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FCPA Compliance Report

Tom Fox has practiced law in Houston for 30 years and now brings you the FCPA Compliance and Ethics Report. Learn the latest in anti-corruption and anti-bribery compliance and international transaction issues, as well as business solutions to compliance problems.
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Now displaying: April, 2017
Apr 7, 2017

Show Notes for Episode 47, for the week ending April 7, the Season Opener Edition

In this episode, Jay and I have a wide-ranging discussion on some of the week’s top FCPA and compliance related stories. We discuss: 

  1. Wrap up from the SCCE European Compliance and Ethics Institute.
  2. SEC Unit Chief Kara Brockmeyer announces her retirement. Click here for Matt Kelly’s article on Radical Compliance.
  3. Wal-Mart announces its 2016 spend on its FCPA investigation and remediation of $99MM. Click here for Matt Kelly’s article on Radical Compliance.
  4. Upjohn warnings after the Yates Memo. See article the Grand Jury Target blog.
  5. Report on OECD Integrity Forum. Allison Taylor writes in the FCPA Blog.
  6. Astros, Red Sox and Dodgers all lead their divisions.
  7. Jay previews his weekend report.
Apr 7, 2017

Yesterday I considered the need for due diligence in the management of third parties. Today, I want to take a deeper dive and explore the levels of due diligence. Due diligence is generally recognized in three levels: Level I, Level II and Level III. Each level is appropriate for a different level of corruption risk. The key is for you to develop a mechanism to determine the appropriate level of due diligence and then implement that going forward. 

Level I 

First level due diligence typically consists of checking individual names and company names through several hundred Global Watch lists comprised of anti-money laundering, anti-bribery, sanctions lists, coupled with other financial corruption & criminal databases.  These global lists create a useful first-level screening tool to detect potential red flags for corrupt activities.  It is also a very inexpensive first step in compliance from an investigative viewpoint. This basic Level I due diligence is extremely important for companies to complement their compliance policies and procedures; demonstrating a broad intent to actively comply with international regulatory requirements. 

Level II 

Level II due diligence encompasses supplementing these Global Watch lists with a deeper screening of international media, typically the major newspapers and periodicals from all countries plus detailed internet searches. Such inquiries will often reveal other forms of corruption-related information and may expose undisclosed or hidden information about the company; the third party’s key executives and associated parties.  I believe that Level II should also include an in-country data base search regarding the third party. Some of the other types of information that you should consider obtaining are country of domicile and international government records; use of in-country sources to provide assessments of the third party; a check for international derogatory electronic and physical media searches, you should perform both English and foreign-language repositories searches on the third party, in its country of domicile, if you are in a specific industry, using technical specialists you should also obtain information from sector specific sources. 

Level III

This level is the deep dive. It will require an in-country ‘boots-on-the-ground’ investigation. According to Candice Tal, founder of Infortal, Level III due diligence investigation is designed to supply your company “with a comprehensive analysis of all available public records data supplemented with detailed field intelligence to identify known and more importantly unknown conditions.  Seasoned investigators who know the local language and are familiar with local politics bring an extra layer of depth assessment to an in country investigation.” Further the “Direction of the work and analyzing the resulting data is often critical to a successful outcome; and key to understanding the results both from a technical perspective and understanding what the results mean in plain English.  Investigative reports should include actionable recommendations based on clearly defined assumptions or preferably well-developed factual data points.” 

But more than simply an investigation of the company, critically including a site visit and coupled with onsite interviews, Tal says that some other things you investigate include “an in-depth background check of key executives or principal players.  These are not routine employment-type background checks, which are simply designed to confirm existing information; but rather executive due diligence checks designed to investigate hidden, secret or undisclosed information about that individual.” Tal believes that such  “Reputational information, involvement in other businesses, direct or indirect involvement in other law suits, history of litigious and other lifestyle behaviors which can adversely affect your business, and public perceptions of impropriety, should they be disclosed publically.”  

Further you may need to engage a foreign law firm, to investigate the third party in its home country to determine the third party’s compliance with its home country’s laws, licensing requirements and regulations. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, you should use a Level III to look the proposed third party in the eye and get a firm idea of his or her cooperation and attitude towards compliance as one of the most important inquiries is not legal but based upon the response and cooperation of the third party. More than simply trying to determine if the third party objected to any portion of the due diligence process or did they object to the scope, coverage or purpose of the FCPA; you can use a Level III to determine if the third party willing to stand up with under the FCPA and are you willing to partner with the third party. 

