ServiceDue Diligence
Integrity due diligence on the people you work with
Vendors, distributors, agents, joint-venture partners and key customers: find out who you are really dealing with before the relationship starts, and while it runs.
When to call us
When to call us
A new partner, agent or distributor
Before you sign, know who owns them, who they are connected to and how they have behaved elsewhere.
A vendor looks too close to your staff
Shared addresses, common directors or unusual pricing can point to a vendor fronted by an insider.
A large customer or credit limit
Check that a customer exists, trades as it says and is not connected to your own people before you extend credit.
Your compliance programme needs evidence
Anti-bribery and anti-money-laundering programmes need documented checks on high-risk third parties.
What we do
What we check
Each check is sized to the risk. A routine vendor needs less than a government liaison agent.
Identity and ownership
Whether the entity is real, who owns and controls it, and whether ownership is hidden behind relatives, employees or shell companies.
Conflicts of interest
Links between the third party and your own staff: shared directors, addresses, phone numbers, family ties and money flows.
Track record
Litigation, insolvency, regulatory action, tax defaults, blacklisting and adverse media.
Capability on the ground
Site visits and discreet enquiries to confirm the business has the premises, people and trade it claims.
Bribery and sanctions exposure
Government links, politically exposed persons, sanctions lists and the red flags anti-bribery laws expect you to look for.
Periodic refresh
Re-checks on your highest-risk third parties, so a relationship that was clean at the start stays clean.
How we work
How it works
- 01
Risk tiering
We help you decide which third parties need a light check and which need a deep one.
- 02
Desk research
Corporate, court, regulatory, tax and media records.
- 03
Field verification
Site visits and discreet source enquiries where the risk calls for it.
- 04
Findings
A short, clear report with a risk rating and the facts behind it.
Why Spectra Forensics
Why companies hire us
Our investigations keep finding the same thing: the vendor, distributor or customer that cost a company money was rarely checked properly at the start.
500+ due diligence and market intelligence assignments since 2007.
- 01We know how fronted vendors and sham customers are set up, because we investigate them
- 02Checks sized to the risk, not one template for everyone
- 03Field verification across India through our own network
- 04Reports written for procurement, compliance and the board
Questions
Frequently asked questions
01What is integrity due diligence?
Integrity due diligence checks whether a business partner is who it says it is, who really owns it, whether it is connected to your own people, and whether its record shows fraud, corruption or other conduct that could harm you.
02How is this different from pre-investment due diligence?
Pre-investment due diligence is a deep review of one company and its promoters before a deal. Integrity due diligence covers the many third parties a business works with every day, sized to the risk each one carries.
03Can you check vendors already on our books?
Yes. Reviewing existing vendors often finds fronted or related-party vendors that were approved years ago. We can screen the full list and go deeper on the ones that raise flags.
04Do you check senior hires as well?
Senior appointments are covered by our senior management due diligence, which goes deeper into an individual’s career, directorships and record.
Proof
Case files from this service
Real matters, anonymised. Client names, places and identifying details are withheld.
~₹5 Crundue benefit quantified
The CEO's Three Vendors
A subsidiary CEO routed a rural retail rollout through vendors fronted by his own associates. The money trail led back to him.
- Procurement reconstruction
- Corporate and statutory records
- Ground intelligence
- Funds-flow tracing
14 yrsundisclosed vendor relationship
Fourteen Years on Both Sides
For fourteen years, the man who approved a manufacturer's transporters was also its transporter.
- Digital forensics
- Relationship mapping
- Financial review
- Asset searches
₹1+ Crbad-debt exposure quantified
The Customer That Didn't Exist Yet
A logistics company signed a credit contract with a customer a week before it was incorporated, and paid the customer's sister company to move goods that may never have moved.
- Document and transaction review
- Corporate and tax records
- Transaction analytics
- Personal financial review
₹12–18 Crpurchases invoiced through paper traders
Invoices Without Steel
A steel processor's purchases were invoiced through paper traders while the metal came from unbilled sources. The company was left facing tax-credit reversal and penalties.
- Supplier verification
- Goods movement reconciliation
- Funds-flow analysis
- Tax exposure assessment
₹3–5 Crbid de-risked before any money moved
Real Auction, Unverified Middleman
Before paying a deposit on a distressed property, a bidder asked us to check the auction, the account and the person who brought the deal.
- Insolvency and corporate records
- Process document review
- Account validation
- Background check on the intermediary
2.5–3×growth in the insider's own business in four years
The Family Name at Work
A trusted insider of a promoter family drew a salary from the group while growing his own business in the same trade, on the strength of the family's standing.
- Desktop intelligence
- Market intelligence
- Financial background
- Asset and lifestyle review
Client names and identifying details are withheld to protect confidentiality. Specific references and client experiences can be shared on request, with the client’s consent.
Talk to us first
Not sure what you need? Ask us.
Initial guidance is free and confidential. Tell us what has happened, and a senior member of our team will help you decide the right next step, even if that step is not an engagement.
Due Diligence
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Tell us what has happened. We will listen, advise on immediate next steps, and propose a scope, in strict confidence.