Internal Review of a Proposed Foreign Business Partner

In prior blogs, we explored how to rank Foreign Business Partners so that you can begin an appropriate due diligence process. We also explored what you might wish to investigate during the due diligence process. A Foreign Business Partner Review Committee should be established which is tasked with reviewing all the investigative due diligence and the Business Unit's case for partnering with the person or entity. The next area of review should of the proposed Foreign Business Partner's ethics and compliance program. Such a program should have, at a minimum, the following elements of a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)-style compliance program in place.

Your Foreign Business Partner should...

• have a restriction on facilitation payments, gifts, entertainment and travel;
• require proper accounting and invoicing;
• have policies that flow down to any sub-vendors under the Foreign Business Partner

If the Foreign Business Partner's program does not meet your Company's, or the FCPA, standards you should require the implementation of a program that will meet those suggested in the US Sentencing Guidelines so that it will meet Department of Justice (DOJ) approval.

The next area of review by the Foreign Business Partner Review Committee is the proposed contract with the Foreign Business Partner. The contract must have compliance obligations stated in the formation documents, whether it is a simple agency or consulting agreement or a joint venture with several formation documents. All formation agreements should include representations that in all undertakings the Foreign Business Partner will make no payments of money, or anything of value, nor will such be offered, promised or paid, directly or indirectly, to any foreign officials, political parties, party officials, or candidates for public or political party office, to influence the acts of such officials, political parties, party officials, or candidates in their official capacity, to induce them to use their influence with a government to obtain or retain business or gain an improper advantage in connection with any business venture or contract in which the Company is a participant.

Read Internal Review of a Proposed Foreign Business Partner in its entirety on Tfoxlaw's Blog.