The Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže discontinued the proceedings on the fine for a contract awarded without a tender that it imposed in 2015 on the Centrum pro zjišťování výsledků vzdělávání; Cermat is to get back CZK 350,000.
The Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže (ÚOHS) discontinued the administrative proceedings on the fine it imposed in 2015 on the Centrum pro zjišťování výsledků vzdělávání (Cermat) for a contract awarded without a tender. The office found no grounds for imposing a penalty, and Cermat is to get back the CZK 350,000 it paid. The office published the decision on its website, and the media reported on it on 8 October 2026.[1][2]
The original fine
The office imposed the fine in 2015 for the choice of a company that provided the information infrastructure and the supervision of the common part of the school-leaving exam. According to ÚOHS, Cermat used a negotiated procedure without publication contrary to the law and ordered the services from the company NESS CZECH. Cermat argued that the situation was urgent and that there was no time for a regular tender. The dispute was about whether it had caused that situation itself and whether it could have foreseen it.[1][2]
Course of the dispute
The fine of CZK 500,000 was upheld in 2016 by the head of the office, and Cermat paid it. The case was then repeatedly dealt with by the Krajský soud v Brně and the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic. In May 2023 the latter set aside the decision of the head of the office and returned the matter for a new assessment. In August 2023 the head of ÚOHS, Petr Mlsna, reduced the fine to CZK 350,000, and the overpayment was returned to Cermat. The Krajský soud v Brně upheld this decision, but in May 2026 the Supreme Administrative Court set aside both the judgment and the decision of the head of the office and returned the case again. In the renewed proceedings, in which the office had to take the court's legal opinion into account, it discontinued the proceedings.[1][2]
Related articles: Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže
Chronology
- — Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže discontinued the administrative proceedings on the fine it imposed in 2015 on the Centre for Evaluating Educational Results (Cermat) over a contract awarded without a tender, so Cermat will get back the 350,000 crowns it paid. E15 Seznam Zprávy
Pages linking here
Sources
- E15 — 8 October 2026
- Seznam Zprávy — 8 October 2026