The CPC sanctioned 30 companies for participation in a cartel within the Energy Efficiency of Multi-Family Residential Buildings National Programme in Plovdiv

By Decision No. 762/22.07.2021 the Commission established an infringement of art. 15, par. 1 of the CPC between the participants in a public tender under the National Program for Energy Efficiency of Multi-Family Residential Buildings, opened by Decision No. 15 РОП-21/10.03.2015 of the mayor of Plovdiv municipality.

The established infringement is a cartel (prohibited agreement) for manipulating the public tender for conducting audits to establish the technical characteristics and technical passports of buildings and audits on energy efficiency of buildings and prescription of the necessary energy saving measures.

The infringement lasted from 01.10.2015 to 26.06.2017.

In the course of the investigation, the CPC found that the participants have reached an agreement to distribute the tendered lots and to coordinate the prices offered to the contracting authority. The agreement has as its object complete elimination of competition at the stage of bid submission by predefining the winning bidder for each lot and thus predetermining the choice of the contracting authority.

The Commission based its conclusions on collected electronic correspondence between the participants, evidence provided by the public authorities and the bidders themselves.

The Commission granted immunity to one of the cartel participants and reduced the amount of the fine by 50% to another one, based on their cooperation to the investigation. The companies have submitted immunity/reduction of fines applications along with evidence within the Leniency program, that allowed the Commission to prove the infringement.

The total amount of fines is BGN 388 687.

The full text of the decision is available in the Public Electronic Registry of the CPC at: http://reg.cpc.bg/