Business partner compliance

Successful long-­term business operations require the careful selection of business partners and suppliers who must then be informed of the DB Group values and commit to collaboration based on shared values. DB Group has developed different formats to increase awareness among its business partners and incorporate sustainable business practices more firmly in the supply chain.

Compliance e-­learning for business partners is freely accessible online and provides information about integrity, binding legal standards and ethical matters, and sets out clear compliance requirements as reflected in our Code of Conduct for Business Partners.

Contracts and contractual partners are audited for compliance risks. Integrity clauses in the General Terms and Conditions of Purchase are used to counteract potential compliance risks. Other compliance regulations are agreed based on risks. This applies to the appointment of intermediaries, for example. A new directive was introduced in the year under review, which is designed to provide transparent and well-­documented regulations for the conclusion of consultancy and other contracts in cases where special legal requirements apply to the contractual partner or where there is a particular public interest.

If serious misconduct occurs, the group of decision ­makers shall decide to block the awarding of tenders on the basis of clear criteria, stipulat­­ing how to deal with the contractor or supplier. If a tender is blocked, the earliest that a business partnership can be reestablished or continued is after the blocking period expires or after the company takes action to clean up its practices, which the client deems to be sufficient and which can often take many years to complete.