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Procurements

Gjensidige's insurance business purchases goods and services for more than NOK three billion annually. The volume gives us the opportunity – and responsibility – to conduct good competitions and stimulate development in the markets in which we operate. Our main strategy for procurement implementation is therefore: "Fair competitions and high quality in the procurement process".

Gjensidige's requirements

Gjensidige's requirements for procurement are laid down in the Group Procurement Policy, which applies to Gjensidige Forsikring ASA and all associated subsidiaries.

Ethics and social responsibility

In all areas, Gjensidige has requirements for high business ethics standards. For employees with supplier relationships, there are special ethical guidelines. Our suppliers must make it easy to follow these.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals are a joint work plan that focuses on climate and the environment, social conditions and the economy. Gjensidige shall, through its activities, contribute with measures that promote the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with particular focus on those that are most relevant to its activities. In this context, Sustainable Development Goals 11, sustainable cities and communities, 12, responsible consumption and production and 13, climate action, are highlighted. Gjensidige is committed to facilitating a better circular economy, and aims towards 2030 to gradually improve the utilisation of global resources within consumption and production, and work to raise awareness of the need for a circular economy, in accordance with the ten-year action programme for sustainable consumption and production. Increased levels of repair, reuse, reduction of waste and various measures to reduce transport costs, and more climate- and environmentally friendly reconstruction are various initiatives Gjensidige will use to contribute to increased circular economy. All Gjensidige's suppliers must also sign the "Self-declaration Corporate Social Responsibility – Supplier Code of Conduct". Gjensidige is concerned with the environment and, as far as possible, will choose suppliers with environmental certification or an explicit commitment to this area.

Gjensidige assumes that suppliers deliver goods of high environmental quality in terms of choice of materials, production process, in use and as waste products. For all relevant procurements, an environmental questionnaire is also attached.

Many of Gjensidige's suppliers provide services to our customers who have been exposed to damage. We see this as an important task with great significance for how our customers experience the company. We are therefore very careful to select good suppliers in terms of quality.

Suppliers that are certified according to one or more recognised standards will be given priority:

  1. ISO14001 
  2. Eco-Lighthouse
  3. Green point

FNs Global Compact
Gjensidige assumes that manufacturers and suppliers conduct their business activities within the ten principles presented by the UN Global Compact. The principles cover the areas of human and labour rights, the environment and anti-corruption.

Our supplier principles apply to all deliveries to Gjensidige, and each supplier is responsible for ensuring that they comply with our requirements. If suppliers choose to use subcontractors, our contracting party is responsible for ensuring that Gjensidige's principles are complied with throughout the value chain.

 

 

Procurement within claims settlement

Building: Suppliers must be qualified in StartBank

Use of procurement tools
Good e-tools facilitate compliance with Group Policy and the main procurement strategy. Gjensidige uses the following tools:

Medius – for archiving request, negotiation and agreement documents Basware – for ordering goods and services, e-invoicing and invoice flow Medius Sourcing for competition execution

Billing requirements
Gjensidige's suppliers shall, as far as possible, submit electronic invoices for their goods/services. Alternative methods for sending e-invoices to us are described below:

  1. Invoicing via Gjensidige's e-mail: faktura@gjensidige.no - for suppliers who invoice Gjensidige irregularly/a few times during the year
  2. Invoicing via Basware's Business Transactions - for suppliers who bill regularly/many times during the year
  3. About purchases for the Group: konsernanskaffelser@gjensidige.no

In its purchasing processes, Gjensidige uses various documents for the purpose of having orderly processes and to regulate and balance the contractual relationship with suppliers.

Examples of this are:

  1. Gjensidige's standard purchasing conditions - as with most of the Group's purchases
  2. Self-declaration corporate social responsibility / Supplier Code of Conduct – which deals with human and labour rights, environment and corruption
  3. Corporate Procurement Policy
  4. Questions to potential suppliers related to the environment
  5. Specification of Gjensidige's ethical guidelines in connection with relational activities

Interested parties can obtain most of these documents by contacting konsernanskaffelser@gjensidige.no.

 

 

Requirements relating to procurements in Gjensidige

(Excerpt from Corporate Procurement Policy) 

  • A procurement shall, as far as possible, be based on competition. Exceptions to this basic requirement must be justified and documented. 
  • The consideration of predictability, transparency and verifiability shall be safeguarded throughout the procurement process.
  • The selection of qualified bidders and the award of contracts shall be based on objective and non-discriminatory criteria.
  • Independence shall be practised in all procurement processes. This means, among other things, that people with close ties to the delivery and the suppliers must be different from the purchasing professional responsible for a purchasing process.
  • Employees who participate in a procurement process are obliged to report if participation could call into question their impartiality. 
  • In the event of otherwise equal conditions, suppliers who are customers and/or distributors in the Group shall be prioritised as suppliers. When several suppliers are customers and/or distributors in the Group, priority shall be given to the supplier/distributor that is considered most important.
  • As far as practicable and appropriate, all major purchasing agreements must be signed by a procurement professional. In addition, the budget, concept manager or contract manager/logistics manager can sign. 

Compliance

For Gjensidige, it is valuable to ensure that all suppliers comply with the requirements set out in the agreement. If compliance is not possible, the cooperation will be interrupted and the supplier will not be engaged as long as they do not meet the aforementioned requirements. 

Gjensidige assumes that the supplier and its employees report on an ongoing basis any known breaches or suspected breaches of the agreement with Gjensidige. Gjensidige takes all violations and suspected violations seriously, and demands that this be investigated further. This means that all further information in the supplier's possession must be disclosed. 

As part of Gjensidige's follow-up plan, we reserve the right to check the supplier's compliance with the agreed requirements throughout the term of the contract. In the event of any needs, Gjensidige may request documentation from the supplier to assess their compliance with the agreement. Gjensidige focuses on promotingoutsourcing partners, personal data processors and requirements in accordance with  the Act relating to Legal Protection.