ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management System
What is ISO 37001?
An anti-bribery management system is designed to instil an anti-bribery culture within an organization and implement appropriate controls, which will in turn increase the chance of detecting bribery and reduce its incidence in the first place.
ISO 37001, Anti-bribery management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, gives the requirements and guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining and improving an anti-bribery management system.
The system can be independent of, or integrated into, an overall management system. It covers bribery in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, including bribery by and against an organization or its staff, and bribes paid or received through or by a third party. Bribery can take place anywhere, be of any value and can involve financial or non-financial advantages or benefits.
Benefits of using an ISO 37001 Anti-bribery Management System:
ISO 37001 is designed to help your company implement an anti-bribery management system or enhance the controls you currently have. It requires implementing a series of measures such as:
- Adopting an anti-bribery policy,
- Appointing someone to oversee compliance with that policy,
- Vetting and training employees,
- Undertaking risk assessments on projects and business associates,
- Implementing financial and commercial controls, and
- Instituting reporting and investigation procedures.
Implementing an anti-bribery management system requires leadership and input from top management, and the policy and programme must be communicated to all staff and external parties such as contractors, suppliers, and joint venture partners.
In this way, it helps to reduce the risk of bribery occurring and can demonstrate to your management, employees, owners, funders, customers, and other business associates that you have put in place internationally recognized good-practice anti-bribery controls. It can also provide evidence in the event of a criminal investigation that you have taken reasonable steps to prevent bribery.
