Target Audiences: Intermediate (3-9 years of experience)
Vendor Collusion in Public Contracting – Detection and Reporting: This presentation is geared towards public entity personnel who participate in any part of the purchasing process. It will educate attendees on the basics of antitrust law, including what constitutes unlawful collusion among vendors and why collusion harms purchasers. It will identify some of the most common “red flags” of collusion by sellers of goods and services to public entities, and will describe when and how to report detected anomalies in the purchasing process. As a part of this presentation, attendees will hear real life examples of vendor misconduct impacting Ohio public purchasers and the litigation that the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has engaged in in an effort to recover the overcharges suffered by schools, municipalities, state agencies and other governmental bodies. The presenters will also describe the Ohio Attorney General’s Partnership for Competitive Purchasing, a voluntary program aimed at assisting public entities in detecting and remedying vendor misconduct.
