Cooperation between construction and competition officials is crucial to identify and stamp out illegal [anti-competitive] conduct. Competition itself cannot be expected to thrive without the existence of a strong, efficient and capable competition regulator, working together with construction officials to detect and stop these undesirable practices. This was highlighted by Ms Leah Mottram, Acting High Commissioner of Australia to Brunei Darussalam in her closing remarks concluding a two-day ASEAN Competition Interface Workshop on Construction Sector.
Facilitated by competition experts from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the University of Melbourne, the workshop offered enriching insights on the recent development of the construction sector in Southeast Asia and the key drivers of construction demand across Southeast Asia, and discussed why economies are more susceptible to anti- competitive practices during infrastructure growth period.
Over the two days workshop, participants from competition agencies and construction regulators from all 10 ASEAN countries learnt on the harmful effects of cartels and the conditions that may support cartelistic behavior and the reason why construction sector is more prone to cartels. Bid rigging was specifically focused, highlighting the responsibilities of procurement officials to lookout for anti-collusion tender clauses and related practical issues to detect bid rigging.
Practical case studies were demonstrated by the experts and the ASEAN Member States and exchanged views on key challenges in addressing competition issues in construction sector. Other aspects highlighted were the role of advocacy tools and complementarity of competition and regulatory instruments.
The workshop also heard from official of the ASEAN Secretariat on the work of the ASEAN Experts Group on Competition to strengthen the regional cooperation on competition in ASEAN under the goal of ASEAN Competition Action Plan 2025.
The participants applauded that the workshop had offered avenue for networking and simultaneously foster regional cooperation by exploring complementarity of competition and regulatory instruments and how construction regulators and competition authorities can work together towards a level playing field within the sector.
The workshop, attended by more than 50 officials from competition authorities and construction sector regulators, was organized by the Department of Economic Planning and Development, Ministry of Finance and Economy, through the Department of Competition and Consumer Affairs in collaboration with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and ASEAN Secretariat, under the support of ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) through the Competition Law Implementation Program (CLIP).
The workshop was held at the Rizqun International Hotel, Gadong, Bandar Seri Begawan from 30 to 31 October 2018.