In response to the wave of revelations of corruption in government contracting in Latin America, Ecuador's Public Procurement Service (SERCOP) announced at the outset of June that it is in the process of implementing anti-corruption rules per ISO 37 001. This will be a joint effort with the National Standards Institute (INEN). The international standards will be applied to public procurement procedures, as an anti-bribery action.
SERCOP announced that implementation will encompass contracting entities and suppliers. ISO 37 001 provides for implementation of control procedures, anti-bribery training programs for employees, corruption risk assessment programs, investigation of cases and possible undue acts. The standards must be adapted to the laws of the country in which they are applied. This action seeks to step-up current efforts of the new administration and the private sector.
These standards were officially published in October 2016 as a result of three years of negotiations among ISO member countries. They comprise a specific guide for implementing anti-bribery systems, with a view to preventing, detecting and handling undesirable situations. In terms of anti-corruption, it is a pioneer set of standards for global application. Its creation was aimed at applicability in all types of public and private organizations.
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