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Document 62020TJ0717

    Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 19 October 2022.
    Lenovo Global Technology Belgium BV v European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking.
    Public procurement – Tendering procedure – Acquisition, delivery, installation and maintenance of the Leonardo Supercomputer for the hosting entity Cineca – Rejection of a tenderer’s bid – Equal treatment – Principle of sound administration – Manifest error of assessment.
    Case T-717/20.

    Court reports – general – 'Information on unpublished decisions' section

    ECLI identifier: ECLI:EU:T:2022:640

     Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 19 October 2022 –
    Lenovo Global Technology Belgium v Joint Undertaking EuroHPC

    (Case T‑717/20) ( 1 )

    (Public procurement – Tendering procedure – Acquisition, delivery, installation and maintenance of the Leonardo Supercomputer for the hosting entity Cineca – Rejection of a tenderer’s bid – Equal treatment – Principle of sound administration – Manifest error of assessment)

    1. 

    European Union public contracts – Tendering 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 2018/1046, Art. 160(1))

    (see paragraphs 28-32, 140)

    2. 

    European Union public contracts – Conclusion of a contract following a call for tenders – Discretion of the institutions – Judicial review – Limits

    (European Parliament and Council Regulation 2018/1046)

    (see paragraphs 64, 106, 124, 141)

    3. 

    Action for annulment – Pleas in law – Action against a decision rejecting a tender submitted by a tenderer in the context of a public procurement procedure launched by an EU institution – Plea in law alleging a manifest error of assessment on the part of the contracting authority – Burden of proof borne by the applicant

    (Art. 263 TFEU)

    (see paragraph 65)

    4. 

    Fundamental rights – Charter of Fundamental Rights – Right to sound administration – Scope

    (Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41)

    (see paragraph 66)

    5. 

    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 – Information provided to the applicant not clearly showing the reasons for rejecting the tender and not sufficiently explaining the characteristics and advantages of the tender accepted – 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 – Sufficient statement of reasons

    (Art. 256 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2018/1046, Art. 170(2) and (3)(a), and Annex I)

    (see paragraphs 159, 160, 162, 164)

    6. 

    Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Essential formality distinct from the merits of the decision

    (Art. 296 TFEU)

    (see paragraphs 161, 165)

    Operative part

    The Court:

    1. 

    Dismisses the action;

    2. 

    Orders Lenovo Global Technology Belgium BV to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC);

    3. 

    Orders the European Commission to bear its own costs.


    ( 1 ) OJ C 53, 15.2.2021.

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