The Bid-Rigging Cartel

Investigator, regional anti-corruption authority / EU funds managing body

The Podlesie Roads Programme has spent EUR 58M of EU Cohesion Fund money across a dozen road tenders since 2024. The same three companies bid on nearly every contract and the wins rotate between them in a fixed cycle. If they are one ring rather than three competitors, the awards were rigged — the funds are clawable and the officials who signed them are exposed. The question: are these rivals, or a cartel?