This joint initiative's main objective is to train technical staff and public administration procurement managers to identify and prevent so-called collusive practices. These practices, which include illicit agreements between companies to manipulate tenders, can cause significant economic damage to public coffers and affect the quality of contracted services.
The conference, organized by the Provincial School of Local Studies of the Provincial Council and the Agency for Competition and Economic Regulation of Andalusia (ACREA), is supported by the Institute for Promotion, Employment and Training (IFEF) of the Cádiz City Council. It will focus on identifying signs of collusion, such as price fixing or contract allocation, which restrict free competition in bidding processes.
“"It is a priority to strengthen the technical training of public employees to ensure procurement processes comply with regulations and are aimed at preserving competition."
The program will include presentations by experts who will address the importance of competition policy at the local level, the institutional framework of antitrust regulations, and recommendations for public purchasing design that promotes competition. A discussion panel on the application of Competition Law in local public procurement will also be held.
The conference references Law 9/2017 on Public Sector Contracts, which establishes the obligation to report well-founded indications of collusive behavior detected during a procurement procedure to competition authorities. Public tenders represent a significant percentage of the Gross Domestic Product, with over 200,000 tenders processed in Spain in 2024, almost half of which corresponded to local entities.
