The US DoJ announces major new government procurement antitrust initiative

On Nov. 5, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice announced a major new initiative focused on antitrust enforcement in the area of public procurement. This new initiative, named the Procurement Collusion Strike Force, is focused on “deterring, detecting, investigating and prosecuting antitrust crimes ... in government procurement, grant and program funding.” The strike force unites Antitrust Division prosecutors, 13 U.S. Attorneys' Offices across the country and investigators from four of the major federal Offices of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a joint effort to deter and prevent collusion in government procurement. The initiative targets bid-rigging and other antitrust crimes at every level of government — federal, state and local.