What compliance functions can ACA support through Managed Services?

AML due diligence, sanctions screening, marketing review, and core compliance task execution.

Can ACA help firms manage global AML onboarding and screening requirements?

Yes—covering due diligence, onboarding, screening, and monitoring to meet global AML standards.

How does ACA support Marketing and Financial Promotions review?

By reviewing pitchbooks, emails, and other content for SEC, FCA, and ESMA compliance.

What is included in core compliance task outsourcing?

Regulatory calendar execution, compliance tracking, policy reviews, and flexible staffing.

Can ACA provide temporary compliance staff or secondments?

Yes—short-term and ongoing secondments to fill key compliance roles.

How do firms maintain control while outsourcing compliance tasks?

Firms retain final oversight and decision-making while ACA executes tasks per their policies.

What systems does ACA use to deliver its services?

Services run on ACA’s ComplianceAlpha ® platform or within clients’ existing systems.

Does ACA support multi-jurisdictional compliance teams?

Yes—structured to handle U.S., U.K., and EU regulatory frameworks.

How does ACA ensure consistent execution across compliance tasks?

Standardized procedures and escalation logic ensure repeatable, policy-aligned work.

Home Advisory Cybersecurity and Risk Advisory Smarter Vendor Due Diligence

Smarter Vendor
Due Diligence

Gain faster, deeper insight to uncover unforeseen third-party risks.

As regulatory scrutiny intensifies, financial services institutions are under pressure to demonstrate robust third-party risk management (TPRM). Regulations like Regulation S-P and DORA make one thing clear: firms must rigorously assess and monitor third-party vendors to stay compliant.

But traditional vendor due diligence (VDD) methods used to vet third parties are often slow, manual, and struggle to keep pace with today’s dynamic threat landscape. This gap becomes even more critical as vendors rapidly adopt AI, introducing new and often unforeseen risks that legacy third-party risk management frameworks are not equipped to manage.

To stay compliant and secure, firms need a more holistic and adaptive strategy that goes beyond standardized assessments. While many providers limit the TPRM scope to cyber, our comprehensive program also considers financial and other regulatory requirements. This enables our clients to make smarter, more informed decisions.

Our robust diligence approach begins with the Standard Information Gathering (SIG) Lite questionnaire to accelerate the response process. Then, we add targeted questions tailored to the unique risks faced by financial services firms, providing clients with the actionable insights needed to effectively manage third-party risk.

Ready to build a more actionable and intelligent VDD program? More than 750 clients trust ACA to manage their vendor risk management program. Contact us to learn how we can help.

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ACA Takes Due Diligence to the Next Level

Vendor Due Diligence

Traditional due diligence questionnaires (DDQ) focus on whether third parties have controls in place but rarely test their effectiveness or enforcement. We go beyond surface-level checks, helping you verify not just the presence of controls, but their effectiveness. This supports well-informed decisions while minimizing exposure to third-party risks.

Enhanced Vendor Due Diligence

Standard due diligence may be enough for some vendors, but high-risk relationships demand a more thorough review. Our experts look beyond simply evaluating DDQ responses, and validate them through in-depth interviews, document reviews, and thorough investigation methods.

Third-Party Risk Management Program Build and Review

We help align your program with industry best practices, ensuring resilience against today’s regulatory pressures, while maintaining the agility to adapt to future demands. Our experts help you focus on key elements of the program including risk identification, assessment, monitoring, and mitigation of third-party risk.

Need help with vendor due diligence or streamlining your third-party risk management program?

Connect with a cyber expert to build, assess, or optimize your program.

A Simpler and More Effective Way for Vendor Diligence

ACA’s solutions are purpose-built for the needs of financial services firms and focus on the industry’s unique regulatory obligations. Our diligence services cover a broader range of domains, including privacy, ESG, financial and business, reputational, regulatory, and legal risk. Clients gain visibility into enterprise-wide threats and can address all risk areas through a single, efficient questionnaire.

Increased Diligence Efficiency and Effectiveness

Our diligence process begins with the industry-standard SIG Lite, accelerating risk assessments from the start. From there, our experts help you with streamlining responses, identifying vendor risks, and freeing your team to focus on strategic priorities.

Adjust Vetting Depth Based on Vendor Risk

Not all third-party risks are created equal, and your oversight should reflect this. A well-designed TPRM program should reflect the amount of rigor needed for any vendor.

Gain Actionable Insights for Better Decisions

It can be challenging to separate the signal from the noise when reviewing VDD reports. We create actionable reports that cut through that noise, providing the information clients need to make better third-party decisions based on their specific risks and ecosystem.

FAQs

Smarter Vendor Due Diligence

What is vendor due diligence, and why is it critical for cybersecurity?

Vendor due diligence helps firms identify and mitigate risks from third-party vendors, especially as cyber threats and regulatory scrutiny increase.

How does ACA’s vendor due diligence process differ from traditional methods?

We handle vendor outreach on your behalf, minimizing manual work while delivering high-quality insights. Our proprietary tool, SIG Lite, streamlines the questionnaire process to accelerate vendor responses. We also manage all follow-ups with vendors who haven’t completed their due diligence questionnaires, helping you avoid gaps in coverage.

What regulations impact third-party vendor risk management?

Key regulations like Reg S-P and DORA require firms to rigorously assess and monitor vendor risks. Given the importance of vendor risk management oversight, we anticipate continued regulatory scrutiny in this area.

What are the benefits of building a third-party risk management program with ACA?

Effective TPRM helps firms avoid costly fines, maintain regulatory compliance, and preserve both financial health and trust. ACA helps firms design scalable TPRM programs that align with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

What is enhanced vendor due diligence and when is it needed?

Any vendors that are perceived to be high risk may require enhanced vendor due diligence. Instead of simply using questionnaires, ACA will conduct interviews, review documents, and seek a deeper understanding of potential risks.

Enhanced VDD includes interviews, document reviews, and deeper validation, ideal for high-risk or critical vendors.

Why is AI adoption by vendors a growing risk for firms?

As vendors rapidly integrate AI into their models and processes, they introduce new vulnerabilities including data privacy concerns, model hallucination, and ethical and bias-related risks to firms. ACA helps firms understand, assess, and manage these emerging risks. Watch our webcast replay.