Bribery is defined as the act of providing, giving, accepting, or promising a benefit of any value or bribe in order to sway the decision, action, or judgment of those in positions of authority. To help prevent these unlawful acts, in addition to gaining trust and showing transparency within an organization, the International Organization for Standardization has established an Anti-Bribery Management System that deals specifically with bribery risk.
ISO 37001 is a standard, developed by the International Organization for Standardization for the sole purpose of confronting bribery issues within an organization. In Indonesia specifically, companies have been in dire need of an ISO 37001 certification ever since the beginning of 2019. Especially, knowing that there are endless bribery issues and risks that we might face when managing our businesses.
The ISO 37001 standard has been globally recognized as a way to prevent and address one of the most challenging issues in the world regarding all illegal activity involving dirty money every year. By all means, the ISO 37001 standard is a way to build a global business that is based on full integrity.
The anti-bribery management system helps guide any organization to eliminate criminal behavior that is considered to be bribery, whether it be financially or non-financially. To implement the anti-bribery management system effectively, an organization must be fully prepared for all the components needed.
What is the ISO 37001 Standard?
Unethical practices are still commonly found within certain organizations. However, as briefly explained before, ISO 37001 is an international standard that allows the prevention and detection of briberies in an organization. It tackles any bribery issues that are happening by adopting an anti-bribery policy, assigning someone to monitor any bribery compliance, conducting training, and implementing financial and commercial controls, all to challenge the issues head-on and combat corruption in the company. In conclusion, ISO 37001 is designed to lay forth the requirements and guidance for establishing an anti-bribery management system that complies with anti-bribery regulations.
ISO 37001 is a very flexible standard that can be used for any size and nature of the organization as well as any bribery risk it comes across. It is also available in any country, regardless of whether it is a public or private sector. This anti-bribery management system helps in building a positive and honest environment in a company as well as portraying a fair-practice impression for the benefit of the company.
What is the Purpose of the ISO 37001 Standard?
The sole purpose of ISO 37001 Certification is, of course, to abolish any illegal activity that involves dirty money as well as to prevent the risk of bribery from happening within an organization. Having IS0 37001 Certification also helps the enhancement of the company’s positive image and to be recognized as an organization built from integrity, therefore assuring all of the involved stakeholders that bribery and corruption acts are being addressed and prevented by the organization.
Why Do You Have to Implement an Anti Bribery Management System?
By implementing an Anti-Bribery Management System, your organization will have various opportunities for the improvement of your business, such as:
- Reduce bribery risk – A company will be able to prevent and identify any bribery risk before it affects the organization by adopting an Anti-Bribery Management System in accordance with ISO 37001 standards. It will allow organizations to take the appropriate initiatives in order to minimize bribery risks.
- Save money—employing an anti-bribery management system helps save money by refusing to take bribes and avoiding the need for costly processes.
- Improve image and reputation – An efficient anti-bribery management system will benefit in avoiding bad publicity since a company’s reputation is so crucial to its existence.
What is the Benefit of the ISO 37001 Standard?
The Anti-bribery Management System program can be adopted in any company. An organization should implement and improve its anti-bribery management system for a variety of reasons.
Here are some benefits you will get for improving your anti-bribery management system and achieving the ISO 3001 Certification:
- have a greater understanding of the consequences of bribery.
- This will increase the ability to detect and prevent corruption.
- improvement of the company’s reputation.
- establish an ethical global practice.
- Implementation of viable anti-bribery procedures
- Prevention of malpractice and other risks.
- Gain trust and transparency within the company.
- This increases the number of business opportunities.
- non-stop improvement of the company’s services and products.
- enhancement of business efficiency and effectiveness.
How to Obtain an ISO 37001 Standard Certification?
To get the ISO 37001 certification, you will need to get through several audit assessment procedures in order to have a strong anti-bribery program that keeps it up to date. To obtain the ISO 37001 certification, you must get through the following cycle:
- Audit Confirmation – At least three months prior to the organization’s first audit, an audit plan will be prepared with your organization. The audit plan will then be approved by the Certification Body Assessment Team.
- Preliminary Assessment – This one is an optional step in which the organization is able to do the pre-assessment audit in order to find any weak areas in the organization’s current management system. This step helps the organization to be more prepared for the audit stages and find any gaps that have not been addressed yet.
- Stage 1 Audit – Following this stage, there will be some audit findings, which include:
- General Observation
- Non-Conformities:
Minor non-conformities: Before moving on to Stage 2, the organization must complete an internal Corrective Action Plan (CAP). At this stage, CAP is not necessary to be sent to the Assessment Team.
Major non-conformities: These are considered to be more serious. Within ten days after receiving the audit report, the organization must submit a CAP, with all actions that are expected to be performed prior to Stage 2, which then will be forwarded to the Evaluation Team. During the Stage 2 Audit, the key non-conformities identified during Stage 1 will be re-evaluated.
- Stage 2 Audit – After the stage 1 audit is done, the stage 2 audit will take place on-site to approve whether the organization’s anti-bribery management system is fully compliant with the standard. The audit report from stage 2 includes:
- Positive observations.
- Any findings that could lead to potential non-conformities, as well as areas of improvement.
- Non-Conformities:
Minor non-conformities: Within 45 working days of receiving the audit report, the organization must develop an internal Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and send it to the Assessment Team to be evaluated. The CAP must include details must include information on the nonconformity, the cause, the suggested remediation, who is responsible, and when the action will be implemented.
Major non-conformities: Within 90 days to 180 days of receiving the audit report, based upon the number and risk, the organization must develop an internal Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and send it to the auditor.
- recommendation for certification.
- A Follow-up – This is an optional step, in which an additional visit will take place if there are any major non-conformities that remain unresolved in stage 1. Another A revisit will need to be done if other major non-conformities are discovered during stage 2.
- Certification – A recommendation for certification will be given after the organization is considered to be up to the standard. However, the certificate will most likely be delayed if an organization seems to have a CAP. For minor non-conformities, the certificate will be issued approximately 4 weeks after the CAP is submitted. As for major non-conformities, the certificate will be issued approximately 6 weeks after the CAP is submitted.
- Surveillance and Re-certification – Surveillance will be conducted over three years to ensure that the organization continues to meet the criteria. The registration is only valid for three years after the certificate is issued. Following the completion of the second surveillance visit, you will receive a proposal for re-certification, which will include information on the process, expenses, and assessment days for the next three years.
How Can We Help You?
An organization should play an active role in creating a positive and honest environment for everyone involved. Here at Mandreel, we give our full support to make sure that you continue to operate in a safe and efficient manner for many years ahead. Mandreel’s ISO 37001 certificate service in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia offers a certification method that helps you grasp an understanding of ISO 37001 and its requirements. We are confident to assist you to begin your journey to ISO 37001 Certification.
With many years of experience under Mandreel’s belt, we have established a comprehensive portfolio to provide you with cutting-edge solutions. Our experience and knowledge of ISO 37001 and Anti-Bribery Management Systems will surely benefit you in bringing transparency into your company and prioritizing integrity in everything. Mandreel’s certification and training team of experts are ready to assist your organization in embodying ethical qualities and incorporating social compliance into your business plan for years to come.
Mandreel’s ISO 27001 certification assures that your company’s processes meet international standards, whether it’s in Singapore, Malaysia, or Indonesia. So, make sure to contact us to book an appointment. If you still want to find out more about ISO 37001 and how to get your certification, you can also get in touch with us through email or Whatsapp.
