Do you know of a company that is participating in bid rigging or price fixing? These schemes are not just unethical, they are also illegal. So, what should you do to report companies that are participating in bid rigging or price fixing?

First, it is important to seek the guidance of a whistleblower attorney. A whistleblower attorney will meet with you to discuss your potential case and gather all the information you have about bid rigging or price fixing.  Depending on the information provided, your attorney may present your case to the federal government, while using the anti-retaliation provisions found in the federal False Claims Act to help protect you from any type of retaliation. As an incentive for coming forward and providing information that leads to the investigation and prosecution of fraudulent conduct, whistleblowers can receive a portion of the money recovered by the government.

The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division investigates claims of bid rigging and price fixing. Recently, the DOJ announced that it filed charges against Argos USA LLC, a ready-mix concrete seller and producer, for participating in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids.

According to the DOJ, the conspiracy involved “employees of Argos and other ready-mix concrete companies,” that coordinated “the issuance of price-increase letters to customers, allocating specific ready-mix concrete jobs in the coastal Georgia area, charging fuel surcharges and environmental fees, and submitting bids to customers at collusive and noncompetitive prices.” The DOJ has been cracking down on companies like Argos that interfere with fair market practices.

These schemes negatively affect Americans by cheating them out of competitively priced, high quality products. Whistleblowers are critical in rooting out these illegal bid rigging and price fixing practices. Potential whistleblowers should come forward with any information that may indicate bid rigging is taking place. This may be knowledge of identical bids from different companies, bids that are well above the estimated value of a contract, and bids from different companies that that are suspiciously close to the same price. Whistleblowers should speak to an attorney if they have information about price fixing, such as when competitors agree to raise prices, eliminate discounts, or set a minimum price they will not sell below. Our attorneys can help determine if you have a potential case to report to the DOJ.

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With more than 30 years of experience, the attorneys on Baron & Budd’s whistleblower representation team have represented dozens of clients in government fraud cases returning over $5.4 billion to federal and state agencies, with whistleblower recovery shares as high as 49%. They are ready to help if you feel you have the evidence needed to file a whistleblower complaint.

Please call (866) 845-2164 or complete our contact form if you would like more information. For more information, see What You Need to Know About Becoming a Whistleblower.  Please understand that contacting us does not mean that you have established an attorney-client relationship with Baron & Budd, P.C.