Event Note: Beneficial Ownership Transparency in Public Procurement (October 28 – Washington, DC)

A lack of information about the people who ultimately own or benefit from legal entities is one of the most pervasive challenges in increasing transparency and fighting against corruption. The U.S. Government oversees a vast network of contractors, and the collection and publication of the beneficial ownership information of such contractors as part of procurement protocol could greatly benefit the level of transparency in government contracting, cut down on government waste, and decrease fraud and corruption.

Transparency International-USA is hosting a panel discussion on the importance of knowing who is ultimately pulling the strings of companies who bid for public contracts.

The panel discussion will provide examples of how the U.S. government and U.S. businesses, and taxpayers have been defrauded by anonymous companies and explore solutions such as adopting Open Contracting Principles and requiring the collection and publication of ultimate ownership information of companies bidding for government business. The panelists will then discuss practical recommendations for increasing transparency in federal procurement to reduce fraud and corruption.

Our distinguished panel will feature:

Claudia J. Dumas
President and CEO, TI-USA
Opening Remarks
 
Shruti Shah
Vice President of Programs and Operations, TI-USA
Moderator
 
James H. Cottrell, Jr. (“Chip”)
Partner, Deloitte Advisory, and Member of the B-Team’s Anti-Corruption Group
 
Gavin Hayman
Executive Director, Open Contracting Partnership
 
Eryn Schornick
Policy Advisor, Banks and Corruption, Global Witness
 
Michelle Sternthal
Deputy Director of Policy & Government Affairs, Main Street Alliance

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Friday, October 28, 2016
10:00-11:30 am (registration and light refreshments at 9:30 am)

OpenGov Hub
1110 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
Please RSVP by October 26 to [email protected]

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Shruti Shah is a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog. She’s Vice President of Programs and Operations at Transparency International-USA. She can be contacted here.