FAS recognized that suppliers of computer equipment formed a cartel

FAS found that “Craftway Corporation PLC” JSC, “Adaptive Technologies” Ltd., “Express + Service” Ltd. and “New Technologies Research Institute” Ltd. concluded an anticompetitive agreement in the course of e-auctions for supplying computers and software for the needs of “Nalog-Service” Federal State Institution, the Federal Tax Service, the Federal Customs Service and the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation.

The total sum of the initial government contracts at the auctions was over 2 billion RUB. In most auctions there was minimum price reduction.

During the investigation, three out of four respondents took advantage of the leniency programme and admitted collusion. The person that was the first to report a cartel to FAS is relieved from administrative liability and those confessed the second and the third are imposed a minimum fine.

The Commission Chairman, Stats-Secretary, Deputy Head of FAS Andrey Tsarikovsky commented the decision: “The case investigation was the first step in the exposed long chain of bid-rigging collusions at auctions for computer equipment and software for the needs of the authorities. In the near future new cases will be opened in this heavily cartelized, in the practice showed, field”.