The purchasing policy has been shared across the Group’s purchasing network, with each entity then responsible for its distribution and effective application.
In connection with this policy, the Group has developed a new all-round performance charter for purchasing partners, a document which is to be gradually shared with all its suppliers, providers and subcontractors by the business lines and divisions and whose aims are to:
Each purchasing partner is required to respect these principles and commitments, and ensure that they are upheld by its own partners. Specifically, purchasing partners are expected to respect human rights by avoiding, limiting and remedying any potential or proven negative impacts, excluding all forms of illegal, concealed, forced or child labour (including human trafficking), establishing working conditions that are compliant with the ILO’s fundamental conventions, complying with laws relating to remuneration and working hours, ensuring the health and safety of their employees through robust prevention policies and measures, and treating their employees with respect and dignity. Lastly, they are required to inform their employees and their own partners about the possibility to use the whistleblowing system put in place by VINCI.
This charter is currently being implemented with all purchasing partners that have a contractual relationship with the Group. Depending on the business lines and divisions, it may be appended to framework agreements or distributed through various channels. A consolidated framework is being put in place to monitor the rollout of the all-round performance charter for purchasing partners and its signature by the Group’s most strategic partners.
These documents are based on the Group’s framework documents, including VINCI’s Guide on Human Rights and the joint declaration entitled “Essential and Fundamental Actions Concerning Occupational Health and Safety”. Chapter 4 of the VINCI Guide on Human Rights includes a section on practices relating to human rights in the value chain, while the key principles aimed at gradually securing the value chains are set out in a series of guidelines.
To implement this approach, the governance framework for responsible purchasing has been structured around the Responsible Purchasing Committee, which includes various VINCI Group representatives (the Vice-President for the Environment, who is a member of the Executive Committee; the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and the manager reporting to her who is in charge of coordinating responsible purchasing; the Chief Ethics and Vigilance Officer; and the Purchasing Coordination Director), as well as representatives from the purchasing departments in the business lines. Its core missions are to ensure that purchasing processes factor in sustainability aspects, while also overseeing cross-business projects or actions, monitoring emerging regulatory developments and sharing best practices. The implementation of this approach at operational levels is ensured through specific governance structures within each Group division and business line, such as purchasing committees and Pivot Clubs.
Actions
In 2024, VINCI continued rolling out its responsible purchasing approach within its teams. Following on from the risk mapping for its main purchasing categories, VINCI promotes the sharing of the Group’s responsible purchasing principles, in close collaboration with the purchasing departments in the business lines, through actions in three key areas:
Identifying and assessing purchasing-related risks
To ensure an effective responsible purchasing approach, the most relevant social and environmental issues were first identified and analysed for each purchasing category. A risk mapping methodology was thus developed and is now in use across the Group. Working groups within each business line have identified the priority environmental and social issues (human rights and health and safety) for each main purchasing category. This in-depth work led to five social and environmental risk maps covering the main purchasing categories, which make up 75% of all expenditure in France. The purchasing categories identified as having the highest risk exposure at Group level include temporary workers, transport services with drivers, subcontracting and works contracts, aggregates, sand and clay. Efforts have focused on these categories in particular, and targeted action plans have been drawn up for the main human rights and environmental risks in each category. Each of these priority categories is covered by specific risk management procedures in line with the salient issues identified. This work to identify and assess specific social and environmental risks is a vital stage, making it possible to determine the actions to be taken for each of our main purchasing categories. The scope and features of the action plans are defined and adapted in line with the level of risk identified during the mapping process.
Tools, metrics and action plans
VINCI is developing and deploying an approach and a series of tools to cover the various stages in the relationship, from selection phase assessments through to the contractual framework and ensuring compliance during the contract phase. All of the tools, metrics and action plans deployed aim to prevent and mitigate risks and adverse impacts on human rights and the health and safety of workers in the value chain. The scope of the action plans implemented depends on the level of risk identified for each purchasing category, but may also factor in the level of exposure to suppliers’ social and environmental risks within a given category.
VINCI has developed a methodology to rank suppliers according to their risk exposure using a set of criteria that are weighted differently depending on their relevance for each purchasing category. These criteria include the supplier’s country of production associated with a risk level for the country, findings from CSR assessment questionnaires, any certifications obtained, amounts of spending on purchases, contract terms, the proportion of temporary staff and the use of subcontracting.
