GVH said the companies – Ponty-Poronty, Operon Group, and Épitő Szolgáltató – unlawfully colluded in a public procurement tender called for the energy-efficiency upgrade of a government office building in Baja in 2021.

The competition office said it considered the restriction of competition related to public procurement tenders as a particularly serious infringement. However, GVH also took into account the fact that the companies are SMEs, and all three of them acknowledged the infringement during the proceedings, waived their right to seek redress, and agreed to introduce an ex-post compliance program.