The Austrian competition authority has announced that the Cartel Court has imposed a fine of €115,000 on Gartner-Schiener for engaging in anticompetitive practices, including price-fixing and market-sharing, between May 2012 and April 2017. These practices were primarily related to public and private tenders in the construction sector, particularly in the area of civil engineering.

Gartner-Schiener cooperated with the Federal Competition Authority (BWB) outside of the leniency program, providing comprehensive acknowledgments during the proceedings. This cooperation led the BWB to request a reduced fine for the company.

The cartel uncovered affects the construction industry across Austria, with varying degrees of impact depending on the companies involved. Both public and private clients were affected, involving a significant number of construction projects. Investigations by the BWB are ongoing, with some cases already concluded.

During the violations, the involved companies made agreements to assist each other in securing contracts, thereby maintaining market shares and ensuring capacity utilization. This included price agreements, market divisions, and the exchange of sensitive competitive information, such as coordination on future bidding behavior. Some companies even agreed on the winning bidder, the prices to be submitted, and the submission of 'cover bids', while ensuring that certain competitors would not submit any offers.

According to the Cartel Act, actions that hinder or distort competition, such as price-fixing or market division, are prohibited. The Cartel Court can impose fines of up to 10% of the total revenue from the previous business year for confirmed violations, taking into account the severity and duration of the infringement, the culpability, the economic capacity, and the cooperation of the involved company.