Scotland Excel and Competition and Markets Authority team up to deliver valuable training

We joined forces with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently to deliver training for public sector professionals on recognising criminal behaviour in procurement.

The successful webinar - ‘guarding the public purse: recognising criminal behaviour in procurement’ - took place on 20 March and was attended by over 160 delegates.

Aileen Toland, Academy Tutor at Scotland Excel told delegates about the risks of serious and organised crime groups (SOCG) infiltrating public sector contracts and the damage this can cause. She also outlined ways to prevent infiltration via the procurement and contract management cycles.

Sarah Hort, Principal Case Officer at CMA, spoke to attendees about bid-rigging and cartel fraud. Richard Brown, Assistant Director at CMA drew on recent cases that have affected public sector bodies, highlighting lessons learned and outlining how to report concerns to the CMA.

Julie Welsh, Chief Executive of Scotland Excel, said: “It is absolutely vital that public sector employees recognise how serious organised crime groups and their anti-competitive practices can infiltrate and impact public sector supply chains.

“It was a pleasure for Scotland Excel to come together with CMA to deliver this valuable session. Delegates attended from a wide range of public sector bodies and were able to learn how to spot anti competitive practices, understand the range of suspect activities and learn how procurement processes can be managed in in a way that cuts the risk of bid rigging.”

This latest session builds on a successful webinar Scotland Excel and CMA held in October 2022.

The Scotland Excel Academy will run a webinar focused on deterring serious and organised crime from public contracts and supply chains on 17 April. Find out more here.