Sustainable procurement enforcement

The sustainability team engages with the procurement and purchasing functional areas to decide, based on risks, the level and type of sustainability requirements to be integrated into the selected procurement process. This includes the incorporation of sustainability criteria in bidding documents, assessment of these criteria during the bid evaluation phase, integration of corresponding requirements in supplier contracts, as well as contract monitoring throughout project implementation. Procurement policies also give preference to local companies in Qatar in line with national regulatory requirements.

During the procurement process, all bidders are asked to demonstrate compliance with specific sustainability requirements and to provide information on their sustainability performance. This information is reviewed through an evaluation process and results are incorporated into the bid technical evaluations. In addition, all bidders are asked to commit that they and their subcontractors will adhere to the FIFA World Cup 2022™ Sustainable Sourcing Code (SSC), which also includes the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Standards, by signing a SSC Commitment Statement. Compliance is then verified through monitoring activities during the contract implementation phase (e.g. request of information, certifications, submission of sustainability plans etc). The primary objective of these monitoring activities is for tournament organisers to work with suppliers to increase their sustainability awareness and capacity.

Suppliers engaged on capital projects or providing services for the tournament, that have been identified as having high-to-medium sustainability risks, are required to undergo sustainability audits. These audits are carried out by an independent auditing agency. If an audit identifies that a supplier is failing to meet sustainability requirements, the supplier is required to provide corrective action plans (CAPs) to demonstrate how they will achieve full compliance with the sustainability requirements in the stipulated time frame set by the tournament organisers. Follow-up assessments are then conducted to ensure that suppliers are operating in accordance with the improvements identified in their CAPs. As of mid-April 2022, 33 supplier audits have been completed. Several improvement areas have been identified and organisers are working with suppliers on corrective action plans and follow-up assessments.

Throughout this process, tournament organisers aim to create a collaborative approach to ensure responsible practices in the sourcing of goods and services across a wider sphere, and work with FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ suppliers to reduce impacts in local and global supply chains across a wide range of industries including accommodation, merchandising, transportation, venue signage and much more.

Over the past few years, FIFA has strengthened sustainability clauses in its contracts with commercial affiliates, suppliers and licensees and has aligned human rights aspects with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). For FIFA World Cup 2022™ licensed merchandise suppliers, FIFA is now conducting human rights and environmental monitoring to ensure licensees and their manufacturers meet contractual sustainability obligations. Furthermore, since 1997, FIFA has taken extensive measures to ensure compliance with human rights and other sustainability standards in the production of FIFA licenced footballs that are used during its tournaments. In this regard, FIFA is collaborating with the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) as part of the FIFA Quality Programme, to ensure compliance with human rights and environmental standards in the supply chain.