Transparencia en licitaciones e integridad competitiva: EY, PPU y Wherex se unen en en ciclos de talleres

Cuando no existe transparencia en licitaciones, se está atentando contra la libre competencia. Es por eso que la consultora EY, el estudio de abogados PPU y Wherex organizaron un ciclo de talleres titulado «Integridad competitiva: Hacia un estándar de clase mundial».

During the workshop, attorney Ignacio Larraín of PPU explained the regulatory framework for anti-competitive behavior. He specifically referred to collusion, the most serious anti-competitive offense. This crime eliminates free competition in the market, affecting prices and quality of goods and services. He also pointed out the risks and penalties inherent to bidding processes.

How to prevent this type of crime? According to the lawyer, both the OECD and the FNE consider that there is no single formula to avoid collusion in bidding processes and that it depends on each case, but there are recommendations to do so.

"The first thing is proper communication. When there is not enough information, interested parties may not want to participate because they don't have enough information. Or because they see that the same bidders always participate. Likewise, it is key to design bidding processes with bases that establish clear rules from the beginning. This is transparency in bidding. In this way, maximum supplier participation is achieved. At the same time, it is essential that the bidding process favors competition and reduces communication between potential candidates. Criteria must be carefully chosen with defined guidelines and those who make purchasing decisions must be trained on the risks of collusion", commented Ignacio Larraín.

Economic risks due to lack of transparency

During the meeting, EY Forensic and Integrity Services partner Jorge Vio also participated, who spoke in depth about fraud and the dangers of a lack of transparency in bidding processes. He warned that these illicit acts, whether intentional or not, can turn into major corporate crises.

To anticipate this type of situation, the executive pointed out some keys. First, prioritize risks and monitor them permanently. In this way, the company will be able to ensure due diligence when making complex decisions. In addition, it is important to take advantage of the value of data, technology and analytics that can help in the search for abnormal situations.

Transparency in bidding processes thanks to technology

Finalmente estuvo presente el cofundador de Wherex –plataforma digital de comercialización industrial-, Felipe Manterola, quien expuso sobre cómo la tecnología ha logrado apertura en los procesos. «A través de procesos de compras digitalizados, se mejora competencia y se miden mejores estándares de compliance y gestión. Todo esto favorece la integridad corporativa», comentó.

«Una empresa puede tener un marco regulatorio bien definido, una cultura empresarial con valores e incluso una sofisticada política de compliance, pero esto no servirá de nada si no hay tecnología de por medio que permita medir y detectar todas las posibles situaciones de forma eficaz», explicó el ejecutivo de Wherex

The digitization of processes generates market openness and with this openness, competition and transparency can be built. On the one hand, it allows a purchasing company to know all the market players and, on the other hand, it allows suppliers to compete on equal terms.