Your assessment is a series of steps that you complete in order. This article explains each step, when each one opens, and what you receive at the end.
The steps, in order
Supplier Profile: You describe your facility. This decides which requirements are applicable to you.
Self-assessment: You assess your facility against the performance criteria across three levels - from level 1 to level 3, which represents best practice. You must meet all the level 1 performance criteria to pass the assessment or be eligible to achieve a higher level.
Submission: You read and accept a declaration, then submit your self-assessment to receive the result.
Subscription check: You either pay your annual subscription or the system checks if there is already an active subscription.
Acknowledgement: You download proof that you completed your self-assessment.
The next steps after this are optional and relate to requesting and completing a third-party assessment. These are explained in the section Independent Third Party Assessment and Certification Process
Why are some steps grey
The steps become available one after the other.
A step stays grey until the step before it is complete.
You cannot skip a step, and you cannot open a later step early.
What happens when you submit
Submission is final. After you submit, you cannot change the answers to your self-assessment.
Your answers become read-only. You can still read them and download them.
The level you achieved is calculated and shown to you.
If you need to change an answer after submitting, you have to start a new assessment, and your previous assessment will still be accessible as a historical assessment.
What you receive at the end
A self-assessment gives you an acknowledgement. It confirms that you completed your self-assessment.
An acknowledgement is not a certificate. A certificate is issued only when an approved third party has assessed your facility and verified your level. This is the next step in the process, after your self-assessment.