Design, construction and fit-out competition case to continue
First published by Author on September 07, 2018 in the following categories: Industry Investigations Latest and tagged with competition law | construction industry | pricing
Watchdog investigations into the design, construction and fit-out competition issues is set to go on, according to a recent update published by the CMA.
The CMA – the Competition and Markets Authority – have been investigating the industry since July 2017 on the basis of suspected anti-competitive agreements that may be having an adverse effect on the market, and therefore the consumer.
A year on from the CMA’s investigations commencing, the CMA has taken the decision to extend the investigation with the view to publish a further update toward the end of the year.
Brief of the design, construction and fit-out competition case so far
The investigation into design, construction and fit-out competition issues started in July 2017, with the view for initial information gathering and formal and informal information requests from key players in the market.
In December 2017, the CMA took the decision to proceed with a formal investigation, and in May 2018 an update was published to confirm that evidence was being assessed.
Development in the construction and fit-out competition case
This latest development in the construction and fit-out competition case has led the CMA to make the decision to continue their investigations. The CMA will only allocate resources and investigate potential breaches where they feel there is enough evidence to lead to a positive result, as resources an be stretched. The decision to continue the investigation could mean that they believe they may have enough evidence to lead to a successful outcome, although we can only speculate at this stage. As always, the CMA have made clear that no assumption is being made as of yet.
The recent development in the construction and fit-out competition investigation has also led to an extension to include more parties, with further information to be released in December 2018.
The Competition Lawyers will continue to monitor developments in the design, construction and fit-out competition case as time goes on.