Procurement Collusion Strike Force

The Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) leads a coordinated national response to combat antitrust crimes and related schemes in government procurement, grant, and program funding at all levels of government—Federal, state, and local. The PCSF is comprised of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, multiple U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Inspectors General for multiple Federal agencies.

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PCSF and the COVID-19 pandemic recovery

Collusion and Anticompetitive Conduct Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the wake of devastation caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Federal agencies will be working with state and local government agencies to solicit competitive bids for relief and recovery contracts. Collusion and anticompetitive conduct that subvert the competitive bidding process include:

Bid rigging: Two or more firms agree to bid in such a way that a designated firm submits the winning bid.
Price fixing: Two or more competing sellers agree on what prices to charge, such as by agreeing that they will increase prices a certain amount or that they won't sell below a certain price.
Customer or market allocation: Two or more firms agree to split up customers, such as by geographic area, to reduce or eliminate competition.

These agreements are generally secret, and the participants defraud customers by holding themselves out as competitors despite their agreement not to compete. They harm consumers and taxpayers by causing them to pay more for products and services and by depriving them of other byproducts of true competition.

The Procurement Collusion Strike Force’s Role in Pandemic Recovery Efforts

The Department of Justice’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force is committed to working with Federal, state, and local government agencies in the wake of the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to deter, detect, investigate, and prosecute violations of criminal antitrust laws, such as bid rigging and collusion in the competitive bidding process.

Training: Strike Force attorneys and agents are available to provide training to other law enforcement agents, auditors, and procurement personnel to assist them in identifying and preventing collusion and fraud in the competitive bidding process.

Enforcement: If collusive conduct is discovered, the Strike Force stands ready to investigate and criminally prosecute the individuals and corporations seeking to unjustly profit from these tragedies.

Related page: DOJ Coronavirus, for further information about the Department of Justice’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

View other ways to contact the PCSF Tip Center

The PCSF Tip Center receives and reviews complaints, concerns, and tips regarding individuals and/or organizations potentially engaged in antitrust crimes—such as price fixing, bid rigging, and related schemes—affecting government procurement, grant, and program funding.

If you have information about a possible antitrust violation affecting government procurement, grant, and/or program funding, please submit your concern by email or regular mail to:

Email	pcsf@usdoj.gov
Mail	Procurement Collusion Strike Force Tip Center Antitrust Division 950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Room 3322 Washington, DC 20530

When making a submission by email or mail, please use the following questions as a guide to describe your concern:

Who Was Involved?

What are the names of the companies and/or people involved in the suspected antitrust violation(s) affecting government procurement?
What Government Contract, Grant, or Program Was Affected?

What is the government contract, grant, or program affected by the suspected illegal conduct?
What Happened?

Can you describe the conduct you suspect violates the law, including:
- What products and/or services are the subject of the government contract, grant, or program?
- What suspected illegal conduct occurred (for example, bid rigging, price fixing, allocating a market or customers)?
- When did it happen?
- Where did it happen?
- Who was involved and how?

If your antitrust concerns do not involve government procurement, grant, and/or program funding, please report your concern to the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center.

If you do not think your concerns involve the antitrust laws, you may want to visit the Department of Justice site for more information or send a message to the Department of Justice.

Please keep in mind that the Antitrust Division is prohibited from giving legal advice to private individuals.

PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT

Our Confidentiality Policy and Privacy Policy apply to all complaints received by the Antitrust Division.

See also the Division's Leniency Program for corporations and individuals.

Training on Collusion for Inspectors General and Procurement Officials

The PCSF is committed to working with the Inspectors General of agencies receiving Federal funds, as well as government procurement officials, to train individuals at all levels of the funding process to better deter and detect antitrust crimes affecting government procurement, grant, and program funding.

Who needs to be trained: Federal, state, and local agency procurement and grant officers, as well as agency auditors and investigators.
What is the focus of training: Identifying the red flags of collusion.
What are the goals of training:
- Prevent collusion and related crimes in the process of awarding contracts and grants.
- Identify and investigate possible collusion and related crimes relating to contracts or grants that have been awarded for potential criminal prosecution.

To schedule training or request more information, send an email to pcsf@usdoj.gov.