Competition Authority Conducts Inspections in Bid Rigging Investigation

The Competition Authority has carried out inspections at the headquarters of three companies operating in the market for housing construction design and execution services, as part of an ongoing investigation into possible bid rigging in tenders organized by the National Housing Agency.

The Competition Authority has indications that three companies coordinated their behavior with the aim of dividing the market for housing construction design and execution services in Arad County, within the tender organized by the National Housing Agency.

In this context, unannounced inspections were conducted at the headquarters of Chintoflor Construct SRL, Dacodrin SRL, and Master Project Concept SRL. Some of the indications that led to the initiation of the investigation were provided by the National Housing Agency.

These unannounced inspections were authorized by the Bucharest Court of Appeal and were deemed necessary to obtain all relevant information and documents required for clarifying the potential anti-competitive practices under review.

The execution of these inspections does not represent a prejudgment regarding the guilt of the companies involved. If the Competition Council determines that competition rules have been violated, the companies involved may face fines of up to 10% of their turnover.

However, companies that cooperate with the Competition Authority under the leniency program may obtain immunity from fines or significant reductions in penalties.