Successfully defended client’s interests in a EUR 30 million public procurement dispute

Our Public Procurement team successfully represented the Joniškis District Municipality in a dispute concerning the construction and public services project of a Universal Sports Hall and Swimming Pool Complex, valued at nearly EUR 30 million.

The supplier challenged the results of the procurement, claiming that:

• information about a competitor’s bid was unjustifiably withheld;
• the winning bid’s price was abnormally low and should have been justified;
• the winning bid should have been rejected.

Both the first instance and appellate courts unanimously upheld our arguments that the supplier’s claims had no grounds. The winning bidder’s information was rightly recognized as a confidential trade secret and therefore could not be disclosed, while the winning bid’s price was deemed appropriate and justified.

Following the Lithuanian Court of Appeal’s decision, the contract with the winning bidder was signed. This not only concluded the procurement procedures but also enabled the launch of a strategically important sports and wellness project for the municipality.