The Risk Advisory Group, has put together a handy chart of its Level I, II and III approaches to integrity and due diligence. I have found it useful in explaining the different scopes and focuses of the various levels of due diligence.

There are many different approaches to the specifics of due diligence. By laying out some of the approaches, you can craft the relevant portions into your program. The Level I, II & III trichotomy appears to have the greatest favor and one that you should be able to implement in a straightforward manner. But the key is that you must assess your company’s risk and then manage that risk. If you need to perform additional due diligence to answer questions or clear red flags you should do so. And do not forget to Document Document Document all your due diligence.  

Three Key Takeaways

  1. A Level I due diligence should be only used where there is a low risk of corruption.
  2. A Level II due diligence is sufficient in a high risk jurisdiction if there are no red flags to clear.
  3. Level III due diligence is deep dive, boots on the ground investigation.

This month’s podcast series is sponsored by Opus. Opus helps free your business from the complexity and uncertainty of managing the risks associated with your customers, vendors, and third parties. By combining the most innovative Third-Party Risk Management and Know Your Customer Compliance SaaS platforms with unparalleled data solutions, Opus turns information into action so your business can thrive. Opus solutions include Hiperos ABAC accelerator, the leading platform for third party risk management. To learn more, go towww.opus.com.

 

Apr 6, 2017

In this episode, I visit with Adelle Berger, who recently became the Chief Integrity Officer at Louis Berger. Some of the topics we discuss are:

  • Why is her title “Chief Integrity Officer” as opposed to Chief Compliance Officer or Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer?;
  • What is the role of a CCO around integrity or how does she see her role at Louis Berger different that a traditional CCO?;
  • Does she have any specific initiatives around ‘integrity’?;
  • How can a Chief Integrity Officer help drives the values and culture in an organization;
  • Her academic background is not the usual one for a compliance professional, what took her in the field; and
  • How a Chief Integrity Officer is the most recent iteration of the compliance function, to Compliance 3.0.
Apr 6, 2017

Most companies fully understand the need to comply with the FCPA requirements around third parties as they represent the greatest risks for an FCPA violation. However, most companies are not created out of new cloth but are ongoing enterprises with a fully up and running business in place. This means they may need to bring resources to bear to comply with the FCPA while continuing operating an ongoing business. This can be particularly true in the area of performing due diligence on third parties. Many companies understand the need for a robust due diligence program to investigation third parties, but have struggled with how to create an inventory to define the basis of third party risk and thereby perform the requisite due diligence required under the FCPA.

Getting your arms around due diligence can sometimes seem bewildering for the compliance practitioner. The information that you should have developed in Steps 1 & 2 of the third party management process should provide you with the initial information to consider the level of due diligence that you should perform on third parties. This leads Step 3 in the five steps of the third-party management-Due Diligence. 

Jay Martin, CCO at BakerHughes often emphasizes that a company needs to evaluate and address its risks regarding third parties. This means that an appropriate level of due diligence may vary depending on the risks arising from the relationship. So, for example, the appropriate level of due diligence required by a company when contracting for the performance of Information Technology services may be low, to reflect low risks of bribery on its behalf. Conversely, a business entering the international energy market and selecting an intermediary to assist in establishing a business in such markets will typically require a much higher level of due diligence to mitigate the risks of bribery on its behalf. 

Our British compliance cousins of course are subject to the UK Bribery Act. In its Principle IV of an Adequate Procedures compliance program, the UK Ministry of Justice (MOJ) stated, “The commercial organisation applies due diligence procedures, taking a proportionate and risk based approach, in respect of persons who perform or will perform services for or on behalf of the organisation, in order to mitigate identified bribery risks.” The purpose of Principle IV is to encourage businesses to put in place due diligence procedures that adequately inform the application of proportionate measures designed to prevent persons associated with a company from bribing on their behalf. The MOJ recognized that due diligence procedures act both as a procedure for anti-bribery risk assessment and as a risk mitigation technique. The MOJ said that due diligence is so important that “the role of due diligence in bribery risk mitigation justifies its inclusion here as a Principle in its own right.” 

Carol Switzer, writing in Compliance Week related that you should initially set up categories for your third parties of high, moderate and low risk. Based upon which risk category the third party falls into, you can design specific due diligence. She defined low risk screening as “trusted data source search and risk screening such as the aforementioned World Compliance”; moderate risk screening as “enhanced evaluation to include in-country public records…and research into corporate relationships”; high risk screening is basically a “deep dive assessment” where there is an audit/review of third party controls and financial records, in-country interviews and investigations “leveraging local data sources.” 

