Bid-rigging: Compete legally!

* Disponible en français :    • Truquage des offres : Compétitionnez ...   Bid-rigging is a serious crime that eliminates competition among your suppliers, increases your costs, and harms your ability to compete. Whether this occurs on government projects or in the private sector, these increased costs are ultimately passed on to the public. Bid-rigging typically involves competitors agreeing to artificially increase the prices of goods and/or services offered in bids to potential customers. For more information, please visit the Investigating Cartels portal on the Bureau's website: www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/cartels Follow the Bureau on Twitter and Facebook to receive a variety of important announcements and updates Facebook: www.facebook.com/competitionbureaucanada Twitter: twitter.com/CompBureau ----- Transcript Everybody loves to be a winner. Sometimes it's by luck. Most times it's by good old-fashioned hard work. Just ask any businessperson. Business - any type of business - is very competitive, especially when bidding for jobs. Well, at least bidding is supposed to be competitive... Some companies try to avoid competition by rigging bids. And THAT'S illegal! Let's put our heads together on this one. If you make some changes to your bid and let me win this job, I'll fix my bid to your advantage on the next one! Make sense? It's illegal to submit cover bids to give the impression of a competitive bidding process. Your punishment can include a big fine, even jail time! Psst! Did you see that latest call for tenders? Look, no need for us to compete against each other! You bid higher than me this time, so I win. I'll bid higher than you next time, and it's yours! Agreed? We'll make a bundle! Maybe. Or you could simply find yourself in jail with a criminal record. Hello? So I heard you submitted your bid yesterday. Me too! Tell you what... if you withdraw your bid on this one, I'll do the same for you on the next one! Deal? Bad deal! Think of your reputation and credibility ruined! Busted as a cheat! OK then, what about this... You can bid on all the jobs in this area here, and I'll bid on all the jobs over there. Sounds good? Sounds like trouble. It's illegal for suppliers to agree not to compete in designated geographic regions or for specific customers. One more example! Well, how about I alone bid on this call for tenders, and won't bid on the next one so that you get your chance? Nope! That's called bid suppression. Bad move! But here's a great way to come clean! If you have been involved in cover bidding, bid rotation, bid withdrawal, bid suppression or market division, you could be eligible for immunity from prosecution if you are first to report the offence to the Competition Bureau. Others who self-report early in the Bureau's investigation may also qualify for lenient treatment. If you suspect someone of bid-rigging, contact the Competition Bureau immediately to report it. Bid-rigging is a criminal offence under Canada's Competition Act. Whether this occurs on government projects or in the private sector, the increased costs are ultimately passed on to the public. Firms and individuals convicted of bid-rigging face fines at the discretion of the court or jail time up to 14 years, or both. So be a winner. Compete to win. Do things the right way; the legal way. For more information, visit our website.

• #education
• #bidding
• #bid_rig
• #bid_rigging
• #competition