Responsible procurement process

The Pekao Group and the Bank treat counterparties with due respect and select suppliers of goods and services in an objective and impartial manner, thus taking care of good and fair commercial relations. In selecting suppliers, the Pekao Group and the Bank apply internal procedures in accordance with best practices and mandatory provisions of Polish law. The Pekao Group builds long-term relations with suppliers based on mutual trust, respect, and professionalism. In particular, suppliers who apply proven market practices and represent the highest level of professional ethics are appreciated.

Another step of improvement initiated in 2019 was full digitization of purchasing processes and communication with bidders at the stage of purchasing procedures and placed orders. The result of the work performed so far in the field of digitization of purchasing processes is the implementation of the Integrated Procurement Tool. Following the new system, the purchase procedure in force at the Bank was also updated.

During the procurement process, products or services to be ordered are defined in the same way for all business partners to guarantee fair competition. Any company may be invited to participate and, subject to meeting the Bank’s internal requirements, submit a bid. All bidders, planned for inclusion in procurement processes, are registered in the supplier database and considered when constructing the list of potential suppliers. In addition, in 2022, the so-called Bank Pekao Supplier Zone was launched, where information on selected procurement processes planned for launch is published. The Supplier Zone also includes a dedicated link to register in the Integrated Procurement Tool, where contractors can indicate the assortments in which they would like to be invited to the procurement processes being launched.

Companies invited to take part in the process can ask questions concerning the specification provided. Information on the final decision is sent to all bidders. To choose suppliers of goods or services in an unbiased way, the Bank establishes procurement teams which must ensure that the supplier selection process is transparent and recommend the most advantageous bid.

In addition, when conducting tenders, the Bank verifies potential bidders in terms of the risk of corruption and in terms of sanction lists (US and EU sanction lists) and public warnings of the PFSA. Companies that provide products or services for the Bank are informed about the abuse prevention process and material provisions of the corruption prevention policy in force at the Bank.

In the Bank’s tenders (of above PLN 1 million net) suppliers must fill the Corporate Social Responsibility Form. In this way, Bank Pekao undertakes actions aimed at sustainable development, protection of the environment, and prevention of violations of human rights by the Bank’s business partners. The Form includes questions on the incorporation of environmental regulations and issues of respect for human rights in the daily operations of a supplier or contractor. The Form was updated in 2022 and the scope of its issues includes:

The percentage of procedures completed with suppliers selected to meet environmental and social criteria in 2022 was about 53%.

The Procurement Department cooperates with external contractors within the framework of: ongoing procurement procedures (1218 bidders were invited to participate in procurement procedures resolved in 2022), concluded contracts (272 contractors) and placed orders (879 contractors). More than 90% of suppliers are contractors doing business in Poland. The supplier base is managed through the Integrated Procurement Tool.