CTEEP places great value on having a transparent, ethical trust-based relationship with its 2,082 current suppliers.

As a result, the Company has the CTEEP Supplier Program, which involves selecting, managing and evaluating suppliers on an ongoing basis by focusing on accurate information and clear rules for the hiring process, as well as including contract clauses with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Human Rights criteria. (GRI HR1, HR2)

Before a supplier is contracted, an online system searches, examines and identifies any possible economic, financial and technical risks, thus making the process more reliable.

In 2012, CTEEP worked with 678 suppliers of goods and 704 suppliers of services. In addition, it hired 2,782 new employees, 637 of whom for strategic positions as far as the Company’s business is concerned.

CTEEP holds regular contract evaluation meetings–at which results, demands and future projects are presented–with contract Managers in order to strengthen the relationship with its strategic suppliers. It also promotes the development of local suppliers, which accounted for 2.75% of the total amount of all contracts, always considering efficiency and competitiveness in the market in which the Regional Departments are located. The whole process is decentralized, so each regional office is responsible for contracting local suppliers. (GRI EC6)

Even though CTEEP’s activities involve low risk of child labor or poor working conditions, the Company includes Human Rights provisions banning child and forced labor in all its supplier agreements.

No suppliers or contractors were found to be in breach of the agreement in this respect in 2012. (GRI HR6, HR7)