Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) Continues Active Enforcement and Hosts Los Angeles Summit

Many of the Antitrust Division prosecutions and investigations in recent years have been pursued and supported by the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), which focuses on antitrust and other crimes involved in government procurement, grant and program funding. For example, the PCSF was involved in the Brewbaker trial conviction and wiretap case, noted above. (See p. 5 and p. 6.) On another PCSF case, on February 27, 2024, the Antitrust Division announced the fourth executive conviction among erosion control company owners or managers in a conspiracy to rig bids and fix prices “targeting a total of over $100 million in publicly funded transportation construction contracts across Oklahoma.” On February 8, 2024, the PCSF hosted a summit in Los Angeles which brought together federal, state and local leaders in Southern California. The PCSF reported:

Since its inception in November 2019, the PCSF has opened more than 100 criminal investigations and trained more than 31,000 people. In that time, the PCSF and Antitrust Division have investigated and prosecuted over 65 companies and individuals involving over $500 million worth of government contracts.

Given the PCSF track record, more cases are anticipated.

(This article originally appeared in the March 2024 Cartel Enforcement Trends and Developments newsletter.)