Franck Le Guillou, Bouygues Construction Purchasing Director, said: “These trophies enable us to maintain our competitiveness by honouring the partners with whom we conduct joint innovation activities in the context of long-term associations. Bouygues Construction is seeking to encourage this approach with its suppliers, particularly to meet new challenges relating to digital modelling, to enable us to continue proposing the most competitive, innovative and sustainable solutions.”

Four partners received awards in the Group’s principal business areas:

• Building category: Menuiseries Nicolas
This SME based in Lanvollon, Brittany, was the first Bouygues Construction supplier to set up a standardisation procedure for the products it supplied along with IT processes intended to facilitate day-to-day dealings. This operation has resulted in time savings as well as a better mutual understanding between the two partners. Product standardisation is one of the top priorities of Bouygues Construction Purchasing.

• Public works category: Palmieri
Bouygues Construction and Palmieri, a specialist in equipment for tunnel boring machines operating in the South of France, have built up close relations over the past twenty years, which have seen a number of jointly developed innovations. The two groups have collaborated on several customised and innovative disc cutters, including a disc cutter incorporating numerous sensors known as Mobydic. The excellent quality of the relationship between Palmieri and Bouygues Construction has been an essential factor in the success of these R&D operations.

• Energies and services category: LG Electronics
Bouygues Energies & Services and the technical department of LG Electronics based in Villepinte, near Paris, have jointly devised, tested and developed a new variable-water-volume air-conditioning system, which was implemented for the first time during the renovation of Challenger, the Bouygues Construction head office. It results in reduced energy consumption and is partly responsible for making Challenger a positive energy building.

• Non-production category: Hertz
The French subsidiary of Hertz, working alongside Bouygues Construction, has developed a 24/7 “self-service” system enabling Group employees to reserve vehicles without needing to go to the reservations desk in seven French airports. This service will now be extended to include the largest TGV rail stations and other airports in France.

With its panel of suppliers, Bouygues Construction Purchasing retains a focus on sustainable procurement and is committed to always acting in a responsible and innovative manner when purchasing supplies or services. Approximately 2,400 suppliers were assessed in 2014. Through partnerships and joint developments, the Group’s Purchasing division is also active alongside its suppliers as they imagine the solutions, technologies, materials and equipment of tomorrow.