...
To reduce the possibility of fraud, RoS staff should be familiar with our policy and procedures. They should also make our suppliers, agents, and other potential commercial partners aware of our policies. Procurement undertake checks on supplier integrity as a routine part of our EU procurements.
In undertaking tenders for or delivering projects abroad (outside the EU), staff should be mindful that where agents, intermediaries or for example leads in a consortia are used in dealing with government agencies or business partners, due diligence should be undertaken to establish their probity. We must avoid guilt and/or reputational damage by association. Contracts should make it clear that payment or attempted payment of any bribe would be a material breach of the contract.
If undertaking work in a new country, staff should obtain advice on local laws, planning permissions, licence applications etc. The perceived level of corruption can also be checked using the Corruption Perceptions Index. In business dealings staff should explain that any offer or acceptance of a bribe exposes everyone to the risk of prosecutionRegulated procurements.
(VIII) Equality and the Public Sector Equality Duties
There is a range of equality legislation protecting people from discrimination on the grounds of race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation and religion or belief. As of October 2010 the Equality Act brought together all these current areas of discrimination under the heading of ‘’protected characteristics’’. In addition, there is a public sector equality duty that require public authorities to take proactive steps to eliminate discrimination and harassment and to promote equality of opportunity with regard to ‘’protected characteristics’’ under the Equality Act. (Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012).
...