If you have used the old Supplier Platform for a Supplier to Zero V1 assessment before, some important things have changed. This article lists some of the biggest differences, so that you know what to expect.
Your Supplier Profile comes first (new)
Before: there was no Supplier Profile. You went straight into the evaluation.
Now: the Supplier Profile is the first step. You describe your facility once, and the platform uses it to select the performance criteria that apply to you. Two facilities rarely get the same assessment.
What this means for you: fill in your Supplier Profile carefully. It shapes your whole self-assessment. Changing it later can clear your answers.
There is no recommendations page (removed)
Before: a recommendations page collected improvement suggestions for you, and you could save them all as a PDF.
Now: there is no recommendations page and no recommendations download. Guidance is shown next to each performance criteria while you answer.
What this means for you: to plan your improvements, download your answers as a spreadsheet and work from everything you answered No.
You do not upload files any more (removed)
Before: you uploaded file evidence for each item that needed it, added a description to every file, and managed them on an Uploads page.
Now: there is no file upload in the self-assessment. You answer “Met” or “Not met”, and nothing else is required. Evidence is handled during the third-party assessment.
What this means for you: you no longer prepare documents to complete a self-assessment. Keep them ready for the third-party assessment and send them directly to your assessor.
You send your request inside the platform (new)
Before: you contacted a reviewer outside the platform and arranged everything with them directly.
Now: you still contact a ZDHC Approved Assessment Provider outside the platform and arrange the desktop or on-site assessment with them. Once the assessment is agreed with them, you must select a ZDHC Approved Assessment Provider in the platform and send them a formal request and they must accept the request. They can then access your completed Supplier to Zero self-assessment and Supplier Profile and carry out the assessment once you have submitted all the relevant evidence to them. Once completed, their report comes back to you on the platform and you receive a certificate.
What this means for you: the request, the report, the certificate, and your decision all stay in one place. Third-party fees are still agreed directly with your assessment provider.
Your level is calculated, and only a third party assessment can give you a certificate (changed)
Before: the level was the type of assessment. Level 1 was a self-assessment, and Level 2 a desktop review, and you chose which one to apply for.
Now: you do not choose a level. You can achieve Level 1, 2 or 3 from your self-assessment, and receive an acknowledgement. A third-party desktop or on-site assessment then verifies your level of achievement and gives you a certificate.
What this means for you: an acknowledgement shows that you completed a self-assessment. A certificate shows that an approved third party assessor verified it, either via an on-site or a desktop assessment.