A significant share of the work undertaken by Group companies is project-based. For this reason, in addition to country-specific risk assessments, the Group also works to bolster its teams’ ability to identify and address issues before the start of a project, during bid preparation – especially for large projects. The risk scorecard used by the Construction and Energy businesses and the accompanying explanatory note have been reviewed and approved by the Internal Audit Department, with input from the Environment Department and the Ethics and Vigilance Department. The scorecard and note are among the documents that must be presented to the VINCI Risk Committee for approval before submitting a bid to the client, if certain thresholds are reached. They now include an expanded section focusing on social and environmental risks, alongside technical and financial risks. For example, the human rights risks items cover the management of impacts on affected communities and the rights of direct and indirect employees.
In addition to the scorecard to be presented to the VINCI Risk Committee, the Group developed an environmental and social questionnaire, along with guidance explaining various aspects to be considered. It was designed to help the teams in charge of bids to identify the risks and issues that could impact a project (due to the local or operational context or the type of services to be provided). They can then anticipate the necessary measures and take them into account, either by adjusting the project’s resources and means or by redefining the services to be provided. In 2025, VINCI Construction Grands Projets introduced a new training course on how to use the questionnaire.
The Group had previously developed a similar approach with respect to acquiring new companies. Prior to an acquisition, a human rights risk assessment is conducted to examine such aspects as the country of operation, the company’s commitments and the resources devoted to preventing human rights risks. This information is reviewed by risk committees whenever certain thresholds defined by the Group are met.
At VINCI Concessions, human rights due diligence is carried out when preparing a bid on new infrastructure under concession. For example, an environmental and social due diligence report was produced prior to acquiring Via Cristais, the company holding the concession for the highway connecting the cities of Belo Horizonte and Cristalina in Brazil, of which VINCI Concessions took over operation in 2025. The due diligence assessment was based on performance standards published by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and covered risks to third parties relating to their occupation of land within the infrastructure’s boundaries. It clarified the land situation by identifying occupants, with or without a title of ownership, whose housing or business activities were impacted. A specialist outside firm produced the report, along with an action plan and system of compensation. Likewise, prior to acquiring the Cabo Verde airport concession, operated by VINCI Concessions since 2023, due diligence was performed using the IFC’s standards. It covered employees’ working conditions, performance management of third parties and subcontractors and impacts on affected communities (especially with regard to noise and to land occupation). The results were approved by the lenders IFC, Proparco and DEG and enabled all necessary measures to be taken to manage impacts, including a noise management plan, a third-party management action plan and the creation of a whistleblowing system. Performance is monitored and reported on regularly to lenders. In addition, VINCI Concessions’ head office carried out a human rights assessment one year after the acquisition to measure progress and assist teams in implementing the necessary measures.
Based on this major risk identification process, VINCI developed its Guide on Human Rights (www.vinci.com/publi/manifeste/vinci-guide_on_human_rights-en.pdf), which forms the backbone of its human rights risk management approach. It distills the main international standards and conventions into operational practices in the Group’s activities. For each salient issue and theme, it presents guidelines to be followed by every Group entity, across all businesses and countries. The guidelines cover the entire project life cycle, from responding to the call for tenders, site preparation and construction to commissioning and operation. They have been designed to be adapted to the on-the-ground reality of each sector and activity, so that entities can anticipate human rights risk factors as early as possible and design practical responses to prevent them. All Group employees have access to the guide and its annex, which details the main issues, along with recommendations and best practices, to better support users.
This framework document, available on the VINCI website, was validated by the Group’s Executive Committee in April 2017, after consultation with the European Works Council, which approved it. It has been broadly disseminated to employees and presented to every management committee in the Group’s business lines and divisions. Continuous efforts are made to build awareness. VINCI’s internal control survey for 2025 showed that by the end of September, 99% of the entities surveyed, all business lines and divisions combined, had communicated about the Guide to their employees. To facilitate the adoption and dissemination of the guidelines, the guide has been translated into 25 languages, thereby covering more than 98% of the Group’s workforce, based on the official languages of the countries where the Group operates.
99% of entities in VINCI’s internal control survey have disseminated VINCI’s Guide on Human Rights
VINCI considers that in matters of human rights, managers at every level of the organisation play a decisive role. The Group places emphasis on awareness and training initiatives for managers and employees. It aims to foster a culture of human rights risk prevention, as achieved with safety, as well as provide operational teams with the tools they need to identify and address risks as early as possible.
