The long-delayed works needed to complete Ibiza’s main courthouse complex at Sa Graduada have finally been contracted, bringing the island closer to bringing its judicial services together under one roof after almost seven years of waiting.

The Spanish Ministry of Justice has formalised a contract with Valencia-based Vilor Infraestructuras, S.L. worth €8,467,150.45, including VAT, to finish fitting out the building’s unfinished reserve area. The agreement was signed on 30 September 2026 and subsequently published in Spain’s Official State Gazette.

The works have a contractual execution period of 20 months. If the project proceeds according to the expected timetable, completion could be possible around late spring or summer 2028. However, this is an indicative timeframe rather than a guaranteed completion date.

What Will the Final Phase of Works Include?

The project concerns the unfinished section of the judicial building located between Calle Madrid and Avenida Isidor Macabich, in the Sa Graduada area of Ibiza Town.

The building opened in December 2019, but a substantial part of its interior was still not ready for use. Approximately 4,078 square metres remain to be fitted out as part of this final phase.

Once the works are completed, six First Instance Courts currently operating in the CETIS building are expected to move to Sa Graduada. The move would allow the island’s courts to operate from a single main judicial complex, with properly equipped spaces for their work.

The centralised facility is also intended to provide more suitable conditions for the administration of justice and accommodate the possible future expansion of judicial services in Ibiza and Formentera.

A Project That Missed Its Original Deadline

The courthouse has been operating in an incomplete state for years. When it opened in December 2019, the unfinished area represented a significant portion of the building.

In September 2021, the then Minister of Justice, Pilar Llop, announced May 2023 as the target for completing the works. That deadline passed without the final phase being finished.

The remaining works were eventually put out to tender in November 2025, but the procurement process encountered further delays during 2026.

The contract was initially awarded in March 2026 to Murcia-based Zima Desarrollos Integrales, S.L. However, Vilor Infraestructuras, which had submitted the second-ranked bid, challenged the decision.

The Central Administrative Court for Contractual Appeals upheld the challenge on 25 June 2026. The procurement authorities subsequently excluded Zima because it did not independently meet the mandatory company classification requirements specified in the tender documents.

The contract was then awarded to Vilor on 20 August and formally signed on 30 September.

Why the Contract Value Increased

Vilor’s successful bid was €6,997,645 excluding taxes, equivalent to €8,467,150.45 including VAT.

The original winning bidder, Zima, had offered €6,767,271.42 before VAT, or €8,188,398.42 including VAT. The difference between the two bids is €278,752.03 including VAT.

Three companies submitted offers for the contract. Price accounted for 60% of the evaluation, with other automatic criteria contributing 10% and qualitative assessment accounting for the remaining 30%.

The final contract value is also higher than the €5 million figure previously cited by Ibiza’s senior judge as an estimate of the cost of completing the judicial complex.

Six Courts Remain at CETIS

The unfinished building has practical and financial consequences. Six First Instance Courts continue to operate from rented premises in the CETIS building rather than the main judicial complex at Sa Graduada.

The annual rental cost has been reported at approximately €600,000, meaning the prolonged delay has continued to generate accommodation expenses for the state while the new building remains partially unused.

The planned transfer is intended to consolidate the courts in a single location and improve the working environment for judicial staff and the public. The project documentation also identifies a need to address limited space and ageing installations across the existing judicial facilities.

The works will take place inside a building where judicial services are already operating, so the project is intended to be coordinated to minimise disruption to ongoing court activity.

What Happens Next?

The contract is now formalised, removing the immediate uncertainty over which company will carry out the final phase. The next key milestones are the start and progress of construction, followed by the completion of the unfinished area and the relocation of the six courts from CETIS.

With a 20-month execution period, the current timetable points towards completion in 2028, provided the works proceed as expected.

For Ibiza, the contract marks a significant step towards finally completing a courthouse that opened in 2019 but has never been fully fitted out. The long-awaited objective is to bring the island’s judicial services together in one properly equipped complex, although that goal will depend on the works being completed within the anticipated timeframe.