| | 32004L0018: c3-42.1By post, by fax, by electronic means    
| 32004L0018 - Classic (3rd generation) | Article 42.1 | Section 4
Communication
Article 42
Rules applicable to communication
1. All communication and information exchange referred to in this Title may be by post, by fax, by electronic means in accordance with paragraphs 4 and 5, by telephone in the cases and circumstances referred to in paragraph 6, or by a combination of those means, according to the choice of the contracting authority. | | 32004L0017 - Utilities (3rd generation) | Article 48.1 | Section 3
Communication and information
Article 48
Rules applicable to communication
1. All communication and information exchange referred to in this Title may be carried out by post, by fax, by electronic means in accordance with paragraphs 4 and 5, by telephone in the cases and circumstances referred to in paragraph 6, or by a combination of those means, according to the choice of the contracting entity. | | 31997L0052 - Joint amendment of Classic (2nd generation) | Article 3.5.p2=W18.2 + 2.5=G15.3 + 1.6.p2=S23.2 | ..... and the following paragraph shall be added:
'2. Tenders shall be submitted in writing, directly or by mail. Member States may authorize the submission of tenders by any other means making it possible to ensure:
- that each tender contains all the information necessary for its evaluation,
- that the confidentiality of tenders is maintained pending their evaluation,
- that, where necessary, for reasons of legal proof, such tenders are confirmed as soon as possible in writing or by dispatch of a certified copy,
- that tenders are opened after the time limit for their submission has expired.`
5. The following paragraph shall be added to Article 15:
'3. Tenders shall be submitted in writing, directly or by mail. Member States may authorize the submission of tenders by any other means making it possible to ensure:
- that each tender contains all the information necessary for its evaluation,
- that the confidentiality of tenders is maintained pending their evaluation,
- that, where necessary, for reasons of legal proof, such tenders are confirmed as soon as possible in writing or by dispatch of a certified copy,
- that tenders are opened after the time limit for their submission has expired.`
..... and the following paragraph shall be added:
'2. Tenders shall be submitted in writing, directly or by mail. Member States may authorize the submission of tenders by any other means making it possible to ensure:
- that each tender contains all the information necessary for its evaluation,
- that the confidentiality of tenders is maintained pending their evaluation,
- that, where necessary, for reasons of legal proof, such tenders are confirmed as soon as possible in writing or by dispatch of a certified copy,
- that tenders are opened after the time limit for their submission has expired.` | | 31998L0004 - Amendment of Utilities (2nd generation) | Article 28.6.s1-2+i1 | (b) the following paragraph shall be added:
6. Tenders shall be submitted in writing, directly or by mail. Member States may authorise the submission of tenders by any other means making it possible to ensure:
- that each tender contains all the information necessary for its evaluation, |
| 32002R2342 - Implementation of Community (4th generation) - Commission M4 | Article 143 | Methods of communication (Article 98(1) of the Financial Regulation)
1. Requests to participate shall be submitted by letter, fax or electronic mail; requests submitted by fax or electronic mail shall be confirmed by letter before expiry of the time-limits set in Articles 140 and 251.
2. Tenderers may submit tenders:
(a) by post, for which purposes the invitation to tender documents shall specify that the relevant date is to be the date of despatch by registered post, as evidenced by the postmark; or
(b) by hand-delivery to the premises of the institution by the tenderer in person or by an agent, including courier service; for which purposes the invitation to tender documents shall specify, in addition to the information referred to in point (a) of Article 130(2), the department to which tenders are to be delivered against a signed and dated receipt.
3. In order to maintain secrecy and to avoid any difficulties where tenders are sent by letter, the invitation to tender must include the following provision:
"Tenders must be submitted in a sealed envelope itself enclosed within a second sealed envelope. The inner envelope must bear, in addition to the name of the department to which it is addressed, as indicated in the invitation to tender, the words Invitation to tender - Not to be opened by the mail service. If self-adhesive envelopes are used, they must be sealed with adhesive tape and the sender must sign across that tape." | | 32005R1261 - First amendment of implementation of Community (4th generation) - Commission M4A1 | Article 1.27.a-c=M4-143.1-2 | (a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:
"1. The arrangements for the submission of tenders and requests to participate shall be determined by the contracting authority, which may choose an exclusive method of submission. Tenders and requests to participate may be submitted by letter or by electronic means. Requests to participate may also be submitted by fax.
The means of communication chosen shall be non-discriminatory in nature and shall not have the effect of restricting the access of economic operators to the award procedure.
The means of communication chosen shall be such as to ensure that the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) each submission contains all the information required for its evaluation;
(b) the integrity of data is preserved;
(c) the confidentiality of tenders is preserved and the contracting authorities examine the content of tenders only after the time limit set for submitting them has expired.
Where necessary for the purposes of legal proof, the appointing authorities may decide that requests to participate submitted by fax must be confirmed by letter or electronically as soon as possible and at all events before the final date set in Articles 140 and 251.