A three-step approach was also discussed favorably in Opinion Release 10-02. In this Opinion Release, the DOJ discussed the due diligence that the requesting entity performed. “First, it [the requestor] conducted an initial screening of six potential grant recipients by obtaining publicly available information and information from third-party sources…Second, the Eurasian Subsidiary undertook further due diligence on the remaining three potential grant recipients. This due diligence was designed to learn about each organization’s ownership, management structure and operations; it involved requesting and reviewing key operating and assessment documents for each organization, as well as conducting interviews with representatives of each MFI to ask questions about each organization’s relationships with the government and to elicit information about potential corruption risk. As a third round of due diligence, the Eurasian Subsidiary undertook targeted due diligence on the remaining potential grant recipient, the Local MFI. This diligence was designed to identify any ties to specific government officials, determine whether the organization had faced any criminal prosecutions or investigations, and assess the organization’s reputation for integrity.” 

Three Key Takeaways

  1. You must have enough information to fully identify the owners, ultimate beneficial owners and related parties to determine if there is foreign official involvement.
  2. All commentary on best practices compliance programs require an appropriate level of due diligence.
  3. The best practice is to use a professional due diligence provider to perform due diligence level 2 and 3. 

This month’s podcast series is sponsored by Opus. Opus helps free your business from the complexity and uncertainty of managing the risks associated with your customers, vendors, and third parties. By combining the most innovative Third-Party Risk Management and Know Your Customer Compliance SaaS platforms with unparalleled data solutions, Opus turns information into action so your business can thrive. Opus solutions include Hiperos ABAC accelerator, the leading platform for third party risk management. To learn more, go towww.opus.com.

 

Apr 5, 2017

The next step in the five-step process is the Questionnaire. The term ‘questionnaire’ is mentioned several times in the 2012 FCPA Guidance. It is generally recognized as one of the tools that a company should complete in its investigation to better understand with whom it is doing business. The questionnaire should be mandatory step for any third party that desires to work with your company. I tell clients that if a third party does not want to fill out the questionnaire or will not fill it out completely that you should not walk, but run away from doing business with such a party. 

In the 2011 UK Ministry of Justice’s (MOJ), discussion of Six Principals of an Adequate Procedures compliance program, they said the following, a Questionnaire, “means that both the business person who desires the relationship and the foreign business representative commit certain designated information in writing prior to beginning the due diligence process.” 

One of the key requirements of any successful anti-corruption compliance program is that a company must make an initial assessment of a proposed third party. The size of a company does not matter as small businesses can face quite significant risks and will need more extensive procedures than other businesses facing limited risks. The level of risk that companies face will also vary with the type and nature of the third parties with which it may have business relationships. For example, a company that properly assesses that there is no risk of bribery on the part of one of group of its third parties will require nothing in the way of procedures to prevent bribery in the context of those relationships. By the same token the bribery risks associated with reliance on a third party agent representing a company in negotiations with foreign public officials may be assessed as significant and, accordingly, requires much more in the way of procedures to mitigate those risks. 

What should you ask for in your questionnaire? Randy Corey, Executive Vice President (EVP), Global Compliance Officer at Edelmen Inc. said in a presentation at Compliance Week 2012, entitled “3rd Party Due Diligence Best Practices in Establishing an Effective Anti-Corruption Program”, that his company has developed a five-step approach in evaluating and managing their third parties. In Step 3 they ask What Do You Need To Know? Initially, Corley said that the scope of review depends on risk assessment, High Risk, Medium Risk or Low Risk. This risk ranking will determine the level of information collected and due diligence performed. The key element of this step is data collection. The initial step is to have the third party complete an application which should include requests for information on background and experience, scope of services to be provided, relevant experience, list of actual and beneficial owners, references and compliance expertise. 

