Colombia: SIC exposes new bid-rigging scheme

Colombia’s Superintendence for Industry and Commerce has brought charges against two major engineering firms, Proyectar Ingeniería and Desarrollamos Ingeniería, accused of striking an agreement to manipulate competition among themselves in state contract bids.

The SIC has said the companies engaged in “an agreement to structure and jointly elaborate the offers presented to public tenders for the Ministry of Culture, altering free economic competition with the objective of illegally obtaining the contract” for reinforcing and re-furbishing of the Dagua and Puerto Triunfo culture halls.

The SIC’s investigation has shown that the bid went ahead, with eight companies presenting offers. One of the winners was part of this cartel, leading to a complaint filed by the Ministry of Culture in February 2014.

Full Content: Bolsamanía

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