Saudi Arabia is redoubling its efforts to combat bid-rigging given that reflects on economic efficiency, social development, preservation of public money, and the achievement of the goals of Vision 2030.
Raising the level of awareness among those concerned with procurement in government agencies, Saudi Arabia launched an e-platform to prevent collusive bidding and to allow the reporting violations of this type.
General Authority for Competition (GAC) Chairman Ahmed Alkholifey confirmed that the Kingdom has launched a financial sustainability program to achieve structural reforms that keep pace with the transformation needed for achieving Vision 2030.
According to Alkholifey, the program aims to enhance the performance of enterprises, raise the efficiency of the performance of government agencies, and improve the management of their financial resources in an optimal manner.
This would allow state institutions to implement their projects with the desired quality, at fair prices, and in a manner that achieves the objectives of the party proposing the projects, the aspirations of the government in the country and the ambitions of ultimate beneficiaries: citizens and residents.
Alkholifey indicated that one of the most important responsibilities of competition authorities in different countries of the world is to combat collusion in all its forms, because of its impact on raising prices, limiting options available to consumers and reducing quality, in addition to the decline in levels of efficiency, innovation and development.
The platform raises awareness through explaining methods of collusion and the common forms of its practice, and how to detect it, in addition to the characteristics of the sectors vulnerable to it.
For collusion violations, the platform allows vigilant parties to request a training workshop on combating collusion. It also gives them the chance to report collusive bidding when they suspect it.
