Spain: CNMC fines consulting services cartel

Spain’s National Commission of Markets and Competition has issued fines against 25 companies in the consulting services sector, accused of having committed violations to Article 1 of the Competition Law, as well as Article 101 of the Treaty of the European Union (TFEU), including collusion for dividing up the market of consultancy services in public and private tenders.

The companies are accused of presenting fictitious offers in order to manipulate bidding processes between 2009 and 2018. This includes the companies Abay Analistas Económicos, SL, Altia Consultores, SA, and its parent company Boxleo TIC, SL, Bmasi Strategy, SL, Competitiveness Development and Innovation, SLU, Consultores de Políticas Comunitarias, SL, Deloitte Consulting, SLU and Deloitte Financial Advisory, SLU, and its parent Deloitte Advisory, SL, Gestiona XXI Consulting, SL, Gizarpro, SL, Idom Consulting, Engineering, Architecture, SAU, and its parent company Idom, SA, Indra Sistemas, SA, Innovisions 21, SL , Oesia Networks, SL and its parent company Heisenberg 2014, S.L., Pa Consulting Services Limited Spain and its parent Pa Consulting Services Limited, Pricewaterhouse Coopers Business Advisors, S.L., Red2Red Consultores, S.L., Regio Plus Consulting, S.L., T-Systems ITC Iberia, S.A.U. and its parent company, T-Systems International GmbH, and 97S & F, S.L.

Likewise, executives of the companies Bmasi Strategy, S.L., Deloitte Consulting, S.L.U., Idom Consulting, Engineering, Architecture, S.A.U, Innovisions 21, S.L, 97S & F, Pricewaterhouse Coopers Asesores De Negocios, S.L, have been indicted.

The sanctions came following a series of dawn raids carried out by the CNMC towards the end of October 2018 at the headquarters of the Deloitte Group, Idom, SA, Idom Consulting, Engineering, Architecture SAU, Pricewaterhousecoopers Asesores De Negocios, SL, Pricewaterhousecoopers Compliance Services , SL, and Regio Plus Consulting. The actions of the CNMC were motivated by a referral by the Basque Competition Authority of an investigation into the possible distribution of contracts tendered by the autonomous government of that region.

Full Content: CNMC