Contracting authorities may require that electronic tenders be accompanied by an advanced electronic signature within the meaning of Directive 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council."
(b) the following paragraph 1a is inserted:
"1a. Where the contracting authority authorises submission of tenders and requests to participate by electronic means, the tools used and their technical characteristics shall be non-discriminatory in nature, generally available and interoperable with the information and communication technology products in general use. The information relating to the specifications required for presentation of tenders and requests to participate, including encryption, shall be made available to the tenderers or candidates.
Moreover, the devices for the electronic receipt of tenders and requests to participate shall conform to the requirements of Annex X to Directive 2004/18/EC.";
(c) paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:
"2. Where submission is by letter, tenderers may choose to submit tenders:
(a) either by post or by courier service, in which case the call for tenders shall specify that the evidence shall be constituted by the date of dispatch, the postmark or the date of the deposit slip;
(b) by hand-delivery to the premises of the institution by the tenderer in person or by an agent; for which purposes the call for tenders shall specify, in addition to the information referred to in Article 130(2)(a), the department to which tenders are to be delivered against a signed and dated receipt."; |
| Case | Pte | Ref | Text | T-202/08-R
Centre de langues | 39-46 | M4A1-1.27.a=M4-143.1.1
M4A1-1.28.a=M4-145.1
ECT-242-impl
ECT-243-impl | 39 Ensuite, l’article 145, paragraphe 1, du règlement d’exécution énonce que ne sont ouvertes par le pouvoir adjudicataire que « les demandes de participation et offres qui ont respecté les dispositions de l’article 143 » du même règlement. Or, le paragraphe 1 dudit article 143, après avoir prévu que les modalités de remise des demandes de participation étaient déterminées par le pouvoir adjudicataire (lettre, moyen électronique ou télécopieur), renvoie à la « date limite » prévue, notamment, à l’article 140 du règlement d’exécution.
40 S’il est vrai que ce renvoi est opéré en ce qui concerne la confirmation, par lettre ou par moyen électronique, de demandes de participation faites par télécopieur, il paraît évident que la portée de cette date limite ne peut être réduite à la seule hypothèse d’une demande faite par télécopieur, mais doit être valable pour tous les moyens de communication admis dans le cadre d’une même procédure de passation d’un marché public, et ce d’autant plus que, en vertu de l’article 143, paragraphe 1, du règlement d’exécution, les différents moyens de communication doivent avoir un caractère non discriminatoire. Or, l’avis de marché en cause en l’espèce prévoit, au point III.2.1, que les demandes de participation se font par lettre ou par télécopieur. Il s’ensuit que la date limite fixée pour le dépôt de ces demandes doit être identique pour l’un et l’autre de ces moyens de communication.
41 Ainsi que la Commission l’a relevé à juste titre, les moyens de communication décrits à l’article 143, paragraphe 1, du règlement d’exécution et repris dans l’avis de marché, au point III.2.1, apparaissent indissociables du délai dans lequel les demandes de participation doivent être déposées : si le délai de dépôt n’est pas respecté, les modalités de communication prescrites sur la base dudit article ne semblent en effet pas non plus pouvoir être respectées.
42 Il résulte prima facie de ce qui précède que la Commission pouvait se fonder, à juste titre, sur les articles 140, 143 et 145 du règlement d’exécution pour fixer, dans l’avis de marché en cause, une date limite pour le dépôt des demandes de participation, soit le 8 avril 2008, à 16 heures, au plus tard, et pour décider que celles déposées hors délai seraient, le cas échéant, exclues de la procédure pour méconnaissance de l’article 143 dudit règlement.
43 Dans ce contexte, ne saurait être retenu l’argument du requérant selon lequel l’avis de marché ne prévoit aucune sanction pour les candidatures tardives. En effet, en prévoyant, au point VI.3.2, que « [l]es candidatures incomplètes pourront être écartées d’office », l’avis de marché permet manifestement l’exclusion des candidatures tardives, ces dernières étant les candidatures les plus incomplètes imaginables.
44 Enfin, il importe de rappeler que le requérant, dans sa correspondance avec la Commission au cours de la procédure précontentieuse, s’est borné à expliquer par un « malentendu administratif » le non-respect de la date limite de dépôt prévue dans l’avis de marché, sans invoquer l’existence d’un cas fortuit, d’une force majeure ou d’une erreur excusable (voir point 7 ci-dessus).
45 Dans ces circonstances, il convient de conclure que, à première vue, la Commission, après avoir constaté que les demandes de participation qui avaient été présentées avant cette date limite étaient au nombre de quinze (voir point 5 ci-dessus), pouvait écarter la candidature du requérant, eu égard aux principes de sécurité juridique et d’égalité de traitement des candidats, sans commettre une erreur manifeste d’appréciation.
46 Par conséquent, le premier grief soulevé par le requérant ne saurait permettre d’établir l’existence d’un fumus boni juris. |
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