# Strengthening Business Integrity through Integrity Pacts and Collective Action URL: https://www.transparency.org/en/projects/strengthening-business-integrity-through-integrity-pacts-collective-action Type: Project Published: 2026-11-09 Updated: 2026-11-09 --- Strengthening Business Integrity through Integrity Pacts and Collective Action ![Yellow and black train on rail tracks in Sofia, Bulgaria.](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/mikhail-luxkstn-2NcGHHO9ukE-unsplash.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) Photo by Mikhail | luxkstn on Unsplash ## What’s at stake: Fair and transparent markets depend on strong corporate integrity in public contracting and across business value chains. Yet two interconnected challenges can undermine these conditions. First, business integrity in public contracting is not always supported by sufficient incentives, policy frameworks and practical mechanisms. This is particularly important for large and strategically important public investments, where stronger transparency, accountability and anti-corruption safeguards are needed among private sector actors. Second, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often have limited capacity to establish, implement and communicate governance and anti-corruption measures. This can be particularly challenging as sustainability reporting and due diligence expectations evolve and larger companies increasingly request information from businesses in their value chains. The project aims to contribute to a culture of corporate transparency and integrity in public contracting markets and across value chains through Collective Action. It brings together public authorities, businesses and civil society to strengthen business integrity in public procurement and support SMEs in developing and applying stronger governance and anti-corruption practices. ## What we're doing about it: The project has two complementary areas of work: **Objective 1: Strengthening integrity in public procurement** In **Argentina**, **Bulgaria**, **Italy** and **Spain**, Transparency International (TI) is supporting the implementation of Integrity Pacts to incentivise business integrity in strategic public procurement sectors, with a focus on mobility, smart infrastructure and digital industries. The project combines advocacy to strengthen business integrity incentives and promote Integrity Pacts, sectoral public-private dialogue, and practical support for the implementation of Integrity Pacts across strategic sectors, projects and contracts. This includes developing policy recommendations, bringing together public and private sector stakeholders, and providing tools and technical support to strengthen business transparency and integrity. ### What's an integrity pact? An integrity pact is a collaborative mechanism in which public contracting authorities and bidders sign a public agreement committing to refrain from corruption and enhance transparency and accountability in a public contracting project. As part of the agreement, an independent civil society organisation monitors compliance with applicable laws and regulations, provides recommendations to mitigate corruption risks and foster good governance, and informs the public throughout the whole process. *Externally hosted content may include ads. These aren't endorsed by or reflect Transparency International's views.* **Objective 2: Strengthening SME capacity on governance and anti-corruption** In **France**, Spain, **Turkey** and the **UK**, the project is developing and implementing a comprehensive capacity-building and training framework for SMEs on governance and anti-corruption systems and related disclosure practices in the context of the European Union Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)/Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and value-chain expectations. The approach focuses particularly on SMEs in digital industries, smart infrastructure and mobility. It includes capacity-building courses, live webinars and workshops, Communities of Practice and engagement with larger companies and policy makers on the challenges SMEs face. The project also develops a framework to assess SME governance and anti-corruption practices and their challenges to respond to value-chain disclosure requests. The findings will inform advocacy and policy discussions at national, European and international levels. The two areas of work reflect the same underlying dynamic: as public and private buyers raise integrity expectations for major contracts, these expectations increasingly flow down to the SMEs that supply them, including through disclosing frameworks like CSRD/CSDDD. By strengthening integrity in public procurement and building SME capacity to respond to value-chain expectations, the project addresses both ends of that dynamic. ## Our approach The project uses Collective Action to bring together stakeholders with a shared interest in preventing corruption and strengthening business integrity. For public procurement, this means: - Develop global and national advocacy initiatives to promote the inclusion of Integrity Pacts and corporate integrity incentives in public contracting legislation and policy frameworks. - Facilitate public-private dialogue among governments, businesses, civil society and international organisations to secure commitments for the adoption and implementation of Integrity Pacts in strategic investments. - Support the implementation of Integrity Pacts through technical assistance, benchmarking of corporate transparency and integrity practices, and guidance for businesses participating in public contracts. For SMEs, the project takes a practical approach to build understanding and capacity around governance and anti-corruption risks, integrity systems and related disclosure practices. It also creates opportunities for SMEs, larger companies, policymakers and other stakeholders to exchange experiences and identify practical approaches to challenges arising from value-chain information requests. Throughout the project period (October 2025 – September 2028), the project will: - Develop and implement a comprehensive, cross-sectoral SME capacity-building framework focused on governance, anti-corruption and integrity systems, with a focus on SMEs operating in digital industries, smart infrastructure and mobility. - Establish a global advisory group comprising SMEs, large companies, policymakers and other stakeholders to guide implementation and promote uptake of the framework, and serve as a sounding board for TI’s business integrity work more broadly. - Deliver structured training programmes, webinars, workshops and Communities of Practice across four countries, enabling peer learning and ongoing support for SMEs. - Develop a cross-sectoral framework to assess SME governance and anti-corruption practices, and their challenges to respond to value-chain disclosure requests, in the context of CSRD/CSDDD, and publish a research report - Implement national, European and global advocacy initiatives promoting proportionate, risk-based approaches to governance and anti-corruption disclosure and highlighting the role of integrity as a driver of competitiveness, resilience and sustainable business performance. Evidence and learning generated through the project will feed into national, European and international advocacy and policy discussions. ## Priorities - [Business integrity](https://www.transparency.org/en/our-priorities/business-and-corruption) ## Countries - [Argentina](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/argentina) - [Bulgaria](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/bulgaria) - [Italy](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/italy) - [Spain](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/spain) - [France](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/france) - [Türkiye](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/t%C3%BCrkiye) - [United Kingdom](https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/united-kingdom)