Lhe Council of State has suspended the public procurement procedure aimed at finding an organizer for the festivities of July 21 at the Cinquantenaire, reports RTBF on Sunday evening. The entire procedure must be restarted, less than three months from the event.
Since 2022, the national holiday has extended into the evening at the Cinquantenaire, in Brussels, with free concerts. To do this, the Prime Minister’s Chancellery organizes an annual call for tenders to find the company which will be responsible for organizing this event.
This public contract concerns the organization of a general public show, the production of a live television broadcast, the management of event security, the management of bars and catering areas and the promotion of event.
After having already referred the matter to the Council of State last year, the company Shadow to Live has filed a new appeal with the administrative jurisdiction. The company attacks two selection criteria for the public market: present a turnover greater than 2 million euros; and promote the organization of a similar event on July 21.
In its judgment delivered on April 26, the Council of State considers that the criterion of turnover is not sufficiently justified. Therefore, the public contract is suspended and the procedure must be restarted.
The chancellery indicates that it is exploring avenues and analyzing the risks. The name of the company selected in a new call for tenders would not be known before the end of June or the beginning of July. Which would leave very little time.
