We set out to help VINCI Construction in the UK to progress in three key areas:
- Measuring the maturity of its management of modern slavery risks.
- Identifying areas of improvement for modern slavery risk management.
- Using best practice industry frameworks to present a strong strategy for effective supply chain modern slavery risk management.
VINCI Construction has diverse operations in several sectors, with often complex supply chains covering numerous geographies, materials and labour types, as is typical of the construction and engineering sector. This combination of factors forms a challenge for effective modern slavery risk management.
Initially, we sought to understand the key modern slavery risk drivers in the construction industry, as well as industry best practice frameworks for tackling them.
This complemented a review of VINCI Construction’s own approach, in which we identified eight important steps to manage risk and assessed the maturity of VINCI Construction’s present approach. This allowed us to prioritise the areas in which improvement could be most impactful.
Using this, we were able to provide a strategic roadmap, informed by best practice frameworks from the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This included prioritised actions for the implementation of risk management processes, and ways to build on VINCI Construction’s robust existing policies.
Through this process, VINCI Construction gained a comprehensive picture of its modern slavery risk management maturity. While its policies were robust and thorough, the implementation of processes varied across different business units and supply chain partners.
Our work highlighted the importance of prioritising process improvements over policy adjustments, ensuring stronger operational execution.
Looking ahead, VINCI Construction will focus on improving awareness and training, particularly among on-the-ground teams and suppliers, ensuring its strong policies are actioned fully.
