Customers, regulators and lenders increasingly ask what your suppliers do on environment, labour and governance. A short, well-designed assessment gives you an answer you can defend.
Keep the questionnaire short and proportionate
A long form sent to every supplier produces poor answers. Send a shorter version to routine suppliers and a deeper one to strategic or high-risk ones. Skip questions that do not apply by using conditional logic.
Ask for evidence, not only answers
Where it matters, ask for the supporting document: an environmental certificate, a code of conduct, a policy. A yes with no evidence is a weak signal.
Score so you can compare
Give each question a weight and produce a score per theme and in total. The aim is not a perfect number but a consistent way to compare suppliers and see change over time.
Follow up, do not just collect
A low score should lead to an action: a corrective plan, a deadline and a re-check. Track those actions with the same rigour as quality corrective actions.
Repeat on a schedule
Assessments age quickly. Re-run them at an interval matched to supplier criticality and keep the history, so you can show progress.