Periodic, independent assessments of an organization’s ethics and integrity programs are key factors in determining a company’s responsibility and commitment to ethical behavior (see the Federal Acquisition Regulations and U.S. Sentencing Guidelines). An effective Ethics Program needs to be well-integrated into the culture of government contractors and regulated businesses, and its vitality may affect source-selection, suspension and debarment proceedings, decisions on federal prosecutions and sentencing recommendations.

Affiliated Monitors helps companies reduce their risk of ethical failures by conducting these independent, comprehensive assessments of company ethics and integrity programs and measuring the impact of company ethics and compliance activities. We examine and benchmark programs against the best practices of similar industries, and identify ways to improve program effectiveness.

To evaluate a company’s overall ethical culture, we examine a range of company ethics and integrity activities, including:

• Corporate code of ethics and business conduct
• Ethics training and education programs
• Corporate communications and integrity messaging
• Board of Directors’ participation
• “Hotline” and other employee reporting mechanisms
• Investigative procedures
• Internal controls
• Rewards and sanctions
• Performance Management Systems

Affiliated Monitors offers unique perspectives and capabilities derived from our team’s experience and knowledge of federal contracting, investigations, ethics and organizational culture and oversight requirements. More importantly, Affiliated Monitors staff have extensive experience working with the Department of Justice, State Attorneys General and other government agencies where independent oversight is utilized. We are very knowledgeable about ethics requirements and the steps companies can take to reduce risks both to their reputation and their bottom line.