Below are some of the areas which I think you should inquire into from a proposed third party include the following: 

  • Ownership Structure: Describe whether the proposed third party is a government or state-owned entity, and the nature of its relationship(s) with local, regional and governmental bodies. Are there any members of the business partner related, by blood, to governmental officials?
  • Financial Qualifications: Describe the financial stability of, and all capital to be provided by, the proposed third party. You should obtain financial records, audited for 3 to 5 years, if available. Obtain the name and contact information for their banking relationship.
  • Personnel: Determine whether the proposed agent will be providing personnel, particularly whether any of the employees are government officials. Make sure that you obtain the names and titles of those who will provide services to your company.
  • Physical Facilities: Describe what physical facilities that will be used by the third party for your work. Be sure and obtain their physical address.
  • References: Obtain names and contact information for at least three business references that can provide information on the business ethics and commercial reliability of the proposed third party.
  • PEPs: Are any of the owners, beneficial owners, officers or directors politically exposed persons (PEPs).
  • UBOs: It is imperative that you obtain the identity of the Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO).
  • Compliance Regime: Does the proposed third party have an anti-corruption/anti-bribery program in place? Do they have a Code of Conduct? Obtain copies of all relevant documents and training materials.
  • FCPA Training and Awareness: Has the proposed third party received FCPA training or certified by a recognizable entity? 

One thing that you should keep in mind is that you will likely have pushback from your business team in making many of the inquiries listed above. However, my experience is that most proposed agents that have done business with US or UK companies have already gone through this process. Indeed, they understand that by providing this information on a timely basis, they can set themselves apart as more attractive to US businesses. 

The questionnaire fills several key roles in your overall management of third parties. Obviously, it provides key information that you need to know about who you are doing business with and whether they have the capabilities to fulfill your commercial needs. Just as importantly is what is said if the questionnaire is not completed or is only partially completed, such as the lack of awareness of the FCPA, UK Bribery Act or anti-corruption/anti-bribery programs generally. Lastly, the information provided (or not provided) in the questionnaire will assist you in determining what level of due diligence to perform.

Three Key Takeaways

  1. You must have enough information to fully identify the owners, ultimate beneficial owners and related parties to determine if there is foreign official involvement.
  2. All commentary on best practices compliance programs still require questionnaires.
  3. If a third party refuses to fully respond to your questionnaire, walk away from the proposed relationship. 

This month’s podcast series is sponsored by Opus. Opus helps free your business from the complexity and uncertainty of managing the risks associated with your customers, vendors, and third parties. By combining the most innovative Third-Party Risk Management and Know Your Customer Compliance SaaS platforms with unparalleled data solutions, Opus turns information into action so your business can thrive. Opus solutions include Hiperos ABAC accelerator, the leading platform for third party risk management. To learn more, go towww.opus.com.

 

Apr 5, 2017

In this episode Matt Kelly and I take a deep dive into the recent kerfuffle involving United Airlines and its policy which prevented to teenaged girls from boarding a flight wearing leggings. Was United within its rights to exclude the passengers for inappropriate dress? Is the policy valid? Did the gate agent receive appropriate training to make their decision? In the world of today, social media accelerates the ability to judge, without improving the ability to judge. For ethics & compliance officers, that means every compliance risk is now magnified into a reputation risk. Finally, we consider Matt's closing sentence, "Training, values, culture, judgment. Funny how those four things keep cropping up, isn’t it?" and what it means for compliance. 

For more insight, read Matt's blog post, "United's Policy Management Lessons"

Apr 4, 2017

The Evaluation, in Prong 10, Third Part Management asks, “What was the business rationale for the use of the third party in question?” This question is one of the most basic tools to operationalize your compliance program and should form the basis of your third-party risk management process. 

It is common sense that you should have a business rationale to hire or use a third party. If that third party is in the sales chain of your international business it is important to understand why you need to have that specific third party representing your company. This concept is enshrined in the 2012 FCPA Guidance, which says “companies should have an understanding of the business rationale for including the third party in the transaction. Among other things, the company should understand the role of and need for the third party and ensure that the contract terms specifically describe the ser­vices to be performed.” 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) also considers a business rationale to be an important part of any best practices anti-corruption compliance regime. Clarissa Balmaseda, a special agent in charge of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) criminal investigation, speaking at a presentation, said that the lack of business rationale to be a Red Flag, indeed the IRS views such lack of business rationale as possible indicia of corruption. With the Department of Justice; Securities and Exchange Commission and IRS all noting the importance of a business rationale, it is clear this is something you should use to operationalize your compliance program. 

But the business rationale also provides your company the opportunity to help drive compliance into the fabric of your everyday operations. This is done by requiring the employee who prepares the business rationale to be the Business Sponsor of that third party. The Business Sponsor can provide the most direct means of communication to the third party and can be the point of contact for compliance issues.

