Business Partner Management

Third Party Assessment

At Rheinmetall, business partner verification or third party assessment means a series of background analyses conducted on a potential business partner (so-called Third Party Assessment) prior to as well as after the conclusion of the contract (so-called Third Party Monitoring). The focus is on excluding potential Compliance risks being introduced to the company through the “back door” by contracting an external party.

Such risks can include criminal or unethical conduct on the part of the business partner, opaque ownership structures allowing for tax evasion or money laundering, or conflicts of interest in relation to competitors, customers, bureaucratic structures, political parties or with Rheinmetall personnel. Although the defense and automotive sectors have different risk emphases, the importance of early detection of possible critical scenarios is always paramount.

At Rheinmetall, business partner due diligence is conducted on the basis both a risk-scoring mechanism as well as a division of labor procedure between central and decentralized Compliance teams. Hence, a specialist team at Rheinmetall headquarters carries out standardized background checks on business partners whereas the Compliance team in the business area performs business-case and contract-specific reviews – all within one interconnected IT and process framework.

Our "Business Partner Policy" is applicable for all Rheinmetall companies, including our joint ventures.

Our Business Partner Policy

Integrity along the entire Value Chain

Screening our Supply Chain

Safeguarding the Sales Process

Involving important Interfaces

M&A Due Diligence

Relations to Government, Authorities and Politics