Judgment of the Court of First Instance (Third Chamber) of 10 September 2008 – Evropaïki Dynamiki v Commission

(Case T-59/05)

Public service contracts – Community tendering procedure – Provision of development, maintenance and support services for the financial information systems of the Directorate-General for Agriculture – Selection and award criteria – Rejection of a submitted tender – Obligation to state the reasons on which the decision is based – No manifest error of assessment – Principles of diligence and sound administration

1.                     European Communities’ public procurement – Tender procedure – Selection and award criteria (Council Regulation No 1605/2002, Arts 89 and 97(1); Commission Regulation No 2342/2002, Arts 135 to 138) (see paras 48-51)

2.                     European Communities’ public procurement – Conclusion of a contract following a call for tenders – Award of contracts – Award criteria (Council Regulation No 1605/2002, Art. 97(2); Commission Regulation No 2342/2002, Art. 138) (see paras 56-59)

3.                     European Communities’ public procurement – Conclusion of a contract following a call for tenders – Discretion of the institutions – Judicial review – Limits (see paras 70-71, 82)

4.                     European Communities’ public procurement – Conclusion of a contract following a call for tenders – Award of contracts (see paras 101, 104-105)

5.                     Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope (Art. 253 EC) (see paras 120-122)

6.                     Community law – Principles – Principle of sound administration – Duty of diligence (see paras 152-153)

Re:

ANNULMENT of the decision of the Commission of 23 November 2004 rejecting the bid filed by the applicant in the tendering procedure for the provision of computer and related services linked to the information systems of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and of the decision of the Commission to award the contract to another bidder.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action as unfounded;

2. Orders the Commission to pay its own costs and one fifth of those incurred by Evropaïki Dynamiki – Proigmena Sistimata Tilepikinonion Pliroforikis kai Tilematikis AE;

3. Orders Evropaïki Dynamiki to bear four fifths of its costs.