Tyco International takes this approach in its Seven Step Process for Third Party Qualification. Tyco breaks the first step into two parts, which include: 

  1. Business Sponsor - Initially identify a business sponsor or primary contact for the third party within your company. This requires not only business unit buy-in but business unit accountability for the business relationship and puts the onus on each stakeholder to more fully operationalize this portion of your compliance program.
  2. Business Rationale - The Business Sponsor should then articulate a commercial reason to initiate or continue to work with the third party. You need to determine how this third party will fit into your company’s value chain and whether they will become a strategic partner or will they be involved in a one-off only transaction? 

What should go into your Business Rationale? At the most basic level, you should craft a document, which works for both you as the compliance practitioner and the business folks in your company. There are some basic concepts which include the following. You need the name and contact information for both the Business Sponsor and the proposed third party. You need to inquire into how the Business Sponsor came to know about the third party because it is Red Flag is a customer or government representative points you towards a specific third party. You should inquire into what services the third party will perform for your company, the length of time and compensation rate for the third party. You will also need an explanation of why this specific third party should be used as opposed to an existing or other third party, is such were considered. All this information should be written down and then signed by the Business Sponsor. 

Another way to think about this issue is by considering the competence of foreign business partner to provide services to your organization. Such considerations include a review of the qualifications of the third-party candidate for subject matter expertise, the resources to perform the services for which they are being considered and the third party’s expected activities for your company.  More detailed inquiries include requiring the relevant business unit which desires to obtain the services of any third party to provide you with a business rationale including current opportunities in territory, how the candidate was identified and why no currently existing third party relationships can provide the requested services. Your next inquiry should focus on the terms of the engagement, including the commission rate, the term of the agreement, what territory may be covered by the agreement and if such relationship will be exclusive. 

Remember, the purpose of the Business Rationale is to document the satisfactoriness of the business case to retain a third party.  The Business Rationale should be included in the compliance review file assembled on every third party at the time of initial certification and again if the third-party relationship is renewed. As explained by the Tom Fox Mantra for compliance, this means Document Document Document.   

Three Key Takeaways

  1. You should always have a business reason for using a third party which is articulated by the business folks, not compliance.
  2. A Business Sponsor is the key relationship going forward in operationalizing your compliance program through the life of the third-party relationship with your company.
  3. Always remember to Document Document Document. 

This month’s podcast series is sponsored by Opus. Opus helps free your business from the complexity and uncertainty of managing the risks associated with your customers, vendors, and third parties. By combining the most innovative Third-Party Risk Management and Know Your Customer Compliance SaaS platforms with unparalleled data solutions, Opus turns information into action so your business can thrive. Opus solutions include Hiperos ABAC Accelerator, the leading platform for third party risk management. To learn more, go to www.opus.com.

Apr 4, 2017

In this episode I visit with John Hanson (AKA 'the Fraud Guy') who is also the founder of the International Association of Independent Corporate Monitors (IAICM). He discusses why he founded the group, the needs it hopes to address, the resources available to members and others  and how someone can apply for membership. the Association's website is icicm.org. For additional information you can contract Hanson at jhanson@iaicm.org. Finally, ror more information see my blog post IAICM Shines a Light on Corporate Monitor

Apr 3, 2017

Day 1- The Third-Party Risk Management Process

This month, I will consider the risk management of third parties in an operationalized compliance program. As every compliance practitioner is well aware, third parties still present the highest risk under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The Department of Justice Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs devotes an entire prong to third party management. It begins with the following: 

Risk-Based and Integrated ProcessesHow has the company’s third-party management process corresponded to the nature and level of the enterprise risk identified by the company? How has this process been integrated into the relevant procurement and vendor management processes? 

This first set of queries clearly specifies the DOJ expects an integrated approach that is operationalized throughout the company. This means your compliance must have a process for the full life cycle of third party risk management. There are five steps in the life cycle of third party management. 

  1. Business Justification and Business Sponsor;
  2. Questionnaire to Third Party;
  3. Due Diligence on Third Party;
  4. Compliance Terms and Conditions, including payment terms; and
  5. Management and Oversight of Third Parties After Contract Signing. 

Over this month, I will be exploring each of these steps in detail so by the end of this month, you will be able to fully operationalize your third party risk management program. 

 Step 1 - Business Justification

The first step breaks down into two parts: 

  1. Business Sponsor
  2. Business Justification

The purpose of the Business Justification is to document the satisfactoriness of the business case to retain a third party. The Business Justification should be included in the compliance review file assembled on every third party at the time of initial certification and again if the third party relationship is renewed.  

