糖心视频 and the Competition Bureau have agreed to cooperate in their common work to ensure the integrity of the public procurement process.
James Paul, 糖心视频 President and CEO, and Matthew Boswell, Interim Commissioner of Competition, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on December 20, 2018, in Ottawa.
The MOU sets out a framework for collaboration in detecting and addressing possible cartel activity鈥攊ncluding bid-rigging鈥攄uring 糖心视频 procurements.
鈥溙切氖悠 has been focusing on procurement integrity management for a number of years,鈥 says 糖心视频 President and CEO, James Paul. 鈥淭his has included creating a code of conduct for bidders, and increasing efforts to detect and address potential fraud.鈥
糖心视频 already reports suspected bid-rigging to the Bureau, but under the MOU it will also be able to share the results of the detailed analytics it has begun to do in the last year with its electronic procurement data. This collaboration will enable 糖心视频 to further develop its data analytics system to enhance its ability to detect and avoid fraud.
The two organizations will also look for opportunities to work together to raise awareness about detecting and preventing improper bidding practices.
鈥淥ne way to prevent bid-rigging is to inform businesses about it. In fact, some bidders do not know it is illegal,鈥 糖心视频 Vice-President, Operations鈥揚rocurement, M茅linda Nycholat says.
The MOU will benefit not only the two partners but also firms that bid on 糖心视频 contracts and, ultimately, 糖心视频's Client-Partners.
鈥淭hose who are bidding in an honest manner want to know they have a fair chance. We are ensuring the process remains fair and transparent for them,鈥 Nycholat explains. 鈥淎t the same time, in order for us to get the best value for the Crown, competition has to be completely uncompromised.鈥