What happened during the inspection
Roofing Today reported the penalties on 24 September 2026. Competition and Markets Authority officers had inspected M&J Group Construction & Roofing’s Bedford premises under a court warrant. The visit took place alongside inspections of several other businesses.
According to the report, M&J estimating director Barry Pirrie told office manager Tracey Woods to take a work mobile phone and paperwork away from the premises so investigators would not find them. This breached instructions given during the inspection. Pirrie also falsely told CMA officers that he did not have a work mobile phone.
The phone and documents were returned and given to investigators later that day. The CMA said their temporary concealment nevertheless put potentially relevant information at risk and used up investigative time and resources.
The contracts under investigation
The wider inquiry covers 12 construction companies. The CMA is examining whether they unlawfully co-ordinated bids for contracts offered by public bodies and private clients. No conclusion that competition law has been breached should be drawn from the investigation at this stage.
Some of the projects received support through the Department for Education’s Condition Improvement Fund. The fund provides millions of pounds annually for repairs and improvements to school buildings, with the aim of keeping premises safe for pupils and staff.
Which penalty rules applied
The conduct at M&J took place before stronger CMA enforcement powers came into force in January 2025. The company was therefore subject to the lower maximum penalty available under the earlier rules. The maximum penalties applying to individuals have not changed.
Under the enhanced powers, a business that fails to meet the CMA’s investigative requirements can face a fixed penalty of up to 1% of turnover. The authority can also impose a daily penalty of up to 5% of daily turnover, or use both types of penalty.
The CMA’s wider procurement work
The construction inquiry forms part of the CMA’s work on bid rigging in public procurement. Roofing Today reported that the authority had recently published a paper arguing for stronger action and proposing ways to improve the detection, prevention and deterrence of bid rigging in UK public contracts.
The CMA also operates an informant reward policy. It may pay up to £250,000 for information that helps it identify illegal cartels and take action against them. People with information can contact its cartels hotline on 020 3738 6888 or email cartelshotline@cma.gov.uk.