In all, in France, several hundred participants in the chain of operations contributed their input to the assessments. Each regional division was asked to develop a responsible subcontracting policy, tailored to its business activities, organisation, local issues and the region’s socio-economic situation, and build an action plan covering the entire subcontracting process, from the initial decision to subcontract, to selecting the subcontractor, to assessing the subcontractor’s performance after completion of the work.
To support these efforts, a solution was developed to help maintain a database of reliable subcontractors. Works managers can use it to assess the subcontractors employed at their worksites against a shared set of criteria, which incorporates social risks. Assessments entered by other departments can also facilitate the initial selection of a subcontractor. This data sharing enables VINCI companies to take a more consistent approach to their work with subcontractors, quickly issue warnings in the event of a risk or nonconformity and support them as needed.
At the same time, control processes were redesigned. Social audits of subcontractors at worksites have been carried out since 2019. The audit procedure has been adapted to different types of worksite for example, major projects conducted as joint operations, smaller worksites fully controlled by VINCI, or worksites in the launch or finalisation phase. During these audits, particular attention is given to aspects involving the onboarding and management of subcontractors’ workers, such as employment contracts, payment of wages, compliance with obligations in respect of working time, and workplace health and safety. Feedback from the audits serves to fine-tune prevention initiatives and, if applicable, update the risk map or assessments of partner companies. Follow-up audits were performed to ensure that action plans are being carried out and continue to provide support to operational teams, who are demonstrating more and more knowledge of these issues.
To strengthen in-house skills in this area, in 2021, VINCI developed in-house training in conducting social audits of subcontractors. The Group’s goal is to continuously monitor subcontractors associated with higher risks, while also expanding social auditing practices. In 2023, training continued to be delivered to in-house auditors in VINCI business units and divisions operating in France. These custom training sessions presented the workforce-related issues involved in subcontracting and the corresponding duty of vigilance of Group companies. Trainees were provided with a comprehensive guide to the methodology and a toolkit including an auditing scorecard and an interview scorecard for interviews with employees of subcontractors. The sessions ended with a module on interviewing techniques, along with case studies and role-playing activities. At the end of 2023, nearly 150 in-house auditors had completed the training. Follow-up sessions are regularly held to continue to provide support with social auditing. The auditing scorecards were aligned with European regulations, in preparation for their rollout in Group companies throughout Europe.
VINCI also provides support for major projects. For the Athletes’ Village as part of the Universeine project north of the French capital for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a mapping of social risks, a diagnosis of existing tools and a social audit were all carried out in 2022. The audit examined the subcontracting management systems of four Group companies (from VINCI Construction France and VINCI Energies France), as well as four of their subcontractors. No major nonconformity was identified in the project’s scope. Several improvement areas were highlighted, leading to the development of an action plan which enabled all moderate and minor nonconformities to be corrected within a few weeks. Likewise, the labour inspection authorities examining the project did not find any major nonconformity.
The methodology and its results were shared with professional organisations and certain customers and programme managers with which VINCI companies work in France.
VINCI’s environmental issues are managed at the highest level of responsibility by the Strategy and CSR Committee of VINCI’s Board of Directors, which ensures that they are integrated into the Group’s strategy. In 2019, awareness of the climate emergency and the environment became more acute, leading to the definition of a new environmental ambition involving all VINCI entities for the 2020-2030 period. It targets three areas, aligning with the key challenges faced by the Group’s businesses: climate change, the circular economy and the preservation of natural environments. The Environment Department coordinates the ambition across the Group’s entities and each year it reports twice to the Executive Committee and three times to the European Works Council. It chairs monthly meetings of the Environmental Committee, whose members are the environmental managers and directors of the Group’s business lines, and coordinates the network of more than 800 environment officers.
On 6 November 2020, Xavier Huillard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI, and Roberto Migliardi, Secretary of VINCI’s European Works Council, signed VINCI’s Environmental Guidelines (www.vinci.com/publi/manifeste/dir-env-2020-11-en.pdf). This document provides a framework for reducing environmental impacts and risks associated with the Group’s activities. It applies to all Group companies and each subsidiary is responsible for ensuring that appropriate actions are also taken by subcontractors and joint contractors throughout projects.
The Group’s Environment Department shapes the environmental component of the duty of vigilance plan, based on the environmental goals shared by VINCI’s business lines and entities for the three targeted areas. VINCI’s environmental ambition extends the environmental actions of VINCI companies beyond compliance with the regulatory requirements of the countries in which they operate.
With regard to the environment, measures to identify and prevent risks are closely tied to the operational context of companies, their activities and the vulnerability of the surrounding area. The Group’s environmental policy is translated into operational guidelines in each of its business lines. Each business line establishes a road map taking into account the specific nature of its activities and regions, with the aim to drive continuous improvement. In subsidiaries, chief executives and senior management are in charge of ensuring regulatory compliance and the implementation of risk prevention procedures in their operational scope, taking into account their specific activities and challenges. They are assisted by the network of environment officers, who provide environmental expertise.
