11. Mitigating corruption in sustainment and contracting

Introduction to key mitigation

Mitigating corruption risks in operational sustainment and contracting can be one of the most difficult anti-corruption activities that international missions can undertake. This is due to tight operational timelines and requirements, limited resources, insecure environments that make oversight more difficult, and a lack of guidance and practice in approaching contracting as a key operational consideration.

Costs and benefits

As with all anti-corruption measures, there are trade-offs involved when deciding what to prioritise and how much additional expertise and manpower is necessary. Measures such as contractor due diligence, better oversight and application of administrative sanctions require planning, time and expertise; they might also lengthen contract fulfilment timelines. In the longer term, however, they are likely to result in better-quality goods and services being delivered, and therefore shorten the timelines later on during the intervention. Importantly, these measures will also enable the mission to gain a more comprehensive, accurate understanding of the operational environment, and to avoid blind spots related to ill-controlled financial flows strengthening criminal groups or mission adversaries.

Constituent mitigations for: