Investigation on the market of road signaling works: Three companies, suspected of understanding public procurement contracts

The Competition Council announced on Wednesday that it has initiated an investigation into a possible anti -competitive understanding on the market for marketing and executing the road signaling works in Romania. The authority has indications that three companies have been mainly understood to share their public procurement procedures aimed at marketing and executing signaling works, at least those organized by the National Road Infrastructure Management Company (CNAIR) starting with 2023.

“In this way, companies would try to ensure their contracts under less competitive conditions and, implicitly, with higher costs for customers,” says the Competition Council.

Thus, unexpected inspections were carried out at the headquarters and/or working points of the companies Dumava SRL, Girod SIGNIZATION SRL and GAMIDA EUROMK SRL, as well as a road marking supplier, but not targeted by the investigation.

The investigation was initiated following the complaint of Vesta Investment SRL.

The unexpected inspections are authorized by the Bucharest Court of Appeal and are justified by the need to obtain all the information and documents necessary to clarify the possible analyzed anti -competitive practices. Making them does not represent a pre -pronunciation regarding the guilt of companies.

In case the Competition Council will find the violation of the competition rules, the companies involved risk fines of up to 10% of the turnover. However, companies that cooperate with the competition authority, within the clemency program, can obtain immunity to the fine or substantial reductions of the fines.

The competition authority recalled that it has previously sanctioned four companies to trick auctions for road signaling with fines totaling 3.1 million lei.

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