Inadequate contract monitoring increases the risk of corruption

Family or friendly ties between employees and bidders, as well as consultants that assist Procurement Officers in procurement procedures are other risk factors for corruption that are mentioned by purchasing agencies in the study.

“Unfair competition in the form of corruption, bidding collusion and other dishonest behaviour damages the economy, and especially harms public procurement,” according to Rikard Jermsten, the Director General of the Swedish Competition Authority.

The survey that the Swedish Competition Authority report describes also shows that more than two-thirds of the contracting authorities are of the opinion that they need more information and knowledge about how bidding collusion can be prevented and discovered.

“The descriptions by the Procurement Officers of the problems they encounter in their daily work are very important to the Swedish Competition Authority. These allow us to more efficiently exercise oversight, and at the same time facilitate the work of the Procurement Officers against corruption and unfair competition,” declares Rikard Jermsten.

The report issued by the Swedish Competition Authority contains both a picture of how contracting authorities experience and combat corruption and unfair competition, and a description of various forms of corruption and unfair competition with respect to public procurement.

For additional information, please contact:

Marie Strömberg Lindvall, Communications Officer, +46(0)76-542 15 92, marie.stromberglindvall@kkv.se
Malin Rönnblom, Project Manager, +46(0)8-700 15 50, malin.ronnblom@kkv.se

Read the Report 2020:1 (in Swedish with a Summary in English)