Supplier's guide

Through questions about human rights, ethics, business continuity and environmental practices in our standard Requests for Proposal (RFP) template, we strive to confirm that potential suppliers are operating responsibly. We are also implementing processes to help us understand how our existing suppliers are performing against this criterion.

We require that RFPs for competitive bid include a questionnaire on environmental practices, and we weight sustainability factors when making procurement decisions or based on local scoring requirements. Since the end of fiscal 2016, our geographic Procurement teams have included environmental, social and governance performance of prospective suppliers as a weighted factor for purchasing decisions in the categories with the largest sustainability impact (IT and telecom, travel and mobility, and workplace and facilities).

Further, we have explicit requirements for suppliers who wish to subcontract any of our work. These 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 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.

We continue to require extensive, robust internal approvals before we engage with vendors. As part of our Global Procurement Risk Management Program, in fiscal 2015, we created our Procurement Risk Management Centre of Excellence to ensure that all required controls are correctly embedded into our operational processes and to provide guidance and support to Procurement teams executing risk management controls. Our global training program reaches all Procurement team members on business intermediary vetting, anti-competition and information security.

All subcontractors and other supplier personnel who need an Accenture e-mail address and identity (ID) credentials must also complete compliance training on information security, data privacy and ethics (except where restricted due to local laws). As part of our ongoing drive to simplify business operations, in fiscal 2015, we established a global capability to improve contractor onboard and exit controls, and in early fiscal 2016, we expanded the Ethics & Compliance training requirements for contractors.