Step 2 - Questionnaire

The term ‘questionnaire’ is mentioned several times in the 2012 FCPA Guidance. It is generally recognized as one of the tools that a company should complete in its investigation to better understand with whom it is doing business. I believe that this requirement is not only a key step but also a mandatory step for any third party that desires to do work with your company. I tell clients that if a third party does not want to fill out the questionnaire or will not fill it out completely that you should not walk but run away from doing business with such a party. 

One thing that you should keep in mind is that you will likely have pushback from your business team in making many of the inquiries listed above. However, my experience is that most proposed agents that have done business with US or UK companies have already gone through this process. Indeed, they understand that by providing this information on a timely basis, they can set themselves apart as more attractive to US businesses. 

Step 3 - Due Diligence

Most compliance practitioners understand the need for a robust due diligence program to investigation third parties, but have struggled with how to create an inventory to define the basis of risk of each foreign business partner and thereby perform the requisite due diligence required under the FCPA. Getting your arms around due diligence can sometimes seem bewildering for the compliance practitioner. 

Our British compliance cousins of course are subject to the UK Bribery Act. In its Six Principles of an Adequate Procedures compliance program, the UK MOJ stated, “The commercial organisation applies due diligence procedures, taking a proportionate and risk based approach, in respect of persons who perform or will perform services for or on behalf of the organisation, in order to mitigate identified bribery risks.” The purpose of this principle is to encourage businesses to put in place due diligence procedures that adequately inform the application of proportionate measures designed to prevent persons associated with a company from bribing on their behalf. The MOJ recognized that due diligence procedures act both as a procedure for anti-bribery risk assessment and as a risk mitigation technique.

After you have completed Steps 1-3 and then evaluated and documented your evaluation, you are ready to move onto to Step 4 - the contract. In the area of compliance terms and conditions, the FCPA Guidance intones “Additional considerations include payment terms and how those payment terms compare to typical terms in that industry and country, as well as the timing of the third party’s introduction to the business.” This means that you need to understand what the rate of commission is and whether it is reasonable for the services delivered. If the rate is too high, this could be indicia of corruption as high commission rates can create a pool of money to be used to pay bribes. If your company uses a distributor model in its sales side, then it needs to review the discount rates it provides to its distributors to ascertain that the discount rate it warranted. 

Step 4 - The Contract

You must evaluate the information and show that you have used it in your process. If it is incomplete, it must be completed. If there are Red Flags, which have appeared, these Red Flags must be cleared or you must demonstrate how you will manage the risks identified. In others words you must Document, Document and Document that you have read, synthesized and evaluated the information garnered in Steps 1-3. As the DOJ and SEC continually remind us, a compliance program must be a living, evolving system and not simply a ‘Check-the-Box’ exercise.

Step 5 - Management of the Relationship

I often say that after you complete Steps 1-4 in the life cycle management of a third party, the real work begins and that work is found in Step 5– the Management of the Relationship. While the work done in Steps 1-4 are absolutely critical, if you do not manage the relationship it can all go downhill very quickly and you might find yourself with a potential FCPA or UK Bribery Act violation. There are several different ways that you should manage your post-contract relationship. Here we will explore some of the tools which you can use to help make sure that all the work you have done in Steps 1-4 will not be for naught and that you will have a compliant anti-corruption relationship with your third party going forward. 

Final Thoughts 

I continually give my Mantra of FCPA compliance, which is Document, Document, and Document. Each of the steps you take in the management of your third parties must be documented. Not only must they be documented but they must be stored and managed in a manner that you can retrieve them with relative ease. The management of third parties is absolutely critical in any best practices compliance program. As you sit at your desk pondering whether this assignment given to you by the CCO is a career-ending dead-end; you should take heart because there is clear and substantive guidance out there which you can draw upon. 

Three Key Takeaways

  1. Use the full 5-step process for 3rd party management.
  2. Make sure you have BD involvement and buy-in.
  3. Operationalize all steps going forward by including business unit representatives. 

This month’s podcast series is sponsored by Opus. Opus helps free your business from the complexity and uncertainty of managing the risks associated with your customers, vendors, and third parties. By combining the most innovative Third-Party Risk Management and Know Your Customer Compliance SaaS platforms with unparalleled data solutions, Opus turns information into action so your business can thrive. Opus solutions include Hiperos ABAC Accelerator, the leading platform for third party risk management. To learn more, go to www.opus.com.

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