The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today published an opinion piece in Construction News detailing why construction companies must take cartel risk, where rivals get together and break competition rules, seriously.
 
The CMA has fined construction firms £67 million across 5 competition law cases in recent years.
 
As well as large fines for the companies, 11 directors in total were disqualified from acting as directors as a result of these cases. There have also been 2 criminal convictions.
 
The CMA is urging the wider industry to take note to avoid making similar mistakes, reminding company directors of their responsibility to lead by example and be aware of how their organisation is operating. 
 
The CMA has launched a ‘Cheating or Competing’ Construction Campaign featuring a new collection of construction case studies alongside advice for the sector.
 
The authority is also working with procurement officials across central and local government, to make it easier for them to spot and report suspected illegal activity. 
  
To find out more, visit the CMA ‘Cheating or Competing’ campaign page’