Governance
Ethics & Transparency in Corporate Governance
As part of the Group strategy, good corporate governance is essential for Bilfinger's successful positioning. At the same time, it forms an important basis for achieving operational excellence.
The following aspects are particularly relevant for Bilfinger in the context of corporate governance: corporate ethics and culture, combating corruption, a secure whistleblower protection system, well-organized supplier relationships and fair payment processing for suppliers.
Targets & Actions
For Bilfinger, good corporate governance means ethical and legally responsible behavior toward business partners, employees, shareholders, society and the environment.
Acting Ethically
The aspiration for good corporate governance results in a duty of care. It determines the actions of our managers and governing bodies. And it applies to the entire system of management and supervision of the company – from organization and control, to business policy guidelines, to control and monitoring mechanisms.
Transparent corporate governance stands for value creation, efficiency and sustainability. It is the basis for our sustainable, profitable growth. And it creates trust among customers, employees and inthe capital market.
The Bilfinger Mission Statement and Code of Conduct our describe integrity and security as central guiding principles for the management and employees.
Fighting Corruption
Our Compliance Management System is aimed at legally compliant behavior, avoiding liability through prevention and protecting our reputation. The focus is on preventing and combating corruption. Bilfinger's Compliance Management System is based on the relevant national and international laws and standards. It follows the model of prevention > detection > reaction.
We conduct all internal investigations confidentially, objectively, independently and consistently and avoid conflicts of interest. We apply the zero tolerance principle: reported suspicions are always followed up. Misconduct is sanctioned and prevented or made more difficult in the future.
Confidential Reporting Line
If you become aware of any actual or suspected violations of the Bilfinger Code of Conduct, applicable laws, or internal regulations, we strongly encourage you to voice your concerns through our Confidential Reporting Line. This secure and trusted channel is not only designed to uphold integrity but also serves as the official reporting mechanism under the German Whistleblower Protection Act.
- The only reporting channel under the German Whistleblower Protection Act
- Accessible in multiple languages
- Secure and confidential
For further questions please contact the Group Investigation team.
Protect Whistleblowers
A cornerstone of our whistleblower system is our commitment to fair trail process. We are dedicated to protecting whistleblowers, individuals affected by reports, and employees who help investigate potential misconduct.
To ensure this, we offer everyone secure channels for anonymous reporting and communication. We guarantee that we will not attempt to identify anonymous whistleblowers, provided the system is not misused.
Retaliation against whistleblowers or anyone participating in investigations within the Bilfinger Group will not be tolerated. Individuals who are the subject of a report are presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
All investigations are handled with the utmost confidentiality. Information is processed in a fair, timely, and secure manner.
Workers in the Value Chain
In principle, the same standards apply to external workers as to our own team.
In addition to other Group-wide regulations, Bilfinger has a Code of Conduct for suppliers based on the German Supply Chain Act (LkSG). Anyone who wants to become a Bilfinger supplier must accept the Code of Conduct without reservation – including the employee rights defined in it.
Managing Relationships With Suppliers
We largely regulate our relationships with suppliers through our Code of Conduct for Suppliers. It includes environmental and climate protection, anti-corruption and how to deal with conflicts of interest. Our suppliers are required to ensure that their own supply chain due diligence requirements and standards.
We pay our suppliers in accordance with agreed payment terms that are as uniform as possible. We do not discriminate against small and medium-sized suppliers.
The issue of compliance in our supply chains is of fundamental importance to us at Bilfinger. In order to ensure the high quality of our services over the long term, our purchasing department is guided by a defined set of criteria when selecting new suppliers. Human rights, environmental and occupational safety standards play an important role in this context. Bilfinger has an important competitive advantage with these quality features.
Christoph Bäumer
Chief Procurement Officer at Bilfinger
We empower our colleagues through compliance training and encourage every voice to speak up. At Bilfinger, we build a culture where integrity thrives because doing the right thing starts with learning and speaking freely.
Viktoriia Mitchenko
Compliance Director Middle East at Bilfinger
