Corporate Engagement Screening Questionnaire

To be used in tender and procurement situation – 2015.01 version

1. Introduction

1.1. Why do we ask you to fill the screening questionnaire?

We, MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation (MS TCDC), ask you to answer this questionnaire in order to help us to understand your organisation’s code of conduct and corporate social responsibility, so we can assess our risk level, which is a part of our procurement/tender process. Background for this need is embedded in our mission.

MS TCDC is owned by ActionAid Denmark and is as such a part of ActionAid Internatonal. ActionAid International’s mission is to work with poor and excluded people to eradicate poverty and injustice.

The corporate sector matters to ActionAid International because it has a crucial and increasing impact, both positive and negative, on people living in poverty. The corporate sector is one of the engines of economic growth and therefore has the potential to affect social development. It can create decent jobs and pay its fair share of taxes. It can also help providing much-needed goods and services, which are often out of reach to people living in poverty.

As such, the corporate sector can be a potential ally of ActionAid and of all country governments and citizens by helping create alternative forms of local and national sustainable development strategies. On the other hand, the corporate sector can stand in the way and block progress to communities having access, control and power over productive resources, which can enable them to fulfil their human rights and by not paying fair share of tax and thus undermining the state’s resources available for essential services. It can also weaken national and international rules, which are meant to ensure economic and social development is just, sustainable and that it works for the poor.

As per ActionAid Corporate Engagement Framework, MS TCDC may not engage co-operation with companies working within “excluded industries” (tobacco, pornography, companies operating in the Palestinian territories, armaments, or targeted in ActionAid current or recent campaign. MS TCDC may engage carefully and after deep screening for practices violating human rights and environmental standards, and for the reputational risk associated with them.

1.2. What does the screening consist in and what do we use it for?

Screening is designed to qualify suppliers’ selection and ensure there is a net positive impact on the work of ActionAid Internationally.

It includes:

  • A set of key questions to the company
  • A possible deeper analysis of the company’s document and other sources of information
  • A screening form used by MS TCDC to rank the risk in engaging co-operation (traffic light system)

There is no standard “good answers” to the questionnaire sent to you. The answers will be analysed in respect with the size of your organisation, your industry and the size and duration of a possible contract between your company and MS TCDC.

This analyse will feed our risk/benefit analysis and inform the final decision (based on 1) price, 2) quality, 3) delivery sustainability and 4) risk/benefit analysis).

1.3. What is your commitment?

By answering this questionnaire, you and your company are committed to answer honestly and provide related documentation if requested.

In the end, if we engage a co-operation, you and your company are committed to inform MS TCDC of any change in your company (organisationally, financially or in supply chain) that affects the answer to the screening questionnaire.

If such a change in your company leads to higher risk ranking, or if your company omits to inform MS TCDC of such changes, MS TCDC will re-consider and possibly revoke the co-operation.

2. Questionnaire

Answer N/A when the question is not actual for your company.

For questions with *, please answer shortly in the questionnaire and provide evidence or further documentation like charts, policies, assessments and annual report (account, CSR, environmental, results), so MS TCDC can understand your companies’ set-up and context.

2.1. Head information

Name of Company being screened
Name of person filling screening questionnaire
Title
e-mail
Phone
Corporate website
Country of the company headquarter

2.2. Preliminary questions

Does your company operate directly or indirectly (through parent, sister or subsidiary company) within one or more of these industries? / Tobacco
Pornography
Armament
Any company operating against human rights in the Palestinian territories / Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes / No
No
No
No

If you answer positively to this question, MS TCDC will not be able to contract with your company and you do not need to feel the questionnaire further.

2.3. Ownership relations

Ownership (owners, parent company, share structure, notable shareholders, forthcoming mergers, etc.)*
Countries in which the company is listed on stock exchange
Subsidiary companies*

2.4. Context

General context (supply chain, business model)*
In which geographical areas/countries does your company, its parent, sister or subsidiary companies operate (please, include a description of activities)?*
In which industries areas/countries does your company, its parent, sister or subsidiary companies operate or invest?*

2.5. Companies’ governance

In small businesses, you may answer“yes” to the questions in the next two chapters, even you do not have a written policy but have other evidence of your business code of conduct and corporate social responsibility.

