The management of Sedif proposed Thursday to its members to accept Veolia's offer to manage the water contract in Île-de-France (excluding Paris) for the next twelve years (2025-2036), a choice which must still be the subject of a vote by the representatives of the 133 municipalities concerned at midday.
“Veolia's offer presents a clear advantage from a pricing point of view”
(on the delegated share, which represents 20% of the price of water) compared to that of its rival Suez, estimates the management of the Union in particular. of Île-de-France waters (Sedif) in its press kit.
This offer from Veolia also appeared to be
“more efficient”
in terms of
“OIBP work”
(low pressure reverse osmosis), a water filtration and purification technology, with which Sedif wishes to equip its factories.
The tender procedure for this four billion euro market has experienced its share of legal twists and turns, still ongoing, with Suez contesting Sedif's decision to resume the procedure after a computer bug, a dispute which will be examined Monday the Council of State after the rejection of a first appeal.
Read alsoVeolia-Suez: the incredible battle to supply water to Ile-de-France residents
Computer bug
The fight for this market, a true technological showcase and one of the largest of its kind in Europe, was marked last spring by a computer bug which caused confidential documents intended for its competitor Suez to land at Veolia.
The procedure was then frozen for several months, after this incident which occurred on the computer platform of the Île-de-France Water Union (Sedif).
After six months of uncertainty, the Sedif ultimately decided in October to continue the investigation on the basis of the offers received before the incident, invoking a decision of the Council of State from 2017 linked to the Lille public transport market.
This decision to continue the investigation was challenged in court by Suez, which was ultimately dismissed at the end of November by the Paris administrative court.
Suez has decided to pursue the legal challenge with an appeal to the Council of State, which will be examined on Monday, according to a source close to the matter.
The highest administrative court will not render its decision that day, but the recommendations of the public rapporteur will give a first indication.
The Sedif again assured Thursday that it will wait for the decision of the Council of State to sign the contract
“with the bidder approved by the Committee if this decision allows it”
.