Compass Group Finland to replace Cafe Metso at Tampere library — YLE News
In Tampere, Finland, the operator of the cafe at the main library will be major company Compass Group Finland instead of Cafe Metso. Cafe Metso had operated at the library for nearly 20 years, and Vinedu Oy, the company behind the establishment, lost the tender for a contract granting operating rights.
The change of entrepreneur has sparked dissatisfaction among city residents. A petition supporting the current entrepreneur had collected 9,000 signatures by Friday afternoon. Tampere Deputy Mayor for education services Anne-Mari Jussila said she would convene an extraordinary meeting of the culture and leisure committee to receive explanations about the course of the procedure. At the same time, she does not expect the result to change, as, according to her, officials acted properly and there were no errors in the process.
Price became the decisive criterion
Public law professor Tomi Voutilainen, who reviewed the tender at the request of YLE News, believes that the procedure likely complied with the law. In his assessment, the outcome was effectively determined by price, although the tender also provided for a quality assessment.
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The two participants who ranked highest received the same maximum number of points under all quality criteria and identical textual assessments. Voutilainen noted that under these conditions, quality indicators did not affect the final result. He also explained that the entrepreneur's local origin cannot be a selection criterion, as companies operating in EU countries must be able to participate in the tender. At the same time, the local origin of products or a short transport distance may be criteria.
The entrepreneur plans an appeal
Cafe Metso entrepreneur Kaisa Kalliolahti, who had run the cafe for eight years, announced her intention to appeal the decision. According to the professor, a successful appeal would require proving an error in the comparison of bids, while challenging quality assessments is difficult. In his view, even a possible reduction in the winner's quality points would carry little weight compared with price.
Tampere education services director Lauri Savisaari explained that an operating-rights contract allows the city to determine the cafe's opening hours, the content of services and prices. Under a standard lease agreement, the entrepreneur could set these terms independently. In addition to the basic rent, operators under such agreements pay the city remuneration linked to turnover or financial results.
