High Level Reporting Mechanism (HLRM) for preventing bribery

Enhancing accountability to strengthen trust and integrity

Preventing corruption in infrastructure is critical to the delivery of essential services to citizens and to safeguarding quality infrastructure investment. G7 nations and other partnerships have committed to quality and sustainable infrastructure investments based on high standards and shared values to mobilise public and private investment. As countries look to attract private financing, there is an opportunity to catalyse collective action to enhance accountability, de-risk projects and ensure finance meets its intended purpose.

The High Level Reporting Mechanism (HLRM), jointly developed by the OECD Trust in Business initiative and the Basel Institute of Governance, is a multi-stakeholder collective action tool to raise and quickly resolve alerts about suspected bribery or unfair business practices in public contracting. Tailor-made for country needs and priorities, HLRM offers a credible, trusted and speedy resolution to systemic challenges embedded in public contract allocation systems. The HLRM is complementary to enforcement tools; it functions as an early warning system to address corruption risks from the demand side. Explicit or implicit bribery solicitation, suspicious behaviour and other irregular practices in the context of public procurement procedures, business permits and licences or tax audits.

The HLRM is part of broader international efforts and instruments to enhance integrity globally. The mechanism is incorporated as a tool of the OECD Infrastructure Anti-Corruption Toolbox and aligns with most recent international standards that build on collective action and multi-stakeholder approaches to enhance integrity including the 2021 Anti-Bribery Recommendation and the 2017 OECD Recommendation of the Council on Public Integrity. It responds to G20 and B20 Recommendations.

Whether in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, in response to post-disaster or post-conflict reconstruction needs, catalysing collective action through effective and accountable non-judicial grievance mechanisms can support a level playing field and fair market conditions.

Contact

Sara SULTAN, Senior Policy Advisor, Trust in Business initiative, OECD Sara.SULTAN@oecd.org

Vanessa HANS, Head of the Private Sector, Basel Institute on Governance Vanessa.HANS@baselgovernance.org

How to implement the HLRM

The OECD and the Basel Institute of Governance offer support to governments to facilitate the efficient development of a customised HLRM. We can help to identify relevant domestic stakeholders or evaluate different institutional and legal options in a given jurisdiction. We work with governments to accompany the development, implementation and monitoring of the HLRM.