*Khaled Al Gharbi from Riyadh
The General Authority for Competition is planning to initiate suits against six companies operating in the concrete sector in front of the committee to consider and adjudicate violations of the competition system and take legal action.
The Authority told Al-Eqtisadiah that it has reservations to five complaints received during the meeting of the last Board of Directors 54, on the basis of several factors that included the non-inclusion of complaints within the jurisdiction of the Authority, and the absence of violation of the competition regime and its executive regulations.
It noted that the Board of Directors issued a decision to approve the action.
Regarding the violation of a number of bidders and bids in a tender to a government agency, the General Authority for Competition "GAC" preferred not to disclose some details of the violation.
However, it confirmed the work of conducting research and investigation procedures and gathering evidence and investigating the possibility of a number of bidders and bids in a tender to a government authority and related parties in violation of the rules of competition system and its executive regulations based on information received by one of the concerned government agencies.
GAC pointed out to the possibility of this violation based on what has been submitted, and studying the approval of procedures in accordance with systematic ways tired in the search and investigation and announces the course of the investigation after completion.
"The GAC would prefer not to disclose some details until the investigation is completed," it said.
GAC has received 42 applications for economic concentration since the beginning of this year until August.
These include the health and pharmaceutical sectors, electrical industries, wholesale and retail trade, construction and travel, tourism and the agricultural sectors.
The Authority examined the applications in accordance with the procedures of economic concentration requests, as well as the contents of Article 19 of the Regulations of the Competition Regulations and conducting the necessary economic studies to determine the impact of the planned concentration in the market concerned.
The Authority is working on managing the requests for economic concentration received through several tracks, ensuring the rapid completion of the concentration procedures and ensuring the effectiveness of its future decisions, which in turn constitute an important part in maintaining the economic budget in the Saudi market.
It also receives complaints relating to monopolistic practices in the market to combat practices that may prejudice legitimate competition that are contrary to the competition regime and its executive regulations.
With regard to GAC's project on which it is working, it prefers not disclose more about its latest project AL-muaadel "the modified."
The project aims to implement comprehensive systems that monitor the work of all institutions and companies of all types, governmental and private, to achieve the rules of fair competition on all commercial establishments, regardless of ownership and nature.
The Authority stated, "We seek to raise the level of efficiency of the legislative structure to ensure its role in supervising the application of the competition system, which aims specifically at strengthening the process of economic balance, combating monopoly practices that affect legitimate competition and providing an attractive investment environment, where the work of the Authority and its functions are consistent with the "vision of the Kingdom 2030."
It added, "We also play an awareness role by spreading the culture of modern competition in accordance with international standards and the local reality through research and studies of sectors of importance through providing workshops to the relevant parties, and educating the private sector on the concept of competition and its consequences."
In fact, the Authority plays its active role in proposing, enhancing and improving the level of the legislative rules in line with the "Vision of the Kingdom 2030" and its significant impact on the economic development process.
The themes of "Vision" include access to a vibrant society, a flourishing economy and an ambitious homeland. This can only be achieved by providing an attractive competitive environment.
The Authority pointed out, "the role of the Authority is confirmed in the success of that process through the existence of an effective system of competition according to international standards followed by the economically successful industrial countries, especially with the Kingdom of the important economic role on the international map. The Kingdom is a member of the G-20, which has been established to promote and develop the global economy, and therefore the rules governing competition to enhance the Kingdom's role in providing an attractive investment environment to achieve a balanced market based on legitimate competition."
