BAS / POL / 02
Anti-Bribery & Corruption Policy
BUILT’s work sits at the points on a project where money moves and decisions are made: tender award, valuation, variation, delay determination and certification. This policy states how BUILT conducts itself at those points.
- Document
- BAS / POL / 02
- Revision
- 1
- Issued
- February 2026
- Next review
- February 2027
- Owner
- Richard Shotton, FCIOB
1Statement
- 1.1BUILT does not offer, give, solicit or accept bribes. There are no exceptions, and no commercial objective justifies a breach of this policy.
- 1.2This standard applies in every market in which BUILT operates, irrespective of local practice or custom.
2Scope
- 2.1This policy binds the Principal, any personnel BUILT deploys or recommends, and any party acting for or on behalf of BUILT.
- 2.2BUILT expects the same standard of any party it recommends to a client.
3Legal framework
- 3.1Bribery of both public officials and private persons is a criminal offence in the United Arab Emirates under Federal Law No. 31 of 2021 (the Penal Code), Articles 275 to 287. Private-sector bribery is addressed at Articles 278 and 279 and carries imprisonment of up to five years, a fine equal to the value of the bribe, and confiscation of it.
- 3.2BUILT operates to the standard of the UK Bribery Act 2010, and complies with that Act and with comparable legislation of extraterritorial effect wherever a client or project is subject to it.
4Prohibited conduct
- 4.1Offering or accepting money, a gift, a loan, a favour, employment for a relative or associate, or any other advantage intended to influence a decision.
- 4.2Facilitation payments — small payments made to secure or accelerate a routine action — regardless of local custom.
- 4.3Kickbacks and undisclosed commissions from contractors, subcontractors, suppliers or consultants.
- 4.4Collusion in tendering, including bid rigging, cover pricing, and disclosure of one tenderer’s price or position to another.
- 4.5Improperly influencing prequalification, tender evaluation, award recommendation, valuation, variation assessment, claim determination or the certification of work.
- 4.6Approving, certifying or accepting work known to be non-compliant in exchange for any benefit.
- 4.7Charitable or political donations made in order to obtain a commercial advantage.
5Points of heightened risk
- 5.1BUILT recognises specific exposure at the following points on a project and applies additional care at each: tender evaluation and award recommendation; assessment of variations, provisional sums and prime cost items; procurement of works packages and long-lead materials; assessment of interim payment applications; determination of extension of time and delay claims; approval of material substitutions, benchmarks and mock-ups; and the issue of completion and defects certificates.
- 5.2During any live tender, claim assessment or determination, BUILT accepts no gift or hospitality of any kind from a party with an interest in the outcome.
6Gifts and hospitality
- 6.1BUILT neither gives nor accepts cash or cash equivalents in any circumstances.
- 6.2Modest hospitality in the ordinary course of business — a working meal, refreshments at a meeting, attendance at an industry event — is acceptable where it is proportionate, infrequent, openly given, and could not reasonably be seen as influencing a decision.
- 6.3Anything beyond the modest business courtesy described at clause 6.2 is declined. Where declining would cause offence, it is accepted and declared in writing to the client.
- 6.4Gifts or hospitality offered by BUILT to a member of a client’s staff follow the client’s own policy. Where the client has none, clause 6.3 applies.
7Records
- 7.1BUILT keeps a written record of any gift or hospitality declined, accepted or declared under clause 6.
- 7.2Fees, expenses and disbursements are invoiced accurately and supported by records.
- 7.3BUILT does not make or receive payment through a third party where the purpose or effect is to disguise its nature, source or destination.
8Reporting a concern
- 8.1Any person may report a suspected breach of this policy to the Principal at richardshotton@built-me.com.
- 8.2A report made in good faith will not disadvantage the person making it.
- 8.3Where a report concerns a criminal offence, BUILT reports it to the client and, where required, to the competent authority.
9Consequences of breach
- 9.1Breach by any person deployed by BUILT results in immediate removal from the appointment and termination of engagement.
- 9.2BUILT withdraws from any appointment where it is required or pressed to act in breach of this policy.
10Review
- 10.1This policy is reviewed annually by the Principal.
Richard Shotton, FCIOBBUILT Advisory Services FZE LLC
P.O. Box 73111, Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, Al Zahia, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates