Competition Matters

Public entities routinely ask bidders to identify their subcontractors. Bidders usually comply. But what is the reason for the requirement? Is the question merely boilerplate or something more? While the identification of subcontractors may serve a variety of purposes, one of the most important relates to the detection of bid-rigging.

A brutal winter like the one that has gripped Ohio and much of the nation this year makes cities, counties, townships, and other governmental entities rely even more heavily than usual on their purchases of one particular product: rock salt. Because rock salt is widely accepted as the most cost-effective means of treating icy roads, public purchasers have very little choice when the price goes up but to take money from other parts of their budgets for salt purchases.

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Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Partnership for Competitive Purchasing takes a proactive approach to bid-rigging detection.