Joined Cases C‑403/23 and C‑404/23

Luxone Srl
and
Sofein SpA

v

Consip SpA

(Requests for a preliminary ruling from the Consiglio di Stato)

Judgment of the Court (Eighth Chamber) of 26 September 2024

(References for a preliminary ruling – Public procurement – Directive 2004/18/EC – Article 47(3) – Article 48(4) – Exclusion of a tenderer from the tender procedure – Exclusion of the possibility to reduce the initial membership of a temporary group of undertakings which has submitted a tender – Not compatible – Period of validity of a tender – Tender does not lapse at the end of its term – Obligation under the case-law to expressly withdraw that tender – Loss of the provisional security accompanying that tender – Automatic application of that measure – Article 2 – Principles relating to public procurement – Principle of proportionality – Principle of equal treatment – Obligation of transparency – Infringement)

1. Approximation of laws – Procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts – Directive 2004/18 – Criteria for qualitative selection – Economic, financial, technical and/or professional capacity – Possibility for an economic operator or a group of economic operators to rely on the capacities of participants in the group or of other entities – Whether permissible – Condition

   (European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/18, recital 32 and Arts 4, 47(2) and 48(3))

   (see paragraphs 50, 51)

2. Approximation of laws – Procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts – Directive 2004/18 – Scope – Rules concerning alterations to the composition of a group of tendering economic operators – Precluded – Situation that falls within the competence of the Member States

   (European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/18, Arts 47(2) and 48(3))

   (see paragraph 52)

3. Approximation of laws – Procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts – Directive 2004/18 – Principle of equal treatment of tenderers – Obligation of transparency – Exclusion of an economic operator which has not complied with an obligation which was not expressly laid down in the contract documentation or in the national law from participating in a contract – No possibility of rectifying that omission – Not permissible

   (European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/18, Arts 2 and 27 and Annex VII A)

   (see paragraphs 56, 57, 63)

4. Approximation of laws – Procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts – Directive 2004/18 – Award of contracts – Grounds for exclusion from participation in a tender procedure – Optional grounds for exclusion – National legislation prohibiting the possibility to reduce the initial membership of a temporary group of undertakings which has submitted a tender – Not permissible

   (European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/18, recital 2 and Arts 4, 47(2) and 48(3))

   (see paragraphs 55, 65-67, operative part 1)

5. Approximation of laws – Procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts – Directive 2004/18 – Conduct of the procedure – Automatic forfeiture of the provisional security provided by a tenderer excluded from a procedure for the award of a public service contract – Public contract not awarded to the excluded tenderer – Not permissible

   (European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/18, recital 2 and Art. 2)

   (see paragraphs 70, 71, operative part 2)

See the text of the decision.