility of Forestry Commission staff, not the auctioneer.
The Forestry Commission reserves the right to change the published order of sale of the lots, and this reservation will be included within the conditions of sale in the catalogue; if this right is exercised an announcement will be made immediately prior to the commencement of the sale.
A further standard condition of sale is the reservation, by the Forestry Commission, of the right to make one bid for each lot, which constitutes the reserve price. The reserve price for each lot will be placed in a separate sealed envelope, and the individual envelopes all handed to the auctioneer before the start of the sale.
The Forestry Commission may, at its discretion, set an upset price for any particular lot(s). In the event that the bidding in the sale-room is slow, the auctioneer may request the approval of the Forestry Commission to introduce the upset price. The upset price sets the level at which bidding will start, and will be set below the reserve price for each respective lot. Every effort shall be made to ensure that bidders are fully aware that the upset is in operation and the terms and conditions that apply. Should no bid be made at, or above, the upset price, the Country Director, or his nominee, will take whatever action is deemed necessary to effect a sale. Again, this action will be clearly communicated to all potential bidders.
Bidders are bound by the conditions of sale contained in the sale catalogue, and a statement to this effect will be included in the catalogue, and a notice displayed prominently in the sale-room.
The contract documents relevant to each lot will be available for inspection in the auction room before the sale starts. At the commencement of the auction the auctioneer will remind potential bidders that bids are invited on the basis of these contract documents.
At the conclusion of bidding for a lot, the appropriate sealed envelope will be opened and if the last bid equals or exceeds the reserve price, that bid will be accepted. If the reserve price is not reached the Country Director or his nominee, may after the conclusion of the auction, attempt to negotiate a sale with the highest bidder, provided the latter also wishes to negotiate. Should the lot still remain unsold after any negotiations which take place, the Country Director or his nominee will take whatever action is deemed necessary to effect a sale.
With the fall of the hammer a contract is made between the Forestry Commission and the highest bidder. Signatures of both parties will be set on a Record of Sale to this effect in the auction room, each party retaining a copy of the record. The purchaser will also be expected to sign the relevant contract documents as soon as practicable after the conclusion of the sale, one complete copy of these being sent to him for his retention as soon as possible thereafter. Where practicable, arrangements will be made for contracts to be signed in the sale-room itself, in which case the requirement to sign the Record of Sale will be dispensed with.
From time to time there are occasions when, for a variety of reasons, it is not considered in the best interests of the Forestry Commission to accept bids at a public auction from a particular customer. Where possible, the customer concerned will be notified at the time of issuing the sale details. In circumstances where this is not practical, the customer will be advised, prior to the start of the auction, that bids by himself or on behalf of his company will not be accepted, and that if he persists in bidding his bids will be ignored.
Similarly there may be circumstances where the Forestry Commission is willing to accept bids from a particular customer for individual lots, but subject to an overall limit on volume bought at the auction. Again the customer will be advised of the limit before the start of the auction, and that after the set volume limit has been reached further bids will not be accepted and will indeed be ignored.
