Two interior construction companies in Singapore, Flex Connect and Tarkus Interiors, have been fined nearly $10 million for engaging in bid-rigging practices over a four-year period. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) conducted a thorough investigation and found that the companies colluded to manipulate bids for interior construction projects.
Two interior construction companies have been fined nearly $10 million in total, following a four-year-long investigation by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS). CCCS said on Dec 20 that Flex Connect, previously known as Facility Link, was fined $4,885,263, while Tarkus Interiors was fined $5,113,918. This is the largest penalty it has issued for bid-rigging.
The rigged bids were for interior construction and finishing works in non-residential properties, including offices, retail spaces and food-and-beverage outlets. Tenders were called from August 2016 to August 2021, and valued between $150,000 and $7.7 million. Premises affected by the bid-rigging include the Ocean Financial Centre’s Pure Fitness gym and Citibank’s outlet at Changi Business Park. They also include law firm Ernst & Young’s office at 77 Robinson Road, restaurant chain Hans Im Gluck’s outlets at Boat Quay and Vivo City, and computer software company Oracle’s hub at Mapletree Business City. The two companies are are amongst a pool of 44 firms able to undertake high value contracts, said the competition watchdog. Under the Building Construction Authority’s registration system, these firms are the only ones allowed to tender for government projects which have an unlimited tender value for interior decoration and finishing works. No government projects were affected, said CCCS’ assistant director of legal and enforcement Ms Ng Yee Ting, at a media briefing on Dec 20. In a separate statement, CCCS detailed the way in which both companies would collude to bid for tenders to give each other an edge. The company who was to win the tender would typically share bid pricing and other information with the other company
BID-RIGGING CONSTRUCTION SINGAPORE COMPETITION FINES
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