Third-party risk: how to survive in a brave new world?

Third party risk management, how to survive in a brave new world?

Third party risk management. The Current Business Climate Requires a Review and Reassessment of Your Organisation’s Third-Party Relationships. We won’t soon forget the year 2020 and the myriad ways worldwide business was derailed over a microscopic virus that caused a global pandemic. From layoffs and shutdowns to shortages and closures, the long-term effects of the pandemic have yet to be determined. But one thing is certain: The disruption to the global supply chain has wreaked havoc in virtually every business sector. third party risk management

Automobile manufacturing in Korea has been suspended due to a lack of parts from China. The fashion industry in the United States is struggling over sourcing as garment producers in Asia reduce output. U.K. aerospace manufacturer Rolls-Royce has announced it is cutting 9,000 jobs as a result of the coronavirus. And sharp declines in consumer demand have adversely affected global manufacturers who, in turn, are idling production to curb losses.

Find out how anti-bribery and anti-corruption management plays an important part in your third-party risk management strategy. This free ebook analyses the performance of Rolls-Royce in terms of ABAC policies within the scope of the ISO 37001 provisions.

DOWNLOAD EBOOK NOW

Global sourcing has been greatly impacted as suppliers have ceased operations, and multinational organisations have had to scramble to locate replacement supply sources. This gloomy picture has been made all the more daunting as opportunists, bad actors and other sanctioned, restricted, or unreputable parties have set up operations to take advantage of unsuspecting and desperate businesses by producing inferior goods, missing contractual deadlines, or operating in ways that could raise flags in the areas of ethical conduct, business integrity or jurisdictional compliance. As such, multinational companies need to be on high alert for such nefarious outside operations, lest they put their reputations, stakeholders, directors and bottom lines at risk.

Now is the time to identify alternative supply scenarios and re-evaluate contractual terms and performance metrics with those parties in the sourcing network. And to accomplish this, a risk-based approach to diligence, screening and vetting present and potential third-party suppliers is more important now than ever before.

Get your guide for risk prevention, detection and compliance. Download our Risk Management and Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption Playbook

DOWNLOAD PLAYBOOK NOW

What is third party risk management?

Threats are increasing on several levels for organisations that rely on outside third parties, such as agents, brokers, vendors and suppliers.  While depleted inventories, idle production, inferior products and delayed delivery have greatly impacted the marketplace worldwide, multinational businesses are feeling the brunt of these pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions on a greater scale:

• Organisations are suffering financial loss as the supply chain falters;
• Companies are losing customers because of poor-quality products and services from third parties;
• Organisations are opening the doors to litigation by working with third parties that may be engaging in bad labour practices or forcing workers to produce in unsafe work conditions;
• Company data systems are being exposed and breached because of poor security practices by third parties;
• Companies are experiencing a greater level of supply chain issues due to poor disaster recovery procedures enacted by third parties;
• Organisations and boards are increasingly being exposed to litigation because of relationships with outside providers that may have violated contractual terms, potentially resulting in regulatory exposure;
• Such organisations are being targeted by story-hungry media sources determined to expose the company to a global audience.

The result of these increased risks can be highly problematic:

• Business litigation has skyrocketed;
• Corporate reputations are negatively impacted on a larger scale;
• Organisations have had to continually review, reassess and adapt risk management frameworks to adjust and acclimate to an ever-changing global business environment;
• Board members are becoming increasingly subjected to intense scrutiny from outside watchdogs and critics;
• Unfortunately, a highly educated market responds to the above scenarios accordingly with their pocketbooks.

From supply and production disruptions to regional compliance issues and bad media exposure, multinational corporations face increased scrutiny working with unscrupulous third-party partners.  Thus, the an intense need to remain vigilant in conducting due diligence and vetting those outside affiliations.

VIEW 3PRM^TM BROCHURE

Don’t let the dominoes fall, ever, with our 3PRM certification

CRI® Group’s third-party compliance verification and certification program – 3PRM-Certified™ – can help organisations establishing the legal compliance, financial viability, and integrity levels of outside partners, suppliers and customers seeking to affiliate with your business. Third-party relationships are critical in business today and include partnerships with suppliers, distributors, consultants, agents and other contractors.

While such affiliations are essential to the success of your organisation, a business cannot overestimate the consequences of inadequate due diligence. As the risk for data breaches and supply chain disruption continues to rise with COVID-19, so does the need for effective third-party risk management (TPRM) programs.

Whether you’re a TPRM professional looking for a certification to advance your skillset, or the leader of your organisation considering how to better equip your team with the best knowledge and skills, 3PRM-Certified™ program is an all-in solution.

When is it time to conduct third-party screening?

CRI® Group’s exclusive 3PRM-Certified™ solution provides the very best in third-party risk management. Our 3PRM-Certified™ program provides a proactive approach to mitigating risks from third-party affiliations, protecting the organisation from liability, brand damage and harm to the business. The 3PRM-Certified™ program includes a focus on the following:

• Providing third-party risk assessments
• Meeting contracting requirements
• Conducting due diligence
• Identifying potential fraud risks
• Providing management oversight

Utilising a network of trained professionals positioned across five continents, CRI® Group’s 3PRM services utilise one of the largest multi-national fraud investigation teams the industry has to offer. The 3PRM-Certified™ program is especially critical when your business is performing pre-merger and acquisition research and pre-IPO due diligence, engages new clients, employs, contracts or retains foreign business partners and requires a consistent and audit-worthy AML and anti-corruption compliance program.

Who is CRI® Group?

Based in London, CRI® Group works with companies across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia-Pacific as a one-stop international Risk Management, Employee Background Screening, Business Intelligence, Due Diligence, Compliance Solutions and other professional Investigative Research solutions provider.

We have the largest proprietary network of background screening analysts and investigators across the Middle East and Asia. Our global presence ensures that no matter how international your operations are, we have the network needed to provide you with all you need, wherever you happen to be. CRI® Group also holds BS 102000:2013 and BS 7858:2012 Certifications, is an HRO certified provider and partner with Oracle.

In 2016, CRI® Group launched the Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption (ABAC®) Center of Excellence – an independent certification body established for ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management Systems, ISO 37301 Compliance Management Systems and ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management, providing training and certification.

ABAC® operates through its global network of certified ethics and compliance professionals, qualified auditors and other certified professionals. As a result, CRI® Group’s global team of certified fraud examiners work as a discreet white-labelled supplier to some of the world’s largest organisations. Contact ABAC® for more on ISO Certification and training.

Meet our CEO and Author

Zafar I. Anjum is Group Chief Executive Officer of CRI® Group (www.crigroup.com), a global supplier of investigative, forensic accounting, business due diligence and employee background screening services for some of the world’s leading businesses organisations.

Headquartered in London (with a significant presence throughout the region) and licensed by the Dubai International Financial Centre-DIFC, the Qatar Financial Center-QFC, and the Abu Dhabi Global Market-ADGM, CRI® Group safeguards businesses by establishing the legal compliance, financial viability, and integrity levels of outside partners, suppliers and customers seeking to affiliate with your business.

CRI® Group maintains offices in UAE, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, China, the USA, and the United Kingdom. Contact us to learn more about the third-party risk management strategy program and discover an effective and proactive approach to mitigating the risks associated with corruption, bribery, financial crimes and other dangerous risks posed by third-party partnerships.

Zafar Anjum, MSc, MS, CFE, CII, MICA, Int. Dip. (Fin. Crime)

CRI® Group Chief Executive Officer
t: +44 207 8681415 | m: +44 7588 454959
e: zanjum@crigroup.com