What is meant by 'bid rigging'? What are the most commonly used ways in which bid rigging may occur?

Section 3 of the Competition Act, 2002 defines the term 'bid rigging' as any agreement between enterprises or persons which has the effect of eliminating or reducing competition for bids or adversely affecting or manipulating the process for bidding. Some of the most commonly adopted ways in which collusive bidding or bid rigging may occur are: agreements to submit identical bids agreements as to who shall submit the lowest bid agreements for the submission of cover bids (voluntarily inflated bids) agreements not to bid against each other agreements on common norms to calculate prices or terms of bids agreements to squeeze out outside bidders agreements designating bid winners in advance on a rotational basis, or on a geographical or customer allocation basis.