International Competition Network Addresses Bid-Rigging In Government Procurement

In October 2017, Canada's Commissioner of Competition John Pecman (Commissioner) joined competition law enforcement authorities from around the world in Ottawa for the International Competition Network's (ICN) 14^th annual Cartel Workshop, which focused on "combating cartels in public procurement".

The Cartel Workshop involved 27 sessions addressing bid-rigging issues such as detection in public versus private procurement, screening public procurement data to detect bid-rigging, working with informants in and out of government, cooperation with other domestic and international law enforcement agencies, actions for damages and best practices for fostering compliance with bid-rigging laws. Some sessions went beyond bid-rigging, for example focusing on companies' use of algorithms for pricing decisions, the use of indirect evidence in cartel cases, technology of assistance to cartel investigations, and sanctions generally. Certain materials presented at the workshop may