Competition Matters

To help public purchasers protect taxpayer dollars and safeguard their purchasing processes, the Ohio Attorney General’s Antitrust Section offers presentations on deterring vendor collusion both before and after bids are submitted.
 
An important part of the mission of the Ohio Attorney General’s Antitrust Section is to assist public purchasers by educating them on preventing and detecting vendor collusion.
 
The section offers a program called “An Ounce of Prevention” that provides tips on how to make the procurement process less susceptible to bid-rigging and similar illegal activities. It addresses steps that public purchasers can take to dissuade vendors from colluding.  Presenters discuss why and how to use documents like non-collusion affidavits, vendor questionnaires, and subcontractor lists. The presentation also offers suggestions for best practices in preparing bid specifications and advertising bid opportunities.
 
The Antitrust Section also offers a presentation called “Vendor Collusion in Public Contracting – Detection and Reporting.” This program focuses on the period during and after the bids are submitted and educates purchasers on how to spot (and report) the “red flags” of vendor collusion. From identifying markets most vulnerable to bid-rigging to spotting patterns of behavior that often mean an illegal scheme is at work, the presentation provides public purchasers with a mental checklist that can be applied to every procurement. 
 
Each of these programs is designed to run approximately one hour, though timing is flexible. For audiences that can devote 90 minutes to two hours, the “Vendor Collusion in Public Contracting – Detection and Reporting” presentation also can include an interactive bid-rigging simulation game. The game places participants in charge of fictional Ohio cities that receive bids from fictional companies for three products or services. The game challenges participants to determine which of the three industries’ vendors are colluding by applying the “red flags of collusion.”
 
If your organization would like to schedule a presentation from the Ohio Attorney General’s Antitrust Section on either of these topics, please contact Beth Hubbard at 614-466-4328.