Poste Italiane manages its supply chain responsibly with the aim of certifying the sustainability, functionality and traceability of procurement. In this regard, in addition to ensuring compliance with current regulations and corporate directives, the Group is committed to basing its purchasing processes on pre-contractual and contractual relations based on the values of legality and transparency, with respect for agreements, payment methods and payment times at the centre. Therefore, within its supplier base, the Company includes those with adequate quality characteristics that guarantee the protection of workers and compliance with environmental standards.
Poste Italiane Group gives each supplier the opportunity to compete in the awarding procedures, guaranteeing equal opportunities and excluding preferential treatment. Suppliers involved are obliged to comply with the EU and Italian legislation on competition, and shall refrain from anti-competitive or unethical conduct that is contrary to the rules that safeguard competition. In addition, the Company requires suppliers - including any subcontractors - and their partners to formally accept the guiding principles and criteria of conduct outlined in the Code of Ethics and Group Policies.
Through internal rules, Poste Italiane regulates the procurement process both for contracts subject to the Public Contracts Code and for those excluded from the scope of the Code.
In order to encourage and improve relations with suppliers and to ensure efficient and integrated management of the supply chain in full compliance with the principles of confidentiality, authenticity, competitiveness, integrity and availability in the exchange of data, purchases are made on the PosteProcurement Purchasing Portal, an electronic system dedicated to procurement activities and the management of the Supplier Register.
In 2019, the Group introduced the Green Procurement function in order to report on ESG issues within its supply chain management on a timely basis. This function is able to ensure a constant integration of sustainability issues within tender processes and ESG criteria in the technical evaluation of offers. The definition of highly relevant projects, such as logistics, decarbonisation of buildings, consumables, and by promoting a focus on resource utilisation, investment plans and technological development, together with the greening of more traditional requirements, promotes the achievement of the sustainable change objective.
The Group pays special attention to the ESG aspects of supply chain management, recognizing that developing transparent and lasting relationships with suppliers, as well as paying the utmost attention to quality, respect for the environment, safety and social implications in the procurement process, can contribute to the public interest of the entire Country System and to the constant improvement of the service offered to its customers. For this reason, there are specific environmental, social and governance criteria in the supplier selection process, in the participation requirements, in the evaluation parameters of the technical offer and/or in the contractual conditions, of the tender procedures carried out during the year.
Demonstrating the Group's commitment to these issues, significant increases were again reported in 2022 in relation to tenders held on the basis of environmental, social and governance criteria. Specifically, 88.3% of suppliers, compared to 84.5% in 2021, were selected in accordance with specific social standards during 2022. Said indicator, when considered net of tenders without a technical offer (as they were awarded to the lowest price), certifies that almost all tenders launched require social criteria (> 98%). On the other hand, 84.8% of the tenders issued in 2022, compared to 83.4% in the previous year, meet certain environmental performance standards. Again, the percentage of tenders selected on the basis of these criteria would become greater than 99% if those without a technical offer were excluded from the calculation.
In the supplier qualification phase, in order to monitor their performance, Poste Italiane implemented a rating methodology characterised by the adoption of a customised approach, which resulted in the definition of an ad hoc questionnaire for each supplier (100% of qualified suppliers). The model is risk-based, as it allows for an assessment of how each provider manages the ESG risks identified as relevant according to the company's sector and size. As far as the sector is concerned, suppliers are classified by the Group within the 99 recognised ATECO sectors. As each sector is characterised by specific risks depending on the nature, the companies belonging to it are also affected by them and, consequently, are evaluated according to them.
These elements, brought together, give the model the following strengths:
With the aim of raising awareness among its suppliers and accompanying them on a path of sustainable growth, Poste Italiane is committed to the gradual introduction of environmental, social and governance criteria in its tendering procedures over the years. In this way, it is able to ensure a progressive expansion of the required scope, coverage and weight of ESG criteria on the tender score.
Poste Italiane Group gives each supplier the opportunity to compete in the awarding procedures, guaranteeing equal opportunities and excluding preferential treatment. Suppliers involved are obliged to comply with the EU and Italian legislation on competition, and shall refrain from anti-competitive or unethical conduct that is contrary to the rules that safeguard competition. In addition, the Company requires suppliers - including any subcontractors - and their partners to formally accept the guiding principles and criteria of conduct outlined in the Code of Ethics and Group Policies.
