Toulouse: the award of the Santa Claus house market ended in court … because of a storm
This year, the Toulouse city hall launched a call for tenders to animate the village of Santa Claus. Two companies applied: Rose Basilic and Médiane Events & Travel … But a storm came to sow confusion on the course of the procedures.
Father Christmas in flesh and blood, posing with young children all turned upside down by his presence, under their parents’ cellphones; a wooden chalet with a cozy atmosphere where the elves, sleds, reindeer, fir trees are active…, this is what the Santa Claus Village in Toulouse has been offering for several years, at Charles de Gaulle square.
For 7 years, the company Rose Basilic, based in Dijon and specializing in Christmas decorations, has been running the Santa Claus Village. “From 2014 to 2019, the city of Toulouse purchased shows from Rose Basilic. In 2020, it launched a competition won by Rose Basilic, ”confirms the town hall. For this year 2021, a new call for tenders has been launched. Two event providers, Rose Basilic and Médiane Events & Travel, a Toulouse-based company, took shelter.
Regarding the Santa Claus Village, “honestly, the two projects were the same even if Rose Basilic’s was better in terms of scenery. And that of Médiane Events & Travel stronger on the entertainment side ”, announces Jonnhy Dunal, elected to Toulouse city hall, in charge of events.
During the commissioning process, the Toulouse town hall kept the Médiane Events & Travel project. “A month later, I learned from Rose Basilic, that the Toulouse company did not submit the file on time because of a thunderstorm, which caused a blackout and that it should have received from a postponement which could have benefited him, ”continues the elected official. The municipality then applies the regulations to the letter. “We took the market from Médiane to give it to Rose Basilic, who was the only one to have submitted his file at noon”, continues Jonnhy Dunal.
But Médiane Events & Travel, determined not to stop there, takes justice. “We appealed to the administrative court to defend ourselves against an injustice and we won, it’s as simple as that”, summarizes Gérald Grégot, founding president of Médiane Events & Travel.
Due to a strong thunderstorm in the Toulouse region, the day before the tender was submitted, Médiane encountered difficulties in submitting its application before 12 noon on the external platform which manages the discounts for offers from all markets. from the city. “The services of the city have indeed granted an additional time, the company Médiane submitting its offer at 2:17 pm precisely”, specifies the town hall.
These mitigating circumstances were presented to the administrative court by Mediane’s lawyer and heard. The judgment was pronounced on October 12, immediately, the town hall reallocated the market to Médiane, by paying him, first, 1,200 euros of costs of procedure. “We are happy to have recovered a file on which we had already won”, slips Gérald Grégot.
For her part, Myriam Viglino, the leader of Rose Basilic, deplores all these “back and forths, with attributions, non-attributions, reallocations”.
“In the end, everyone drank in this story and it’s unfortunate. I was afraid at one point that we are falling behind and that we cannot carry out the Christmas show ”, same conclusion Jonnhy Dunal.