Through questions about human rights, labor standards, ethics, business continuity and environmental practices in our standard Requests for Proposal (RFP) template and supplier assessments, we strive to confirm that potential suppliers are operating responsibly.
Accenture has invested in a global Sustainable Procurement Hub to collaborate with its suppliers, partners and the broader ecosystem to cultivate a culture of responsible buying, taking into consideration tailored and targeted information requirements and interventions for small, medium and diverse enterprises.
Further, we have requirements for suppliers who want to subcontract any of our work. These requirements specify our awareness of, and agreement to, the arrangement, and the assurance that appropriate terms and conditions are being met by the subcontractor.
Once a supplier has agreed to our Supplier Standards of Conduct and begins work, through our due diligence processes, we pay particular attention to any suppliers who have access to confidential and/or personal data. We work with our suppliers to resolve any issues that arise during our reviews and will take action, including termination of contracts if necessary, if no acceptable resolution is found.
In continuing to drive responsible buying excellence, we continually update our supplier and contractor management processes. This year, we are improving our Risk Management Model to maintain tight controls throughout the supplier life cycle where needed. These improvements will help ensure that our suppliers support our commitments including environmental sustainability, human rights, inclusion, diversity and social innovation. Risk Model updates will also enable us to focus on suppliers presenting higher-risk levels and prompt the relevant teams to take further investigative action due to stronger coordination between the Accenture business groups managing risks and controls for suppliers.
Accenture employees (including part-time) must complete all required Ethics & Compliance training by July 31 each year to be fully eligible for year-end rewards (as permitted by law). In fiscal 2020, we achieved completion rates of more than 99%. Contractors are also required to complete Ethics & Compliance training within 60 days and may face revocation of access to systems or even termination if they fail to do so. Our goal is to maintain our high completion rates for trainings globally and to continue to evaluate our trainings (including through user feedback) to make sure they remain relevant and effective.