A former Ausgrid engineer who allegedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars in corrupt payments from contractors got information "on the sly" from a council worker to help a contractor win work, a corruption inquiry has heard.

Phillip Cresnar is being investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption over allegations he solicited more than $300,000 in cash and gifts from contractors bidding for work with the state-owned electricity network.

On Friday the ICAC heard a secretly-taped call in which he told his friend, Denis Twomey of Murray Civil Works, that the price Mr Twomey wanted to charge for an Ausgrid job was "too much".

The inquiry heard the council with responsibility for roads and footpaths in the area could conduct the same work in some cases.

Mr Cresnar told Mr Twomey in the December 2013 phone call that a "council guy" was going to send him its quote "on the sly ... 'cause he reckons he's not going to be there for much longer which means he doesn't care really".

"You are providing information to a contractor enabling the contractor to pitch its quote at the right level to get the job, correct?" counsel assisting the commission, Tim Gartelmann, said.

Mr Cresnar said there was "no price in the conversation".

"Who cares, Mr Cresnar," Mr Gartelmann replied.

Mr Cresnar said information about the council's rates was publicly available. He denied he told a contractor they could "bump up" the amount they wanted to charge Ausgrid by $50,000 and still be competitive with a council's offer.

Mr Cresnar also denied allegations he was involved in a corrupt "scheme" with Mr Twomey in which work was given to subcontractors in return for kickbacks. In a secretly taped call last February, Mr Cresnar told Mr Twomey not to tell him which subcontractors would get work because "this is my baby here, I invented all of that shit".

The inquiry heard Mr Cresnar went to work for Mr Twomey after he left Ausgrid last year. He was employed as a graduate engineer with the state-owned company in April 2006 but resigned during the ICAC's investigation, after Ausgrid gave notice of its intention to sack him.

Mr Cresnar admitted he was occasionally provided with a Murray Civil company car while at Ausgrid but said he was "not sure" he knew it was wrong to accept that benefit.

"Is that because you have no understanding of ethics?" Mr Gartelmann said.

Mr Cresnar he said he thought Mr Twomey let him use the car because they were "friends".

He admitted he also used white magnetic signs on his Ausgrid company car to cover up its logo so that he could use it for "private purposes". Asked if he knew this was improper, he said: "Correct."

Mr Gartelmann revealed that in October 2010 Mr Cresnar was the subject of an internal investigation into the theft of copper wire from Ausgrid.

Assistant Commissioner Theresa Hamilton warned Mr Cresnar that witnesses could be prosecuted for "every instance" of giving false or misleading evidence.

The inquiry is expected to conclude on Tuesday with evidence from Mr Twomey.