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Rigged Bids, Real Costs – The Case for Tackling Bid Rigging in Public Procurement

By  |  September 9, 2026
5-BID RIGGING IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT By May Reda Ibrahim

In this blog post for the Competition and Markets Authority, CEO Sarah Cardell reflects on the serious threat posed by bid rigging in public procurement and its impact on taxpayers. She highlights the CMA’s 2023 case against 10 construction firms, which were fined nearly £60 million for colluding on £150 million worth of demolition and asbestos removal contracts. More broadly, the CMA estimates that bid rigging could cost UK taxpayers between £1 billion and £3.5 billion annually.

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    Public procurement, which accounts for around £400 billion in UK spending each year, is particularly vulnerable to collusion because of the nature and frequency of tenders. More than half of the bid-rigging cases investigated by the CMA have involved public-sector contracts. Beyond higher prices, collusion can reduce quality and innovation, with potentially serious consequences for infrastructure, public services and public safety.

    Cardell argues that improved detection is now possible through advanced data science and AI. Competition authorities and governments internationally are using data-screening tools to identify suspicious bidding patterns at scale, but this depends on access to comprehensive, machine-readable procurement data, including information on unsuccessful bids. The CMA has developed its own Bid Rigging Intelligence Tool (BRIT), combining data science with cartel-enforcement expertise, and early pilots with several government departments are producing promising leads.

    The CMA is therefore calling for reforms to public procurement that would create a more coordinated approach to collecting and accessing tender data across government. Cardell argues that unlocking BRIT’s full potential could bring the UK closer to international best practice, strengthen enforcement against bid rigging and potentially save billions of pounds in taxpayer money…

     

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