The Romanian Competition Council (Consiliul Concurenței) has fined four companies a total of 2.32 million lei (around €466,000) for colluding in several public tenders organized by the National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration (CNAIR). The sanctioned firms are Tredeco Holding SRL, Trecon Logistic SRL, Data Capture SRL, and Geo Drumuri Banat SRL.
According to the investigation, the four companies coordinated their bids in seven public procurement procedures for road maintenance works on Romania’s national and motorway network. The tenders were organized by CNAIR’s regional offices in Brașov, Bucharest, Constanța, and Timișoara. The Competition Council found that the companies exchanged sensitive commercial information and agreed to divide the market among themselves, which effectively limited genuine competition.
The fines were distributed as follows: Tredeco Holding SRL (Arad) was fined 1.79 million lei (€360,000); Trecon Logistic SRL (Arad) received 187,718 lei (€38,000); Data Capture SRL (Arad) was fined 229,624 lei (€46,000); and Geo Drumuri Banat SRL (Caraș-Severin) received 110,515 lei (€22,000).
Romania’s competition law prohibits any agreements or coordinated practices between companies that restrict, prevent, or distort competition. This includes arrangements that fix prices, share markets, or manipulate bidding processes.
The Competition Council’s decision is legally binding, and the fines will be collected by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF). The decision will be published on the Council’s website once confidential details are removed.
This case underscores the authority’s focus on maintaining fair competition in public procurement. Bid-rigging in infrastructure projects not only harms public budgets but also undermines efficiency and transparency in the use of public funds.
