Programs and courses developed by IACRC incorporate local laws and investigative techniques in order to provide the most relevant and effective training possible. During this process IACRC constantly assesses whether new laws, regulations, and/or investigative techniques can and should be employed, and we tailor our recommendations to local conditions as they change.
Standard Courses
Our courses are taught in person by IACRC personnel in conjunction with our experts on the IACRC team. The programs are specifically designed to teach law enforcement officials about the different types of fraudulent schemes that infect procurement activity and how to detect, investigate and conclusively prove them.
Combating Corruption and Fraud in Procurement
This course is specifically designed for procurement staff, internal auditing agency staff, and investigators. The instruction covers how procurement fraud schemes operate, the utilization of detection methods, including the use of special software and available countermeasures.
Combating Corruption and Fraud in Construction
Much of the fraud and corruption that undermines humanitarian aid and development relates to construction projects, particularly in the area of road construction. This course addresses all aspects of fraud and corruption that infect road construction projects, which are so critical to international development. The course will examine both design and procurement issues and provides instruction on how to detect fraud and corruption in the implementation and supervision of the project. An integral part of the course is devoted to outlining the key steps necessary to ensure corruption-free monitoring, testing and overall project supervision.
How to Conduct Financial Investigations
In many parts of the developing world, few investigators have had training necessary to conduct complex financial investigations in connection with major fraud and corruption cases. This course focuses on the detection of illicit financial transactions and the collection of direct and circumstantial (indirect) proof of such transactions through related businesses and other entities, as well as cash transactions. The course also includes instruction on the basics of money laundering, international legal assistance measures (MLATs, etc.) and the organization and presentation of financial evidence.
Combating Corruption and Fraud for Auditors
This course prepares auditors to detect fraud and corruption in development and humanitarian projects. It will describe in detail how the most common and costly schemes operate and how they can be detected, including bribery, kickbacks, conflicts of interest, bid rigging and collusive bidding by contractors, fraudulent representations, false claims and product substitution. Prevention measures will also be discussed. The instruction will include numerous actual case examples and practical exercises.
Combating Bid Rigging and Collusion for Competition Authorities
This course trains and equips competition authority personnel on how to detect, prove and prevent collusion, bid rigging and in major contract awards, often as the result of corruption. The course includes numerous actual case examples and practical exercise to illustrate the principles. Automated tools to assist in the detection of bid rigging and collusion will also be discussed.
Introduction to Fraud and Corruption in Development and Humanitarian Projects
This course is designed for project personnel, procurement staff, auditors and investigators with little or no prior experience in combating fraud and corruption in international aid projects. The course defines the basic terms and principles associated with anti-fraud programs. It describes at an introductory level the various types of fraud and corruption risks that occur in such projects and the standard methods of detection, proof and prevention. As with all IACRC training programs, the materials will include numerous actual case examples and practical case exercises.
Using Technology to Combat Corruption and Fraud
The course is designed for aid donors and in-country project staff, auditors, and investigators on how to select and use specialized software, including IACRC’s Bid Review Training Tool, to detect indicators of bribery, bid rigging, and fraud; extract hidden or deleted electronic evidence from e-mail, computer hard drives, and other media; and organize and present complex evidence. Participants will learn how to install and use the powerful “open source” software packages to detect bid rigging, extract electronic evidence, gather public data and research a variety of intelligence sources which can be used to test many of the representations and data supplied by prospective bidders. These techniques can be used by both aid donors and aid recipients proactively to spot fraud schemes before approval of contracts with contracting firms and consultants.
Cost of Training
IACRC understands that anti-corruption efforts in many countries often suffer on account of budget constraints. But training local law enforcement and anti-corruption personnel how to detect, investigate and prosecute procurement fraud is still the most efficient and immediate method to achieving a level playing field, and it is indisputably cost effective.
While the IACRC’s training is always adapted to local requirements, the costs for a week of training are insignificant compared to the millions of dollars routinely siphoned from a single major project to pay bribes, not to mention the even greater costs resulting from defective goods, works and services.
