Tel: 01 42 22 09 18 
Fax: 01 42 22 10 03 
sebastien.palmier@cabinetpalmier.fr 
Legal News
Assigning a qualifying technical score is not illegal under certain conditions
TA Versailles, Ord.21 septembre 2020, Sté Atelier Jean-Baptiste Chapuis, n°2005666
Le juge du référé précontractuel du Tribunal administratif de Versailles rappelle qu’aucun texte, ni aucun principe n'interdit à un acheteur public de prévoir l'attribution d'une note technique éliminatoire dès lors que cette information a été portée à la connaissance de l'ensemble des candidats. Cela étant, en cas de contentieux, le niveau d’élimination peut faire l’objet d’un contrôle de la part du juge qui tiendra alors compte de la spécificité des prestations.
The Council of State establishes the right for a public purchaser to terminate an irregular contract
CE 10 juillet 2020, Sté Comptoir Négoce Equipements, req. n°430864
Dans cet arrêt, le Conseil d’Etat précise les conditions dans lesquelles un acheteur public peut résilier unilatéralement un contrat entaché d’irrégularité ainsi que les modalités d’indemnisation du cocontractant.
Le cabinet Palmier-Brault-Associés est très honoré d’être à l’origine de cette avancée jurisprudentielle !
What you must remember :
Point n°1 : La consécration textuelle du pourvoir de résiliation unilatérale pour motif d’intérêt général
Dans son arrêt du 10 juillet 2020, le Conseil d’Etat rappelle tout d’abord le principe jurisprudentiel selon lequel en vertu des règles générales applicables aux contrats administratifs, la personne publique cocontractante peut toujours, pour un motif d'intérêt général, résilier unilatéralement un tel contrat, sous réserve des droits à indemnité de son cocontractant (CE 2 mai1985, Distillerie de Magnac-Laval, Lebon,p.246).
The establishment of the market balance by the judge of provisional summary proceedings
CE June 10, 2020, Sté BONAUD, req. n ° 425993
In its judgment of June 10, 2020, Sté BONAUD, the Council of State recalls that in application of article 13.4.2 of CCAG-TX, the holder of a public works contract can seize the administrative judge including via a provisional interim payment if, 30 days after the notification of the formal notice to the public purchaser for the establishment of the market statement, the latter still has not produced this account being then specified that the production of said counting during the proceedings does not make the request lose its object
What control of the weighting of the tender judgment criteria?
CE June 10, 2020, Minister of the Armed Forces, req. n ° 431194
The public purchaser freely determines the weighting of the criteria for judging the offers. However, it cannot legally use a weighting, in particular for the price criterion, which clearly would not allow, having regard to the characteristics of the market, to select the economically most advantageous offer. The control of the judge is however limited to a limited control concerning the relevance of the weighting chosen by the public purchaser.
Interest in contesting the validity of a contract by the regional council of the order of architects
CE June 3, 2020, Department of Loire Atlantique, req. n ° 426938
The National Council of Architects and the Regional Council of the Order of Architects have standing to contest the validity of a contract entered into in violation of Law No. 77-2 of the Law of January 3, 1977 on architecture. On the other hand, they have no quality to contest the reasons retained by a public buyer to legally resort to a design-build contract.
Incompetence of the judge of the pre-contractual summary procedure to control the competence of the public purchaser who launches the procedure!
CE June 9, 2020, Métropole Nice-Côte d'Azur, req. n ° 436922
In this case, the Council of State confirms its case-law according to which it is not for the judge of the pre-contractual summary procedure to control the competence of the public purchaser who launches the procedure. The sole circumstance that the procedure for the conclusion of the contract is initiated and conducted by a public person who is not yet competent to sign it does not result in the irregularity of the procedure for the conclusion of the procedure.
Notice of award: what are the obligatory terms to apply the appeal periods?
CE June 3, 2020, Avignon hospital center, req. n ° 428845
The bottom line: The publication of an award notice which mentions both the conclusion of the contract and the terms of its consultation makes it possible to start the period for appealing against the contract, regardless of whether it is does not indicate the date of conclusion of the contract.
An ousted candidate who has submitted an irregular offer may contest the award of the contract to an offer which is also irregular
CE May 27, 2020, Sté Clean Building, n ° 435982
The Council of State now considers that within the framework of a pre-contractual or contractual summary procedure, the fact that the offer of the ousted competitor is irregular does not prevent it from being able to take advantage of the irregularity of the offer of the company awarded the contract to obtain the cancellation of the procedure or the contract. In this hypothesis, the judge in summary proceedings cannot invoke the irregularity of the offer of the ousted candidate and must examine the regularity of the offer of the successful candidate.
Action to cancel a concession contract by a local taxpayer: beware of false joys!
CE March 27, 2020, MIH and others, req. n ° 426291
When a local taxpayer disputes the validity of a contract, it is his responsibility to establish that the agreement or the clauses whose validity he disputes are likely to have significant consequences on the finances or the heritage of the community. The Council of State also specifies the possibility of claiming the cancellation of an already terminated contract.
What rights for the subcontractor required to repay an advance due to the fault of the contractor?
CE March 4, 2020, St Savima, n ° 423443
In this case, the Council of State recalls that when a public contract is terminated before the advance can be reimbursed by withholding tax on the services due, the public buyer can obtain the reimbursement of the advance paid to the contractor or its subcontractor subject to the expenses they have incurred and which correspond to services provided on the market and actually carried out. And when the subcontractor is obliged to reimburse the advance due to a fault on the part of the holder, he may incur his liability up to the costs incurred for the performance of the services envisaged.