This diagram presents the Responsible Procurement process of Publicis Groupe, structured around a 5-part due diligence framework.
Process stages.
Pre-contract: governed by the Vendor Management Programme (Tier 1) and the CSR for Business Guidelines.
5-part due diligence (central stage).
Post-contract: monitored through regular Business Reviews focused on compliance and progress.
The 5 due diligence components.
Risk analysis and financial analysis.
Anti-corruption.
CSR: Social & Environment.
Information systems security.
Data protection.
Two CSR assessment modalities.
External CSR assessment by a third party (EcoVadis...).
CSR self-assessment via the P.A.S.S. (*) platform.
4.4.4.3 Supplier Payment Rules
In 2025, Publicis Groupe’s Responsible Procurement function set up a governance framework, processes and a dashboard to strengthen the monitoring of payment terms compliance. This system covers compliance with contractual conditions and regulatory requirements. The governance framework, jointly managed by the Groupe Procurement, Treasury and CSR Departments, allows for exhaustive monitoring of discrepancies between contractual and actual payment terms, and guarantees reliable reporting on working capital requirements. Publicis Groupe is currently finalizing the implementation of policies with a particular focus on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Our strategy emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong and ethical relationships with our suppliers, taking into account supply chain risks as well as overall sustainability goals.
The Groupe Procurement and Finance Departments have also set up a dashboard to monitor payment practices in real time, in accordance with ESRS requirements. [G1-6 (a&b), (d)] This dashboard constitutes the "cockpit" and is based on transactional data from SAP.
Results for 2025: for suppliers managed by the Procurement Department, the standard payment terms set out in the contracts managed by the Groupe Procurement Department range from 30 to 60 days. It should be noted that 98% of the contractual deadlines agreed with suppliers as part of contracts managed by the Procurement Department are less than or equal to 60 days, with the remaining 2% being up to 90 days (in accordance with local legal requirements).
With regard to execution practices, according to data from the "Cockpit" dashboard, in 2025, 79% of payments to suppliers were made within 60 days (in volume of invoices). It should be noted, however, that the data in the dashboard includes all invoices, including those that may be subject to potential operational disputes, which may affect the overall statistics. Finally, this cockpit indicates an average invoice payment period of 50 days for suppliers managed by Procurement in 2025.
The Groupe Procurement Department has not been the subject of any legal proceedings relating to late payments concerning the suppliers it manages.
The table relating to payment terms referred to in Article D. 441-6 of the French Commercial Code is included in Section 5.5.
4.4.4.4 CSR assessment of suppliers
Two components are closely monitored jointly by the Procurement Department and the Groupe CSR department: on the one hand, commitments and actions in favor of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and on the other hand, actions taken to reduce environmental impacts (see Section 4.6 on the Duty of Care). [S2-4-33 (b) & (c)]
The CSR assessment is structured as follows:
- CSR assessment by an external independent and internationally recognized third party (EcoVadis, Sedex or others): this is the preferred approach. Since 2015, the GroupeProcurement Department has introduced a systematic CSR assessment for all its strategic suppliers. Publicis Groupe works with the EcoVadis platform and invites its strategic partners to be assessed by an external third party. In 2025, the scope of this level ofsuppliers was expanded to 471 suppliers meeting the same criteria, with an average score of 65/100 (stable with 2024);
- CSR self-assessment via P.A.S.S. (Publicis Groupe Platform for a self-Assessment for a Sustainable Supply chain). This Groupe proprietary platform was created for SMEs (small and medium-size companies), which are less familiar with CSR assessment processes by third parties. It allows the Groupe’s local buyers and agencies to ask their critical suppliers to carry out a free self-assessment that commits them. This self-assessment is then validated on the basis of documented compliance criteria by the Groupe CSR Department, thus acting as a trusted and neutral third-party expert. This transparent self-assessment based on around 50 key questions makes it possible to confirm whether the supplier meets the criteria and priorities set by the Groupe regarding human rights, ethics (anti-corruption, data protection and security) and environmental impacts. 342 suppliers were assessed in P.A.S.S., with an average score of 40/100. This average is down compared to 2024 due tostricter assessment criteria on environmental and social issues and, due to the integration of SMEs with a lower CSR maturity; [G1 2-15 (b)]
- complementary industry CSR self-assessment via P.A.S.S.: the Groupe’s production and events activities can assess their suppliers on appropriate complementary aspects appropriate to the characteristics of certain sectors. Additional question modules in P.A.S.S. are enabled for these suppliers.
