Customers and suppliers

We undertake Rio Tinto's business with integrity, honesty and fairness at all times, building from a foundation of compliance with relevant local laws and regulations and international standards.

We support free and fair competition. We promote the rule of law and the Group's high standards wherever we are in the world. We have introduced a compliance programme that all Group businesses are required to put in place. This is based on a continuously developing system of training, monitoring and procedural checks and balances.

Safe, efficient and innovative suppliers and contractors are strategically important to the success of the Rio Tinto business units. Rio Tinto expects to participate in a fair and competitive marketplace, and to provide a fair evaluation and selection process that is applied consistently to all prospective suppliers.

Rio Tinto's systems are designed to ensure the intellectual property of suppliers is protected. Rio Tinto Procurement operates systems that are based on appropriate methods of competition among qualified suppliers of goods and services.

These systems require that contracting opportunities are publicised to those suppliers deemed capable of meeting Rio Tinto's requirements.

Awards will be made to those suppliers who are able to meet the business units' stated needs and required standards and who make the best offers considering all relevant factors, including health, safety, environment, quality, service, competitive pricing, technical abilities and consistency with the values articulated on this website.