NOVE successfully represented firearms manufacturer Lewis Machine & Tool Company (LMT) in a dispute regarding the public procurement for purchase of 5.56mm and 7.62mm automatic rifles for the Estonian Defence Forces. NOVE’s Attorney at Law, Veiko Vaske represented the successful bidder in the Public Procurement Review Committee and the administrative court in proceedings initiated by a competing bidder alleging that the required verification test procedures of the successful tender were not passed correctly. The allegations proved to be unfounded and an appeal was not filed. The legal essence of the dispute was the discretion of the contracting authority to interpret its tender documents and to adapt the procedure to collect information according to its actual needs. The result of the dispute paves the way for conclusion of a framework agreement with a value of up to EUR 75 Million. In addition to purchase of the weapons the subject of the agreement also includes optional equipment, spares, tools, services and life cycle support for at least 20 years.