2013-vinci-annual-report

(see page 180), the environment and research (see page 179), and culture and heritage assets (see page 179). In accordance with the Group’s
decentralised administrative model, VINCI does not consolidate either its reporting on sponsorship actions or the total budget allocated.
A low-range estimate suggests a total amount of about €11 million in 2013.
3.3 Relations with suppliers and subcontractors
The position generally occupied by Group companies in the value chain enables them to build balanced, long-term relationships with suppliers
and subcontractors. For several years, the proportion of purchases has remained stable, representing about 61% of the Group’s revenue. In 2013,
they were comprised of €9.5 billion for materials and €15.1 billion for external services, including subcontracting and the cost of temporary staff.
3.3.1 General policy
In 2013, the Group continued its efforts to measure and take into account workforce-related, social and environmental factors in the overall value
chain. The Purchasing Coordination unit, which reports directly to VINCI’s Executive Committee, works with the purchasing departments of
business lines and subsidiaries through purchasing networks as well as the eight purchasing committees across the Group. The Purchasing
Coordination unit’s buyers have individual goals aimed at driving sustainable development performance through each contract they negotiate.
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 181
The VINCI International Purchasing Committee was recently created to ensure the implementation of the Group’s purchasing policy at its
operations outside France. At 31 December 2012, it included purchasing representatives from four countries (Germany and the United
Kingdom, the two countries after France where the Group has the most extensive operations, together with the Czech Republic and Belgium)
as well as representatives from the international divisions of two Group business lines (VINCI Energies and Eurovia).
Introduced in 2012, the Group’s supplier performance charter explicitly specifies VINCI’s expectations of its partners and reaffirms the Group’s
commitments as a signatory to the UN Global Compact. In 2013, this charter was disseminated widely and now forms an integral part of the framework
agreements developed by the Group. The Responsible Purchasing Committee has improved its handling of workforce-related, social and
environmental issues, in particular by developing and implementing tools and methods as well as by sharing and disseminating best practices.
3.3.2 Managing relations with suppliers
In 2013, the Group made considerable headway with its responsible purchasing policy by successfully integrating sustainable development
criteria both when selecting products and suppliers and when drafting framework agreements and specifications at Group level. These
criteria take into account the environmental impact of products and services, the workforce-related arrangements for producing or providing
them, and the social commitments made by suppliers. Supplier evaluation is specifically tailored to each purchasing category to reflect the
issues faced in the corresponding business sector.
Along these lines, the Purchasing Coordination unit launched a new invitation to tender in 2013 for the selection and approval of suppliers
leasing site equipment. The Group’s evaluation process focused in particular on suppliers’ non-financial performance, initially on the basis
of their own statements, with documentation provided, in relation to four criteria: safety of heavy equipment, safety of personnel, environmental
quality of heavy equipment and processes, and business ethics. Suppliers thus selected were then audited by Bureau Véritas on the
basis of these same criteria. Nearly 100 audits were conducted at the 88 companies short-listed in the first phase.
From the broader social perspective and through its various projects across the Group, VINCI develops partnership-based approaches with
its suppliers and favours relationships at local level with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In its selection and bidding processes,
the Group prefers suppliers with strong roots in their regions. Its policy also involves expanding purchases from social integration structures
and from companies and non-profit organisations that specifically employ people with disabilities. In 2013, the volume of purchases from
sheltered workshops was €6.4 million, making steady progress during the year and representing a 17.5% increase over 2012.
In France, VINCI has entered into a national framework agreement with Association des Paralysés de France for the collection and recycling
of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and with Ateliers Sans Frontières for the collection and refurbishment of discarded
computer equipment for resale at preferential prices to other non-profit organisations. In 2013, nearly 51.3 tonnes of equipment were recycled.
Revenue generated with sheltered workshops remained stable for the collection of WEEE.
The Group’s civic engagement also takes the form of combating social exclusion and building bridges with people who suffer employment
difficulties. To further these actions, the national consultation process launched in 2012 to evaluate and approve temporary employment
agencies in France that operate in the field of social integration through work was completed in 2013. The twofold objective of this process
was to approve structures that demonstrate their ability to assist the disadvantaged and to support the structures approved by the Group
to allow them to develop further.
3.3.3 Managing relations with subcontractors
The Group places a priority on retaining and expanding in-house expertise. However, the many public procurement contracts won by the
Group, together with its growing presence in general contracting for projects demanding highly technical and specialised skill sets, require
the use of a certain percentage of local subcontractors. These actions contribute to the development of local businesses and the local
economy as a whole, over and above the other contributions made by the Group’s business activities. Given a competitive landscape outside
France frequently characterised by low standards in this area, VINCI makes every effort to ensure that all its subcontractors scrupulously
comply with regulations in force in the countries where Group companies operate.
The Group’s general policy is to build balanced relationships with its partners over the long term. To this end, VINCI’s Subcontractor Relations
Code of Practice is mandatory for all business lines and in all countries where the Group operates. To ensure that this code continues to
reflect the reality of the Group and its businesses, some 30 interviews were conducted in 2013 with individuals likely to act as contracting
authorities across all business lines, in France and abroad. These interviews resulted in six commitments: safety conditions of subcontractors’
employees comparable to those of the Group’s personnel, good business relationships, fair bidding processes, transparency in business
dealings, cooperation with local companies, compliance with VINCI’s core values. Published in 2013, the code requires that all parties agree
to cooperate with local companies by facilitating their integration in projects and encouraging the transfer of necessary know-how to the
subcontractors in order to ensure the successful completion of projects.