Norway fines six companies for bid rigging

EEA member state Norway has fined six electrical companies a combined total of NOK 18 million (€1.9 million) for openly agreeing to submit identical bids for a tender agreement for schools in Oslo.The fine, meted out by Norway's Competition Authority, brings to an end a nearly 3 year investigation, which was initiated by Undervisningsbygg Oslo KF, the city of Oslo’s company for managing school construction and maintenance in Spring 2014.The supply chain of electrical installation companies, El Proffen / EP Contracting, initiated and organized the cooperation between the five competing member companies in the tender competition, with each competitor agreeing on identical prices and exchanging other competitively-sensitive information, instead of competing to submit the most economically advantageous tender to the Oslo MunicipalityThe Competition Authority's assessment that the individual companies could have submitted independent bids and that, as a consequence, it was illegal to cooperate.The Competition Authority has imposed a fine on El Proffen AS / EP Contracting AS of NOK 2.5 million (€268,342), Lysteknikk Elektroentreprenør AS a fine of NOK 4.5 million (€483,515) Elektro Nettverk Service AS a fine of NOK 4.5 million (€483,515), Arkel Asker and Bærum AS a fine of NOK 3.29 million (€353,128), Hoel Elektro AS a fine of NOK 1.29 million (€138,465), and Røa Elektriske AS a fine of NOK 2.45 million (€262,975).Source: https://goo.gl/8i3mmB