UNI/PdR 125 gender equality certification

This is not a reputational exercise alone: it opens the door to tangible social security relief and to bonus points in tenders.

Transparency note: the reference practice and the incentives described on this page are Italian. The page is written above all for companies operating in Italy.

PdR 125 / What UNI/PdR 125 is

• It is an Italian reference practice, published by UNI, setting out a management system for gender equality in the workplace.
• It is not a statement of intent: it rests on measurable performance indicators (KPIs) spread across six areas — culture and strategy, governance, HR processes, career growth and inclusion of women, pay equity, and parenthood and work-life balance.
• Certification is issued by a body accredited by Accredia, is valid for three years and is subject to annual monitoring.

In 2026 UNI and Accredia published official application guidance (the 2026 edition of the UNI/PdR 125 FAQs): it does not change the 2022 practice, but it binds certification bodies and shapes how the requirements are judged at assessment. We take it into account from the moment the system is set up.

The incentives

This is the practical reason companies come to this certification.

• Social security relief — certified companies obtain relief of up to 1% of the employer’s social security contributions, capped at EUR 50,000 a year, for the whole period the certificate is valid. It is not automatic: an application to INPS is required.
• Public tenders — certified companies earn bonus points in public procurement, and in some cases a reduction in the guarantee bond.
• Support for SMEs — small and medium-sized enterprises can draw on support schemes (technical assistance and contributions towards certification costs), whose availability and application windows change over time: we check the current position together at the first contact.
• Supply chain and ESG — a growing number of large clients ask suppliers for concrete evidence of ESG policies. The certificate provides it objectively and verifiably.

*Note:* the figures and the terms of these incentives change over time, with the budget laws and INPS rules. At the first contact we check the current position for your case together.

Who needs it

• SMEs and companies wanting access to the social security relief and to the SME support schemes.
• Companies bidding for public tenders that want the bonus points.
• Companies fielding ESG requests from large clients or supply chains.
• Companies wanting to close the gender pay gap and put real inclusion policies in place rather than stated ones.

The path

1. Initial review — the free preliminary assessment.
2. Gap analysis across the six areas of the practice.
3. Drafting the policy and the procedures.
4. Setting improvement objectives and KPIs.
5. Training the staff.
6. Monitoring the indicators.
7. Assessment by the accredited body.
8. Maintenance — annual monitoring, renewal after three years.

How the cost breaks down

Two items: our consulting fee and the fee of the accredited certification body.

Here, though, the sum works differently from usual: for many SMEs the support schemes and the social security relief change the economics of the whole exercise. They are worth putting on the table at the first meeting.

Why BS & Partners

• Experience with management systems: structurally, UNI/PdR 125 is a management system like the ISO standards. Someone who has been implementing them for years knows how to set it up so that it holds at assessment, not merely so that it looks tidy.
• Ten years in business, 117 projects, work in 9 countries.
• We operate in both Italy and Switzerland: useful to groups with companies in both countries, where the Italian arm can claim the incentives and the Swiss one cannot.
• The firm and the way we work: the BS & Partners profile.

*Note:* on this practice our role is that of consultant: the assessment belongs to an independent accredited body.