TRACE Launches Enhanced Anti-Bribery Compliance Website

WASHINGTON, September 9, 2011 -

- Interactive Site Now Delivers Unparalleled Local Resources For Companies Worldwide

TRACE International member companies and people interested in global bribery trends and risk mitigation strategies have a comprehensive, enhanced data and information tool available to them with today’s launch of the new TRACE website.

Available at www.traceinternational.org, the redesigned site offers an array of valuable and practical resources for companies doing business worldwide.  Through the new interactive portal “MY TRACE,” members are now able to create company profiles, participate in the TRACEconnect online discussion room, use the TRACE Resource Center, register for TRACE events, and access their company’s due diligence reports.

“In the 10 years since TRACE was founded, our more than 2000 multinational and SME members have become an active and engaged community that continually benchmarks ‘best practices,’ shares tips and model language and occasionally commiserates over specific challenges in the most difficult countries in which they operate,” said Alexandra Wrage, Founder and President of TRACE. “This new website is designed to facilitate this high level of engagement as TRACE enters its second decade of supporting our member companies with practical and cost-effective tools and ensuring that they remain on the leading edge of anti-bribery compliance.”  

The updated Resource Center now provides members with access to the specific laws and regulations governing bribery in 108 countries around the globe.  They can find everything from model language for compliance policies and agent contracts to foreign law summaries and the results of TRACE’s extensive benchmarking projects.

“International anti-bribery compliance involves much more than the much-discussed US FCPA and the UK Bribery Act,” added Ms. Wrage. ”Multinational companies must comply with local rules and regulations in every country in which they operate, from restrictions on how in-country agents are compensated to local disclosure requirements when providing hospitality to government customers.  Because of TRACE’s network of partner law firms in over 100 countries, TRACE members have access to unparalleled local law resources.”

TRACE members applaud the changes. “The gifts and hospitality information on the Resource Center enables our global team of commercial lawyers to give advice, within minutes, on the 80 countries where we do business,” said Rebecca Goldman, VP, Commercial Law, Rockwell Automation. “Delivering prompt and definitive advice ensures our internal clients keep coming to us for answers.”

Sections of the re-designed site available to non-TRACE members — including the general public — include the TRACE Compendium, which tracks anti-bribery enforcement worldwide, and BRIBEline, an anonymous, multi-lingual tool that tracks demand-side bribery.

About TRACE

TRACE is a non-profit membership association that pools resources to provide practical and cost-effective anti-bribery compliance solutions for multinational companies and their commercial intermediaries (sales agents and representatives, consultants, distributors, suppliers, etc.). TRACE provides several core services and products, including: due diligence reports on commercial intermediaries; model compliance policies; an online Resource Center with foreign local law summaries, including guidelines on gifts and hospitality; in-person and online anti-bribery training; and research on corporate best practices.

For additional information about TRACE and the TRACE Compendium, visit www.TRACEinternational.org.

Jaime Baum, newsPRos, +1-847-502-3825, jsb at newspros.com