Global scale, Local impact.
AES is deeply rooted in local culture and customs. We invest in our communities in a way that makes the best sense for them. We learn, grow, expand, and share the experiences we have to bring innovation from one market to another, changing the future of energy, together.
Procurement requirements
AES businesses are very diverse with their own unique portfolios, but we all adhere to the same procurement processes. All procurement activities are carried out in alignment with our values and operational standards and in compliance with local and international laws.
Our procurement guidelines define AES business practices and expectations worldwide. We promote a transparent and fair environment for potential suppliers to participate in our bidding processes. Together with our Ethics and Compliance Program, our safety and environmental guidelines, and our local teams, we strive to ensure our process includes sustainable practices that support our environment, our stakeholders, and the communities we serve.
Supplier evaluation program
We evaluate new and existing suppliers using a diverse set of tools depending on the complexity or criticality of the transaction. One tool we use is STACE (Safety and Sustainability, Technical, Alignment, Cost, Execution), a scorecard that enables our people to evaluate supplier proposals and performance in a fair and consistent manner.
The pre-qualification supplier process includes financial and ESG factors and compliance with laws. Existing suppliers are evaluated and audited for their environmental, safety, and labor practices. Sustainability criteria included in the evaluation process are tailored to the specific location of the work, materials, and/or services provided. These can include environmental and safety metrics and performance, commitment to comply with all applicable labor regulations (such as child or forced labor, working hours, etc.), and other criteria.
We also have a process to evaluate a contractor’s potential environmental impacts, including contractors that transport and supply oil, fuel, ammonia, coal, or byproducts to our site. In addition, all contractors and suppliers working on-site or on behalf of AES should adhere to our safety and environmental standards.
Supply base risk management
To manage risk in our supply chain, we have established standards that include:
- Contingency plans. We understand that the supply chain plays a key role in minimizing the downtime associated with asset failure since unexpected high impact events may have a substantial negative impact on the business. We have adopted guidelines to create contingency plans and/or procedures to identify and respond to incidents and emergency situations and maintain continuous operation of critical assets. Proper mapping of critical suppliers is included as part of the spend analysis activities, and we also identify alternative sources.
- Inventory & criticality relation. We include criticality assessment for the different assets and parts within inventory as well as proper planning tools to ensure availability and replenishment according to lead times.
- Asset management. Assessment of supplier performance enables the identification of issues to be addressed via corrective action plans as well as best practices that should be recognized and duplicated.
Performance indicators
To improve performance, we set annual objectives aligned with the overall business strategy. Some of the supply chain activities key performance indicators (KPIs) include:
- Inventory optimization – ensures the availability of the goods that are needed and reduces the risk of stock outs by focusing on demand planning activities. In previous years, we have exceeded our inventory reduction targets.
- Spend management – Our goal is to have at least 25% of our spending with suppliers managed under contracts in our centralized database, rather than as stand-alone purchases. Since 2015, our percentage of spend under contract has achieved this target.
- Savings – Savings expectations are set on a long-term basis with an official target set annually during the budget review process. In previous years, AES has exceeded its saving targets
