Equal pay in procurement
For the Confederation, equal pay is a component of sustainable procurement. Companies bidding for federal public contracts must ensure compliance with equal pay.
Under the Federal Act on Public Procurement (PPA), public contracts in Switzerland may only be awarded to undertakings that guarantee equal pay. For the Confederation, equal pay is an important factor in sustainable procurement.
As part of the procurement process, the contracting authority may request appropriate evidence from the company. The Federal Procurement Conference (FPC) stipulates that tenderers must sign a self-declaration. The FPC provides various document templates for this purpose.
The organisation of public procurement in Switzerland is decentralised. Cantons and communes have their own requirements and are responsible for their implementation. Examples of control mechanisms at cantonal and communal level can be found in the brochure «On the way to equal pay».
Equal pay control
The Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE) also conducts regular controls to ensure compliance with equal pay requirements in public procurement. Every year, 30 controls are conducted on a random basis. The Confederation’s procurement units can initiate controls. If a tenderer is found to be engaging in pay discrimination, the following measures are available to the responsible procurement unit:
- Contractual penalty
- Revocation of the award or exclusion of the tenderer from the procedure
- Termination/withdrawal from the contract, if contractually agreed
Impact of equal pay controls
The impact of these random controls has been examined. 70 per cent of the undertakings controlled reported a broad range of impacts, from increased awareness to specific wage adjustments. Since their controls, a large majority of the undertakings controlled have been conducting equal pay analyses.
Support for Confederation procurement units
The FOGE supports federal contracting authorities on request with advice and further training.
Support for cantons and communes
Cantons and communes looking to introduce equal pay controls in procurement and/or in the awarding of subsidies can apply for financial aid.