Does your company have policies in place to limit
- direct involvement in corruption,
- human rights violations
- labour rights violations?* / N/A No Yes
If yes, list policies and enclose them to your correspondence
Does your company have internal policies in place to encourage best practices regarding
- human rights[1],
- remuneration policies,
- employees’ well-being,
- their representation in company decision making process (unionisation),
- gender balance
- and such?* / N/A No Yes
If yes, list policies and enclose them to your correspondence
Does your company have internal environmental policies in place to contribute to a sustainable environment?* / N/A No Yes
If yes, list policies and enclose them to your correspondence
Does your company comply with one or more CSR declaration, standards, principles & initiatives[2] / N/A No Yes
If yes, list the CSR declaration, standards, principles & initiatives below
Does your company comply with one or more sector specific standards, principles & initiative? / N/A No Yes
If yes, list standards, principles & initiatives below

2.6. Supply chain governance

Does your company have policies in place to limit indirect (through supply or financial chain) involvement in corruption, human rights- and/or labour rights violations?* / N/A No Yes
If yes, list policies and enclose them to your correspondence
Does your company have policies in place to encourage its providers to develop best practices regarding human rights[3], remuneration policies, employees’ well-being, their representation in company decision making process (unionisation), gender balance and such?* / N/A No Yes
If yes, list policies and enclose them to your correspondence
Does your company have policies in place to ensure/support its providers to contribute to a sustainable environment?* / N/A No Yes
If yes, list policies and enclose them to your correspondence

2.7. Policy implementation and follow up

How does your company ensure that these policies are implemented?*
How does your company monitor implementation of these policies?*
How does your company cope with possible discrepancy between these policies and reality?*

2.8. Relation to ActionAid Efforts

What is the level of effective tax rate in the country(ies) your company, its parent, sister or subsidiary companies operate? (detail by country)
Does your company have any (direct or indirect) interests in company located in tax haven[4]? / No Yes
If yes, describe shortly the interests below and enclose detail about amounts, countries, involved companies and financial flow to your correspondence
For financial and account industry only:
Does your company provide international tax advice and optimization? / N/A No Yes
If yes, describe shortly how
In case of yes to above: what is your company policy/guideline in relation to this?
Are your company, its parent, sister or subsidiary companies involved in land grabs? (detail by company and country) / No Yes
If yes, describe shortly how and in which extent
Does your company have any contentious (publically, in media, with public administration or court) regarding human rights, CSR, tax or land grabs? (describe, among other information, arguments and conclusion) / No Yes
If yes, describe shortly the content, arguments and conclusion; and enclose documentation to your correspondence

2.9. Company relationship with MS TCDC Staff

A personal or family relationship with a MS TCDC staff member for a financial interest does not automatically dis-quality the company as a supplier/service provider. However failure to disclose any relationship will lead to immediate termination of any contract with the company and disciplinary action for the MS TCDC staff member.

Does the owner or any staff member of your company have a personal or family relationship with any MS TCDC Staff member or intern / N/A No Yes
If yes, list the persons and their relationship and enclose them to your correspondence
Does a personal relation or a family member of MS TCDC Staff or a MS TCDC staff member him/her self have a financial interest in your company / N/A No Yes
If yes, list the persons and the nature of their financial interest in the company and enclose them to your correspondence

Completed on

Signature of the person who has filled the screening questionnaire

3. Documentation

3.1. List of enclosed documentation

1.

3.2. Links to on-line documentation

1.

8/5/2019

[1] Human right declaration

[2] The Global Reporting Initiative; The Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect, Remedy Framework”, by John Ruggie; The 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development; OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; The UN Global Compact; ISO 26000 is a voluntary standard for Social Responsibility ; World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Business Principles for Countering Bribery, Transparency International; The eight or few of the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO); Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations; Social Accountability International; Ethical Trading Initiative; Fair Labor Association.

[3] Human right declaration

[4] A country that offers foreign individuals and businesses little or no tax liability in a politically and economically stable environment. Tax havens also provide little or no financial information to foreign tax authorities. Individuals and businesses that do not reside a tax haven can take advantage of these countries' tax regimes to avoid paying taxes in their home countries. Tax havens do not require that an individual reside in or a business operate out of that country in order to benefit from its tax policies – source: Tax Haven Definition | Investopedia – List upon countries: