CCI Penalises HP India Over Bid Rigging
India’s Competition Commission (CCI) has found HP India guilty of rigging bids on the government’s electronic procurement platform, ordering the company and 21 of its resellers to stop the anti-competitive practices and pay penalties totaling around $15 million. The investigation found that HP India controlled bidding by dictating prices to resellers and selectively issuing authorisation documents, limiting fair competition in government tenders between 2017 and 2020.
According to the CCI, five resellers were involved in collusion with HP India in cases related to personal computer tenders, while 16 others were found liable in printer consumables procurement. The regulator also held several HP India officials and reseller executives personally responsible under competition laws, imposing individual penalties for their roles in the violations.
The CCI has directed all parties involved to immediately cease the unlawful practices and conduct competition compliance training within 60 days. HP India had voluntarily approached the regulator under the Competition Act’s lesser penalty provisions, resulting in reduced penalties due to its cooperation during the investigation. The case adds to a series of recent enforcement actions by the CCI targeting anti-competitive practices across multiple industries in India.
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