EN Official Journal of the European Union C 63/11

Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 28 January 2010 (Reference for a preliminary ruling from the High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division) — United Kingdom) — Uniplex (UK) Ltd v NHS Business Services Authority

(Case C-406/08) (1)

(Directive 89/665/EEC - Procedures for review of the award of public contracts - Period within which proceedings must be brought - Date from which the period for bringing proceedings starts to run)

2010/C 63/16

Language of the case: English

Referring court

High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division)

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Uniplex (UK) Ltd

Defendant: NHS Business Services Authority

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division) — Interpretation of Articles 1 and 2 of Council Directive 89/665/EEC of 21 December 1989 on the coordination of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the application of review procedures to the award of public supply and public works contracts (OJ 1989 L 395, p. 33) — National legislation providing for a period of three months in which to apply for review — Date from which time begins to run — Date on which the Community provisions relating to the award of public contracts were infringed or date on which the complainant became aware of that infringement

Operative part of the judgment

1. Article 1(1) of Council Directive 89/665/EEC of 21 December 1989 on the coordination of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the application of review procedures to the award of public supply and public works contracts, as amended by Council Directive 92/50/EEC of 18 June 1992, requires that the period for bringing proceedings seeking to have an infringement of the public procurement rules established or to obtain damages for the infringement of those rules should start to run from the date on which the claimant knew, or ought to have known, of that infringement.

2. Article 1(1) of Directive 89/665, as amended by Directive 92/50, precludes a national provision, such as that at issue in the main proceedings, which allows a national court to dismiss, as being out of time, proceedings seeking to have an infringement of the public procurement rules established or to obtain damages for the infringement of those rules on the basis of the criterion, appraised in a discretionary manner, that such proceedings must be brought promptly.

3. Directive 89/665, as amended by Directive 92/50, requires the national court, by virtue of the discretion conferred on it, to extend the limitation period in such a manner as to ensure that the claimant has a period equivalent to that which it would have had if the period provided for by the applicable national legislation had run from the date on which the claimant knew, or ought to have known, of the infringement of the public procurement rules. If the national provisions do not lend themselves to an interpretation which accords with Directive 89/665, as amended by Directive 92/50, the national court must refrain from applying them, in order to apply Community law fully and to protect the rights conferred thereby on individuals.

(1) OJ C 301, 22.11.2008.