Competition Matters

When Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle, he addressed much of the corruption which took place in the meatpacking industry. This then led to federal food safety laws, which were generally effective, but failed to eradicate corruption from the industry. Many say that, thanks to COVID-19, anti-competitive behavior within the meatpacking industry has only been exacerbated. In one particular case, plaintiffs continue struggling to stake a claim against Minnesota cattle ranchers and pork purchasers for violations amidst the economic uncertainty of COVID.

Knowledge is power. Growing up in a family where education was the “family business”, this has been a guiding principle for me. As a former high school social studies teacher, I tried to instill this idea in all my students.  

The competitive bidding process is designed to facilitate transparency and accountability in procurement, provide bidders with a fair and equal chance to compete for and potentially be awarded a bid, and allow purchasers to receive the best value and quality for the goods and services that they seek. As such, public purchasers rely on the competitive bidding process to best provide for the communities that they serve and safeguard the taxpayers’ money from bad actors or unscrupulous deals.