Riyadh, 5 Jul
The National Events Center (NEC), in cooperation with the General Authority for Competition (GAC), organized an awareness workshop for its employees titled “Collusion in Government Procurements” at its headquarters in Riyadh.
The workshop aimed to promote a culture of fair competition and raise awareness of collusive practices in government tenders and contracts by introducing participants to the concept of collusion, its risks, methods of detection, and the monitoring tools used to identify it, in accordance with the Competition Law and its Implementing Regulations.
Participants were also introduced to the Competition Law, its regulatory framework, and the mandate of the General Authority for Competition in protecting competition and combating anti-competitive practices. The workshop also covered the concept of collusion in government procurements, which refers to an agreement or coordination between two or more establishments to influence bidding procedures in a manner that undermines fair competition and equal opportunities.
The workshop highlighted several common forms of collusion, including bid rotation, market or customer allocation, bid suppression, and coordination to determine the winning bid. It also shed light on the Authority’s procedures for detecting collusive practices through the stages of inquiry and investigation, concluding with an overview of the reporting and complaints process through the Authority’s electronic platform.
The workshop forms part of the NEC’s ongoing efforts to strengthen compliance, reinforce integrity and transparency, and foster greater awareness of fair competition requirements across the initiatives and events under its supervision.
The National Events Center is responsible for developing Saudi Arabia’s events sector by empowering organizers, enhancing the quality of event experiences, promoting best practices, expanding participation among different segments of society, and supporting the sector’s sustainable growth.