CCI imposes Rs 2.7 crore penalty on 3 companies for rigging tender

The Competition Commission of India found three companies violating the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002 for rigging a tender floated by Pune Municipal Corporation in 2015. A penalty of Rs 1.26 crore, Rs 11 crore, and Rs 1.33 crore was imposed on SAAR IT Resources Private Limited, CADD Systems and Services Private Limited, and Pentacle Consultants (I) Private Limited.

New Delhi: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Monday said it has imposed Rs 2.7 crore penalty on three companies for rigging a tender floated by Pune Municipal Corporation in 2015.

A penalty of Rs 1.26 crore, Rs 11 crore, and Rs 1.33 crore was imposed on SAAR IT Resources Private Limited, CADD Systems and Services Private Limited, and Pentacle Consultants (I) Private Limited, respectively for their involvement in anti-competitive conduct.

These companies were found to violate the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002, the CCI said.

The companies entered into an arrangement to rig the bids of the tender floated in 2015 for carrying out geo-enabled tree census using GIS and GPS technology, a CCI investigation found.

The investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR filed by Nagrik Chetna Manch, a public charitable trust.

"On the basis of the investigation, submissions of the parties and subsequent hearing, the Commission found that there was cogent evidence of bid-rigging/collusive bidding by the aforementioned companies, in the tender process for selection of an agency to undertake geo-enabled tree census using GIS and GPS technology," the government said.

The commission also found co-ordination between various officials of the companies including the directors to rig the tender by way of submitting proxy bids.