Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 28 June 2018 –
Amplexor Luxembourg v Commission

(Case T‑211/17)

(Public service contracts — Tendering procedure — Ranking of a tenderer in the cascade procedure — Processing of opinions with a view to their publication in the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union — Equal treatment of tenderers — Neutralisation of the advantage of the incumbent contractor — Misuse of powers)

1. 

Judicial proceedings—Application initiating proceedings—Formal requirements—Identification of the subject-matter of the dispute—Brief summary of the pleas in law on which the application is based—Unambiguous wording of the form of order sought by the applicant

(Statute of the Court of Justice, Arts 21, first para. and 53, first para.; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 76(d) and (e))

(see para. 24)

2. 

European Union public contracts—Tender procedure—Obligation to comply with the principle of equal treatment of tenderers—Need to ensure equal opportunities and comply with the principle of transparency—Scope

(European Parliament and Council Regulation No 966/2012, Art. 102(1))

(see paras 34-36)

3. 

European Union public contracts—Tender procedure—Obligation to comply with the principle of equal treatment of tenderers—Necessity to neutralise absolutely all the advantages of the contracting tenderer in place—None—Conditions for implementing deactivation measures

(European Parliament and Council Regulation No 966/2012, Art. 102(1))

(see paras 37, 38, 41, 43, 45, 62, 63)

4. 

Actions for annulment—Pleas in law—Misuse of powers—Meaning

(Art. 263 TFEU)

(see para. 71)

Re:

Application based on Article 263 TFEU seeking annulment of the decision of the Publications Office of the European Union (PO) of 13 February 2017 to classify the applicant in second place in the context of call for tenders No 10651 for the conclusion of a framework contract in cascade for the processing of opinions with a view to their publication in the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union.

Operative part

The Court:

1. 

Dismisses the action;

2. 

Orders Amplexor Luxembourg Sàrl to pay the costs, including those relating to the interlocutory proceedings.