Most businesses send their suppliers a questionnaire from time to time. But an ad hoc survey does not engage them. Often, suppliers do not respond, data are incomplete, follow-up is lacking – and the process repeats itself without anything improving.

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Meanwhile, new regulatory frameworks are setting demanding requirements: the CSDDD calls for demonstrable mitigation measures with direct suppliers, the EUDR calls for plot-level data and declarations of conformity, and the Forced Labour Regulation calls for insight into working conditions deep in the supply chain. Those without a workable engagement process cannot meet those challenges in a structured way.

Effective supplier engagement requires a combination of good questioning, clear communication, follow-up discipline and – where necessary – the willingness to support suppliers rather than merely monitor them.

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‍We work in four steps:‍

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• Segmentation and engagement strategy – Based on the risk assessment, we determine which suppliers call for which approach. High-risk suppliers require direct surveying and follow-up; lower-risk segments can be followed up through lighter mechanisms. We align the engagement strategy with the requirements of the applicable regulatory framework.
• Questionnaires and data collection – We develop targeted, proportionate questionnaires per supplier segment and regulatory framework – from working conditions and environmental practices to traceability data and declarations of conformity. This is not a generic audit, but targeted information gathering that matches what you actually need.
• Follow-up and escalation – What do you do when a supplier does not respond? Or when the answers are incomplete or worrying? We help you develop a follow-up process and escalation logic that are workable for your procurement team and demonstrable to your stakeholders.
• Software support – Together, we assess which tools or platforms can support your supplier engagement – from questionnaire management and automatic reminders to data aggregation and risk scoring. So that the engagement process is scalable and not dependent on manual follow-up.

• Supplier risk mapping – The risk assessment that determines who you survey, when and how.
• Due diligence policy and governanceDue diligence policy and governance – The internal framework within which supplier engagement takes place.
• CSDDD – Supplier engagement as a core element of the CSDDD approach.
• EUDR – Engaging suppliers to provide plot-level data and declarations of conformity.
• FLR – Surveying working conditions among suppliers in high-risk segments.