Photo by: Duane Daws
The Competition Commission on Tuesday referred a case of alleged collusive tendering against construction major Group Five to the Competition Tribunal after an investigation found sufficient evidence that the company allegedly colluded with counterparts WBHO and Murray & Roberts subsidiary Concor in respect of a road rehabilitation project.
The commission requested the tribunal to impose the maximum penalty of 10% of Group Five’s yearly turnover in respect of the contravention.
The commission said in a statement that the alleged collusion occurred in relation to the Senekal project, which involved the rehabilitation of National Route 5, section 4 between Senekal and Vaalpenspruit in the Free State.
It stated that Group Five had “bilateral collusive agreements” with WBHO and Concor respectively in terms of which Group Five would submit a bid price lower than those submitted by WBHO and Concor to ensure that Group Five won the tender.
Group Five was not immediately available for comment.