62022TJ0046_INF
Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 14 December 2022 –Esedra v Parliament
(Case T‑46/22) (
1
)
(Public service contracts – Tender procedure – Full management of the Parliament’s early childhood centre in Brussels – Rejection of a tenderer’s tender – Abnormally low tender – Compliance of a tender with the conditions laid down in the specifications – Obligation to state reasons – Manifest errors of assessment)
1.
Judicial proceedings – Application initiating proceedings – Formal requirements – Summary of the pleas in law on which the application is based – Plea not supported by precise arguments – Inadmissibility
(Statute of the Court of Justice, Arts 21, first para., and 53, first para.; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 76(d))
(see paragraph 16)
2.
Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Decision, in the procedure for the award of a public service contract, not to accept a tender – Obligation to communicate, following a written request, the characteristics and relative advantages of the tender accepted and the name of the tenderer – Obligation on the awarding authority to provide a detailed comparative analysis of the tender accepted and the tender of the unsuccessful tenderer – None
(Art. 296 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2018/1046, Art. 170(2) and (3)(a), and Annex I, point 31.1)
(see paragraphs 23-26, 31)
3.
Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Decision, in the procedure for the award of a public service contract, not to accept a tender – Assessment having regard to the information at the applicant’s disposal at the time the action was brought
(Art. 296, second para., TFEU)
(see paragraph 27)
4.
European Union public contracts – Conclusion of a contract following a call for tenders – Abnormally low offer – Obligation of the contracting authority to hear from the tenderer – Examination by the awarding authority of the abnormally low character of the tender – Assessment in two stages – Elements to be taken into consideration
(European Parliament and Council Regulation 2018/1046, Annex I, points 23.1 and 23.2)
(see paragraphs 43-46)
5.
European Union public contracts – Conclusion of a contract following a call for tenders – Abnormally low offer – Obligation to state reasons – Scope – Requirement for the contracting authority to set out in detail its reasoning in the absence of a request to that effect – None
(Art. 296 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2018/1046, Art. 170(3))
(see paragraphs 47, 48)
6.
Actions for damages – Application for damages linked to an application for annulment – Dismissal of application for annulment leading to dismissal of the application for damages
(Arts 263 and 268 TFEU)
(see paragraph 87)
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action;
2.
Orders Esedra to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by the European Parliament, including those relating to the proceedings for interim relief.
(
1
)	OJ C 109, 7.3.2022.