Vendor Screening

Every organization needs vendors to operate more efficiently, outsourcing non-essential functions to providers that are expert in their fields. You probably spend time examining the prices and services provided by potential vendors, but what about looking at other crucial factors that could create costly conflicts, be deeply embarrassing for your organization, or otherwise pose a threat to your everyday operations? Potential liabilities like criminal records, financial troubles, or nefarious business relationships cannot always be identified through an in-house procurement process.

Kroll can help by conducting detailed screening of both potential and current vendors to provide insight into their backgrounds, integrity, and financial standing. We can examine the various components involved in vendor relations - individual employees, principals or owners, and business entities - to help you prevent problems that could have a negative impact on your organization's revenues, reputation, or workplace safety.

Rely on the background screening expert

Chances are, you probably already have a background screening program in place for your incoming or current employees. After all, an employment screening program has valuable effects, like strengthening workplace safety, protecting business assets, reducing the potential for identity theft, and minimizing the possibility for negligent hiring or retention litigation. And if you are using Kroll as your background screening partner, you already know the value of high-quality, accurate information, delivered quickly and compliantly, by first-rate professionals.

So why risk additional liability by not also screening those individuals who will work on your property, alongside your personnel, or with your clients? Kroll can work with you to implement a screening program for these vendor employees or contracted workers who have access to your facilities and internal data. We can mirror standards that exist for your current or prospective employees, adding an extra layer of protection to further safeguard your organization and reputation.

Tailored services for vendor principals or business owners

Before engaging in a business relationship, it's crucial that you fully understand the integrity of the people with whom you will be involved. You don't want to risk association with key vendor representatives who may have red flags in their histories. To assist you with making informed decisions on vendor selection, Kroll has customized screening packages to help you fully understand the histories of principals or business owners. These services can identify potential liabilities, like overstatement of qualifications or disreputable corporate affiliations, that could negatively affect your own organization or venture.

Entity-level screening for a robust program

In addition to examining the backgrounds and qualifications of vendor employees and principals, Kroll can also provide entity-level screening services to offer you a robust vendor vetting program. Designed to hold vendors to ethical standards set by your company, our business-level screening program helps you better understand whether a vendor can meet its promises and obligations.

Kroll takes the time to fully understand your business approach and ethical standards before we begin screening vendors, using this knowledge to build the platform of your customized program. We then define the parameters of the screening process, including which vendors you want to participate, the information you want sought, and the types of checks you want conducted.

In order to become qualified to do business with you, vendors pay a nominal screening fee and must agree in writing to abide by your company's business practices, standards of conduct, and ethical principles. Once they sign the statement, vendors then complete a detailed questionnaire based on your organization's requirements. Kroll's staff screens the information provided and collects additional intelligence. When our investigation is complete, you receive a final report that both verifies the questionnaire's accuracy and supplies new information on the vendor about which you may not have known. Kroll then assesses the risk of hiring the vendor using an easy-to-understand rating system.