Sara Coulter is the newest attorney addition to the Partnership for Competitive Purchasing. She talks with public purchasers about antitrust laws and the legal elements of vendor collusion and bid-rigging.
Q: How long have you participated in the Partnership for Competitive Purchasing?
A: I’ve been part of this organization since I started with the Antitrust Section of the Office of the Ohio Attorney General, so since October of 2017.
Q: How important do you feel the program is and why?
A: The program is very important for Ohio. More awareness around the issues of vendor collusion and how to detect anti-competitive practices can help in lots of ways. Public purchasers who are aware of the red flags of collusion are able to involve our office sooner. This means that we will be able to respond quickly and effectively while the trail is still hot. Successful investigations can save taxpayer dollars and ensure that companies and municipalities are also saving money. Plus, antitrust laws promote market economics and healthy market growth. In short, competition helps vendors, purchasers, and the public, so ensuring fair competition in Ohio is a very important job.
Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of the job is getting to travel to talk to purchasers and others throughout Ohio. We interact with highly-informed and motivated purchasers. Their participation in our program and their insightful questions are encouraging.
Q: How can you assist Ohio public purchasers?
In the realm of anticompetitive conduct, education is vital. I help Ohio public purchasers by teaching them to be proactive about preventing opportunities for collusion. Our presentations also help purchasers learn how to detect collusion should it occur. Not only do we educate others, our office is also able to step in and investigate if anyone thinks collusion is present in a market or industry.
Also, I help write for the “Competition Matters” newsletter. If you have any ideas for stories or if there are areas of antitrust law you want to read about, please let us know! Beth Hubbard, who was featured in last month’s newsletter, coordinates the articles and can be reached at
Beth.Hubbard@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov. I can be reached at
Sara.Coulter@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.