The Bribery Act 2010: implications for building surveyors

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the Bribery Act 2010 and its likely implications for building surveyors. The paper also aims to report a small‐scale research project exploring whether building surveyors are prepared for the Act.

Design/methodology/approach

The method used was a survey questionnaire completed by 53 building surveyors.

Findings

The findings revealed that many building surveyors, while having heard of the Act, had no idea when it would come into force nor were they aware of what steps to take to comply with the provisions of the Act. The survey revealed that very few building‐surveying firms had existing policies to cover anti‐competitive behaviour or corrupt practices. The conclusion of this paper is that building surveyors need to review their procedures urgently if they are to comply with the provisions of the Bribery Act 2010.

Research limitations/implications

The small sample size of the study suggests that some caution should be exercised in believing that such ignorance is typical of the entire industry.

Originality/value

The Bribery Act comes into force in April 2011 and the level of knowledge of this new legislation revealed by this study is a cause for concern.

Citation

Donohoe, S. (2011), "The Bribery Act 2010: implications for building surveyors", Structural Survey, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 26-34. https://doi.org/10.1108/02630801111118386