The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued £50,000 in civil penalties against construction company M&J Group (Construction & Roofing) Ltd and two of its employees for concealing evidence during an unannounced inspection. The fine is the first time the CMA has penalized individuals for hiding materials during a competition law investigation.
The penalties stem from an ongoing CMA probe launched in December 2024 into alleged anti-competitive conduct and bid-rigging in the supply of roofing and construction services. Initially focused on contracts funded by the Department for Education’s Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) for school repairs, the regulator expanded its investigation in January 2026 to encompass contracts across broader public and private sectors. Twelve construction businesses, including M&J Group, remain under formal investigation.
During an inspection executed under a court warrant at M&J Group’s premises, the firm’s Estimating Director, Barry Pirrie, falsely told officers he did not possess a work mobile phone and instructed Office Manager Tracey Woods to remove the phone and associated physical paperwork from the building. Although the concealed items were eventually returned later that day, the CMA determined that hiding the evidence risked the loss of vital information and wasted significant investigative resources.
Under Section 40A(1) of the Competition Act 1998, the CMA imposed a £25,000 administrative fine on M&J Group, alongside individual fines of £20,000 on Mr. Pirrie and £5,000 on Ms. Woods. The infractions occurred prior to the implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 in January 2025, which raised maximum corporate penalties for non-compliance with investigative requirements to 1% of global turnover. Consequently, M&J Group was fined under the lower statutory penalty cap in effect at the time of the inspection.
The CMA emphasized that these administrative penalties relate solely to failures in complying with investigatory procedures and do not constitute a finding of guilt regarding the underlying competition law investigation. The main cartel investigation into suspected bid-rigging remains open, and no formal statement of objections has been issued against the twelve target firms. The watchdog continues to collect and analyze evidence to determine whether an infringement occurred.
