What is the essence of bid-rigging schemes?

Bid-rigging schemes involve secret agreements among competitors to manipulate the bidding process, ensuring that certain vendors receive contracts at inflated prices. In these schemes, employees or businesses work together to create an appearance of competition while intentionally suppressing true competition. This collusion can lead to unfair advantages for specific vendors, resulting in higher costs for the contracting entity and potential legal ramifications for all parties involved.

In contrast, the other options do not capture the essence of bid-rigging. Ensuring a fair bidding process directly contradicts the nature of bid-rigging, as it seeks to establish a level playing field rather than manipulate outcomes. Poor management of an open bidding process does not imply collusion, and simply inviting multiple bids does not inherently involve any deceitful practices, but represents a standard procedure for promoting competition in procurement.