Debarment

Procedure where companies and individuals are excluded from participating or tendering projects. Governments and multilateral agencies use this process to publicly punish businesses, NGOs, countries or individuals found guilty of unethical or unlawful behaviour.

All governments should maintain a list of companies for which there is sufficient evidence of their involvement in corrupt activities; alternatively, governments could adopt a list that has been prepared by an appropriate international institution. Companies listed should not be allowed to tender government projects for a specified period of time.