Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

Detecting Antitrust Violations: Help for Government Agencies

Do you work for a state or local agency that is responsible for awarding federal stimulus funds and have concerns that something out of the ordinary occurred during a recent bid?  Did some aspect of a recent bid cause some red flags to go up?  Are you suspicious that some type of wrongdoing may have occurred? 

With stimulus funds pouring into the state and tough economic times, it's important for government agencies to help ensure that money is spent for the public's benefit and not lining bad guys' pockets. We’re here to help.

The Attorney General’s Office recently teamed up with the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to offer antitrust and fraud awareness training for state agencies receiving federal stimulus funds.  The training is part of a nationwide training initiative for purchasing agents and procurement professionals to recognize and identify signs of bid rigging, price fixing, and other forms of collusion.  The Antitrust Division of the Attorney General’s Office and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice both investigate complaints of possible bid rigging and price fixing, and the FBI investigates instances of contracting fraud, bribery, and public corruption.  We want you to know that we’re here to be a resource for you and to address any concerns you may have. 

You can view materials from these training presentations below.  The materials include:

  • A PowerPoint presentation on state and federal antitrust laws that prohibit bid rigging, price fixing and collusion;
  • A primer to help procurement personnel help identify signs of collusion and bid rigging;
  • A PowerPoint presentation on federal statutes that prohibit contract fraud and public corruption.

After you have reviewed these materials, please feel free to contact the Antitrust Division if you have any concerns about possible illegal practices impacting state contracting funds.  We depend on members of the public to bring potential violations of the antitrust laws to our attention and your vigilance helps us ensure that state funds are not being obtained illegally.  You can click here to file an electronic complaint or contact us at the address below. 

Office of the Attorney General
Antitrust Division
800 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2000
Seattle, WA 98104-3188
Telephone: 206-587-5510
Fax: 206-464-6338
monopoly@atg.wa.gov