The Centre for Global Law and Innovation of the University of Bristol Law School is very pleased to be hosting an online book launch and discussion of Katarzyna Kuźma and Dr Wojciech Hartung's Combating Collusion in Public Procurement. Legal Limitations on Joint Bidding (Edward Elgar, 2020). The book offers a clear and structured examination of how joint bidding structures comply with competition rules in Europe. It explains how joint bids could be considered as agreements aimed at distorting competition, the practice commonly referred to as bid rigging. The book demonstrates how the conclusion of joint bid agreements could constitute grounds for exclusion from public procurement proceedings under Article 57(4)(d) of Directive 2014/24/EU.

This is an extremely topical issue that concerns the fuzzy boundaries of the prohibition on agreements restrictive of competition in the context of public procurement.

To explore the main ideas developed in the book, the two authors will be joined by Dr hab. Piotr Bogdanowicz and Jesper Fabricius, who will be focusing on selected topics based on their practical experience. The discussion will be facilitated by Prof Albert Sanchez-Graells, who has written extensively on the topic of joint tendering and collusion in public procurement.

The book and the event will be of interest to policy makers, practitioners and academics interested in gaining a better understanding of the difficult trade-offs between collaboration and competition in public tenders, which is an issue that can only gain increased prominence in the face of the challenges of post-Covid19 economic recovery.