The Generali model, applied in almost all countries, sets out that all purchase processes (from supplier sourcing to stipulating contracts) are concentrated in one common service company. Highly specialized services and urgent matters are an exception, and they are managed by each company individually.
In the IT sector, the Corporate Centre recently set up the "Group Ict Procurement" (GIP) department, whose job is to manage commercial relations with global suppliers of IT goods and services on a Group level, exploiting economies of scale.

Since 2005, in Italy the Group has had a specific Ethical Code for Relations with Suppliers that has been sent to the Group companies worldwide.
The Austrian Group published its own Code for Relations with Suppliers, available at www.generali.at, corresponding to the principles laid out in the equivalent Code adopted in Italy, and expanding on some aspects to adapt to local purchase procedure. Other countries have not formally adopted the Ethical Code for Relations with Suppliers, but they operate with methods that are substantially in line with the principles set out in the Code.

Although suppliers are not currently required to be certified to environmental standards (ISO 14001) nor social standards (SA 8000) – not very widespread in some of the countries in question – in all countries in the Sustainability Report area procedures and practices intended to ensure supplier behaviour are used in coherence with the Group’s ethical principles.

To ensure the integrity of the supply chain, the Group implements suitable operative mechanisms to prevent the violation, by its suppliers and their supply chains, of the Company’s ethical principles by imposing sanctions, which may result in the policies being terminated.

Group-wide, it is deemed to be of vital importance to adhere to the agreed terms of payment: virtually 100% of contracts were paid on time, the only cases of late payment being those cases involving disputes.

The Group has placed great attention on the quality of services, and has put in place numerous systems for supplier evaluation and ongoing monitoring. Virtually all companies review collaboration trends with major suppliers, checking operations to verify the quality of goods and services and price suitability.