Whistleblower and Ethics Reporting Channel
For municipalities and municipal companies
Whistleblower protection for municipalities and municipal companies
The Whistleblower Protection Act has been in force since 2 July 2023. Municipalities and municipal companies are also obliged to set up a whistleblower system, at the latest with the implementation of the state regulations on whistleblower protection. The internal reporting office is intended to offer whistleblowers the opportunity to report certain legal violations.
Exceptions with regard to implementation generally only exist for municipalities and municipal companies with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants or fewer than 50 employees. If the state regulations on whistleblower protection have not yet been implemented, the requirements of the Whistleblower Directive for municipalities and municipal companies can be expected to be implemented in the short term.
At PwC, we offer you both the implementation of the whistleblowing system for municipalities and municipal companies and the operation of the internal reporting channel as a managed service. This allows you to outsource the internal reporting channel to PwC. Please contact us for a corresponding sample works agreement.
We already have experience in setting up an internal reporting channel for local authorities and municipal companies in various federal states – feel free to contact us!
Below you will find an overview of the state regulations on the Whistleblower Protection Act for municipalities and municipal companies.
Status: March 2024
Implement the Whistleblower Protection Act for municipalities and municipal companies with PwC
As a local authority or municipal company, you can benefit from our software for the internal whistleblower reporting channel, combined with the expertise of our independent experts. Thanks to our independence, you retain the authority to decide what consequences you want to draw from the information received in order to take the necessary follow-up measures and avert reputational risks.
01
Whistleblowing report submission
Our Whistleblower and Ethics Reporting Channel is accessible via different ways. Whistleblowers can report breaches by phone in addition to using the company-specific, self-explanatory and intuitive web form. We also offer whistleblowers the option of submitting reports anonymously or by providing personal contact information. This way, we create a trusting and secure environment and guarantee whistleblowers the greatest possible protection and absolute data security.
02
Status Tracking
After submitting a report, whistleblowers can log in to the Whistleblower and Ethics Reporting Channel website at any time with their case number and check the status of their report in the whistleblower online mailbox. The functionalities to add further information to their report, to submit files and to contact our experts via chat are available as well.
03
Review
Submitted reports undergo a workflow-based process at PwC. In addition to an initial review, the report is concretised, if necessary, by contacting the person providing the report within the legally defined deadlines. We also make a recommendation for action.
04
Transparent recommendation for action
From the company's point of view, you can view the submitted reports as well as our review results with the corresponding recommendation for action in our multilingual dashboard at any time and thus obtain transparency at a glance. The reports can be filtered by various criteria such as time periods, category of the report or the respective processing status. The anonymity of whistleblowers and accused persons is preserved in the dashboard at all times.
Pricing
State regulations on whistleblower protection implemented
- Bayern (valid from 01.08.2023)
- Hessen (valid from 02.07.2023)
- Nordrhein-Westfalen (valid from 30.12.2023)
State regulations on whistleblower protection pending - draft available
- Baden-Württemberg
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Niedersachsen
- Saarland
- Sachsen
- Sachsen-Anhalt
- Schleswig-Holstein
State regulations on whistleblower protection pending - no draft available yet
- Brandenburg
- Rheinland-Pfalz
- Thüringen