AI system detects corruption in Zhejiang public bidding
An AI-powered bidding supervision system in Zhejiang province detected alleged corruption in public procurement projects by identifying irregular patterns in bidding data. The system's alerts led to the discovery of collusion, improper parameter-setting, and bribery involving government officials and private contractors.
What happened
The Zhejiang Intelligent Bidding Supervision System performed data collision analysis on the Jiangshan city lighting project phase one and generated two AI risk warnings suggesting possible expert unfairness and bid-rigging. The analysis showed that among 26 companies bidding for the Xujiang Pavilion section, the winning company had no clear technical advantage but scored far above the average, indicating "open bidding with hidden fixing."
Feng Jiang, former director of the Financing and Construction Division at Jiangshan State-owned Asset Management Service Center, used his position to facilitate corruption across multiple bidding projects. In the lighting project, the bidding officer received Feng Jiang's request and sent signal hints to evaluation committee members, and Feng Jiang and the bidding officer split 500,000 yuan in bribes. In a 2020 rainwater and sewage network project, Feng Jiang set bid specifications to match equipment parameters provided by a contractor to ensure that company's selection, receiving over 200,000 yuan.
Reported impact
Feng Jiang was dismissed from public office following investigation by Jiangshan authorities. In November 2025, a court sentenced Feng Jiang to two years and six months imprisonment and imposed a fine of 180,000 yuan on charges of taking bribes.
Index analysis
The system identified corruption by detecting statistical anomalies in bidding scores that suggested predetermined outcomes despite fair-bidding procedures. The AI flagged evaluation score distributions that were inconsistent with the technical qualifications of winning bids, enabling investigators to recognize patterns of collusion that would be difficult to detect through conventional oversight.
Governance controls
The Zhejiang Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision and the Provincial Development and Reform Commission jointly built the system and established a laboratory dedicated to advancing AI applications in anti-corruption work. The system represents a new practice of public authority big data supervision in the bidding field.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.