Through internal rules, Poste Italiane regulates the procurement process both for contracts subject to the Public Contracts Code and for those excluded from the scope of the Code.
In order to encourage and improve relations with suppliers and to ensure efficient and integrated management of the supply chain in full compliance with the principles of confidentiality, authenticity, competitiveness, integrity and availability in the exchange of data, purchases are made on the PosteProcurement Purchasing Portal, an electronic system dedicated to procurement activities and the management of the Supplier Register.
In 2019, the Group introduced the Green Procurement function in order to report on ESG issues within its supply chain management on a timely basis. This function is able to ensure a constant integration of sustainability issues within tender processes and ESG criteria in the technical evaluation of offers. The definition of highly relevant projects, such as logistics, decarbonisation of buildings, consumables, and by promoting a focus on resource utilisation, investment plans and technological development, together with the greening of more traditional requirements, promotes the achievement of the sustainable change objective.
Selection of suppliers
The integration of environmental, social and governance aspects into Poste Italiane’s purchasing procedures implies that suppliers undergo sustainability audits to verify that they meet specific requirements.The Group pays special attention to the ESG aspects of supply chain management, recognizing that developing transparent and lasting relationships with suppliers, as well as paying the utmost attention to quality, respect for the environment, safety and social implications in the procurement process, can contribute to the public interest of the entire Country System and to the constant improvement of the service offered to its customers. For this reason, there are specific environmental, social and governance criteria in the supplier selection process, in the participation requirements, in the evaluation parameters of the technical offer and/or in the contractual conditions, of the tender procedures carried out during the year.
Demonstrating the Group's commitment to these issues, significant increases were again reported in 2022 in relation to tenders held on the basis of environmental, social and governance criteria. Specifically, 88.3% of suppliers, compared to 84.5% in 2021, were selected in accordance with specific social standards during 2022. Said indicator, when considered net of tenders without a technical offer (as they were awarded to the lowest price), certifies that almost all tenders launched require social criteria (> 98%). On the other hand, 84.8% of the tenders issued in 2022, compared to 83.4% in the previous year, meet certain environmental performance standards. Again, the percentage of tenders selected on the basis of these criteria would become greater than 99% if those without a technical offer were excluded from the calculation.
In the supplier qualification phase, in order to monitor their performance, Poste Italiane implemented a rating methodology characterised by the adoption of a customised approach, which resulted in the definition of an ad hoc questionnaire for each supplier (100% of qualified suppliers). The model is risk-based, as it allows for an assessment of how each provider manages the ESG risks identified as relevant according to the company's sector and size. As far as the sector is concerned, suppliers are classified by the Group within the 99 recognised ATECO sectors. As each sector is characterised by specific risks depending on the nature, the companies belonging to it are also affected by them and, consequently, are evaluated according to them.
These elements, brought together, give the model the following strengths:
- assessment focused on the supplier’s relevant ESG risks, through the use of a specific questionnaire for each economic sector (risk-based approach);
- strength of the analysis thanks to the use of a quantitative algorithm, which guarantees the attribution of a rating which is extremely representative of the level of risk coverage guaranteed by the supplier;
- risk visibility on different levels, with the opportunity to analyse ESG risk at the aggregate level, at the level of single E/S/G aspects, and at the level of individual risks;
- accurate identification of areas for improvement based on the rating given to the way individual risks are managed;
- facilitated completion of the questionnaire, characterized by multiple closed answers;
- reliability and recognisability of the proposed methodology, based on internationally recognised studies that are affirmed best practices in relation to the area under analysis;
- marketability of the proposed model by Poste Italiane Group, which may consider making it a proprietary model and offering it on the market once it has been registered with the appropriate trademark.
With the aim of raising awareness among its suppliers and accompanying them on a path of sustainable growth, Poste Italiane is committed to the gradual introduction of environmental, social and governance criteria in its tendering procedures over the years. In this way, it is able to ensure a progressive expansion of the required scope, coverage and weight of ESG criteria on the tender score.
