Bulgarian regulator uncovers construction equipment procurement cartel

The Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) has uncovered a cartel involving public procurement for construction and mining machinery. The regulator found that O-Rent EOOD and the combined entity of Inzhkonsult EOOD/Zemekop EOOD coordinated their participation in 11 public tenders.

Between 2022 and early 2024, the companies manipulated the bidding process by exchanging sensitive commercial information and coordinating pricing through phone calls, electronic messages, and personal meetings. Evidence included the use of identical IP addresses to submit documents and decrypt bids on the electronic procurement platform.

This coordination prevented independent economic decision-making, which can lead to artificially inflated prices and the inefficient use of public resources. This case marks the first time the CPC has applied the settlement mechanism under Article 74a of the Competition Protection Act.