The Elche City Council has finally been able to formalize the new cleaning contract for schools and municipal buildings after the Central Administrative Court for Public Procurement Contracts (TACRC) dismissed the appeal filed by Clece. The TACRC's ruling, dated July 31, ends a three-month suspension that had stalled the service renewal, initially awarded to the group FCC and Obras y Servicios P. Selva for 10.2 million euros.
Clece, the second-ranked bidder, had filed a special appeal alleging that the confidentiality declaration for the winning bid was "excessive and generalized," which, in their opinion, prevented them from knowing key aspects of the offer and caused them "clear defenselessness." However, the court considered that there was no real defenselessness and that the award criteria were public, also protecting the first-ranked bidder's right to the protection of their 'know-how' and trade secrets.
With the procedure unblocked, the contract was officially formalized on August 5. It is divided into two lots: the first, for municipal facilities and educational centers, amounts to 6.5 million euros with 5,800 annual hours and improvements; the second, for 29 educational centers, is for 4 million euros. The contract will have a duration of three years, with two optional annual extensions.
The awarded joint venture, 'UTE Elx Neteja Dependencies,' will continue to provide the service. The initial contract includes a higher price due to the application of the new collective agreement for the 140 workers, which caused an economic imbalance for the initial awarded companies before the approval of the new contract.
