Competition Policy and Procurement Markets

Abstract

This document (of 147 pages) contains the proceedings of a one-day roundtable on competition issues relating to government procurement, held at the OECD in June 1998. The publication includes submissions from 12 OECD member countries describing the regulatory regime for procurement and the competition policy issues which have arisen. The document also includes a background paper prepared by the OECD secretariat discussing why competition issues arise in procurement, raising the question whether transparency obligations may in some cases enhance the likelihood of bid-rigging and discussing approaches to reducing collusion in procurement. The document includes a summary of the oral discussion at the roundtable and a three-page executive summary setting out the key ideas to emerge.