PELLEGRINI/CONSIP
PRESS RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
The Competition Authority has begun an investigation
into an alleged agreement between several companies tendering for the supply of services to replace in-house catering using luncheon vouchers for civil servants
The Competition Authority began an investigation on 27 June 2001 into an alleged series of anticompetitive agreements between the following companies: Gemeaz Cusin Srl, Sodexho Pass Srl, Day Ristoservice Srl, Ristomat Srl, Qui! Ticket Service Spa, Ristochef Spa, Sagifi Spa e Cascina Scrl. These are companies that took part in a tender called by Servizi Informatici Pubblici - CONSIP Spa for the supply of meal vouchers for civil servants. The tender was divided into five batches, for five different geographic areas.
The investigation began as a result of complaints by two companies working in the field of services replacing in-house catering by issuing meal vouchers,Pellegrini Spa e Repas Lunch Coupon Srl, claiming that the result of the adjudication of the tender allegedly demonstrated the existence of coordinated tendering by the companies complained of.
The purpose of the investigation is to enable the Authority to ascertain whether the companies had violated section 2 of the Competition Act through the combined system of tenders, by coordinating the way in which the bids were made and by jointly fixing the discounts offered by each bidder for the various batches. This system, if it existed, would have guaranteed them the possibility of dividing the market between them, giving each one at least one of the batches tendered for, on one hand, while enabling them to fix the selling price of the service with a high degree of independence of pressure from the competition, on the other.
The investigation will end by 15 June 2002.
Rome, 9 July 2001