Judgment of the General Court (Eighth Chamber) of 25 October 2012 — Astrim and Elyo Italia v Commission
(Case T-216/09)
Public service contracts — Tendering procedure — Maintenance services for air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems — Ispra Joint Research Centre — Rejection of a tenderer’s bid — Interpretation of a condition laid down in the contract specifications — Duty to state reasons
1.                     EU public contracts — Conclusion of a contract following a call for tenders — Discretion of the institutions — Judicial review
— Limits (see paras 17-21)
2.                     EU public contracts — Conclusion of a contract following a call for tenders — Obligation on an institution to exercise its
option to make contact with a tenderer after the opening of tenders — Condition — Exercise in compliance with the principles
of sound administration, equal treatment, proportionality and legal certainty (Council Regulation No 1605/2002, Arts 89 and
92; Commission Regulation No 2342/2002, Art. 148(3)) (see paras 22-25, 38, 39, 42, 43)
3.                     EU public contracts — Tender procedure — Duty to comply with the principle of equal treatment of tenderers — Need to ensure
equal opportunities and comply with the principle of transparency — Scope (see paras 34-37)
4.                     Proceedings — Application initiating proceedings — Formal requirements — Identification of the subject-matter of the dispute
— Summary statement of pleas (Statute of the Court of Justice, Arts 21, first para., and 53, first para.; Rules of Procedure
of the General Court, Art. 44(1)(c)) (see para. 47)
5.                     Acts of the institutions — Statement of reasons — Obligation — Scope — Decision, in the award of a public contract, not to
accept a tender (Art. 253 EC; Council Regulation No 1605/2002, Art. 100(2); Commission Regulation No 2342/2002, Art. 149(3))
(see paras 82-85)
6.                     EU public contracts — Tender procedure — Obligation to reject ambiguous tenders — Scope (Council Regulation No 1605/2002,
Art. 99; Commission Regulation No 2342/2002, Arts 139(1) and 148) (see paras 93-95, 102, 103)
Re:
ACTION for annulment of the Commission Decision of 27 March 2009 rejecting the bid submitted by the applicants in connection
with the call for tenders published on 25 October 2008 by the Commission for the award of routine and non-routine maintenance
services for air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems at the Ispra Joint Research Centre (OJ 2008/S 208-274999),
and, in the alternative, an application for partial annulment of point 17 of the invitation to tender.
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action;
2.
Orders Astrim SpA and Elyo Italia Srl to pay the costs.