When a sustainability assessment request arrives from your customer, you are usually left with a short deadline and a long document list.
These assessments share one defining trait: they run on documents. What determines your score is not what you do, but what evidence you can show for it. Practices that work well on the shop floor count for nothing in the assessment if they are not anchored in a written policy.
Readiness consulting closes this gap: we analyse your current state against the assessment criteria, produce the missing document set, build your evidence file and stay at your side through the entire process.
Which assessments are in scope?
EcoVadis. A rating that runs across four themes (environment, labour and human rights, ethics, sustainable procurement), is evaluated through the policy–actions–results layers and is renewed annually.
SAQ / S-Rating. A self-assessment in the automotive sector based on the Drive Sustainability question set and run on the NQC platform. Within the Volkswagen Group it is applied as the S-Rating, and a positive result is a precondition for business for the relevant sourcing volumes.
Customer-specific supplier questionnaires. Sustainability question sets sent by large buyers in their own formats.
Most of the documentation infrastructure is shared across these assessments. A policy and evidence set built correctly once can answer multiple requests.
Why do scores fall short?
There is no policy, or its scope is unclear. If it is not written down which locations, employee groups and suppliers the policy covers, it does not earn full credit.
There are actions but no results. When commitments and procedures exist but no indicators, targets or measurement results are presented, the third layer stays empty.
The sustainable procurement theme is neglected. Organizations focus on their own practices and leave their supplier-facing requirements blank; the theme score drags the overall result down.
Documents are not assessment-ready. Undated, unsigned documents of unclear currency or mismatched scope may not be taken into account.
Minimum requirements are overlooked. On the SAQ side, there are minimum requirements that must be met regardless of the total score.
Scope of the service
1. Current-state and gap analysis
- Building the document inventory against the assessment criteria
- Mapping your existing management system documents and records to the assessment
- Gap report by theme or question heading
- Prioritization and a realistic timeline
2. Preparation of the document set
- Policy set: environment, human rights, business ethics, responsible procurement, information security
- Preparation of supporting procedures and instructions
- Correct structuring of scope, effective dates and approvals
- Definition of indicators and targets
- Company-specific revision of existing documents
3. Building the evidence file
- An evidence mapping table for every criterion
- Document organization, naming and version management
- Language and format suitability
- An archive structure ready for the annual renewal
4. Process management support
- Platform registration, location and DUNS matching
- Interpreting the questions and answering them in the correct scope
- Document upload and mapping support
- Handling requests that arrive during the verification stage
5. Post-result improvement
- Analysis of the scorecard or result report
- Improvement plan by theme and question
- Execution and verification of corrective actions
- Preparation and renewal support for the next cycle
6. On-site check readiness
- Review of on-site check expectations
- Field preparation and internal verification
- Preparation and follow-up of the corrective action plan
Deliverables
- Criterion-level gap analysis report
- Company-specific policy and procedure set
- Evidence mapping table and an organized document archive
- A completed question set backed by evidence
- Improvement plan and tracking table
- Annual renewal calendar
Who is it for?
- Organizations receiving their first EcoVadis or SAQ request from a customer
- Companies that have been assessed but did not achieve the expected result
- Suppliers receiving requests in different formats from multiple customers
- Manufacturers facing the S-Rating requirement in the automotive supply chain
- Organizations building their sustainability documentation from scratch
- Companies preparing for the renewal cycle and aiming to raise their score
How We Work
Mostly remote: because these assessments run on documents, most of the work can be done remotely. Steps that require field work take place at your facility.
Together with your team: documents are prepared specifically for your organization; we do not settle for filling in ready-made templates. What earns credit in the assessment are documents that reflect the organization’s actual practice.
Transparent planning: a step-by-step plan with owners and dates is shared at the start, and progress is reported regularly.
A structure you can take over: the document and evidence framework is designed so that your own team can run it in the following year.
Important Notice
Norma Systems is an independent training and consulting organization. It is not an authorized representative, business partner or approved service provider of EcoVadis, NQC Ltd., Drive Sustainability or the Volkswagen Group.
The service provided is assessment readiness and documentation support. The scoring methodology, thresholds and final result are within the authority of the relevant assessment organization; no specific score, medal or positive outcome is promised.
Related Services and Training
- EcoVadis Preparation Training
- SAQ / S-Rating Preparation Training
- System Audit — supplier sustainability assessments
- SA 8000:2026 Transition Consulting
- Management System Implementation and Certification Readiness
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can we be ready? It depends on your current document maturity. The process is noticeably shorter for organizations with management system documentation; for those starting from scratch, producing the policy set is the main time item.
Do you guarantee a score? No. The score is determined by the organization’s practices and the evidence presented; the methodology and thresholds are set by the assessment organization. Our service is aimed at raising the quality of your preparation.
Do you provide ready-made templates? We use a template infrastructure, but the documents are made company-specific. Documents that do not reflect the organization’s actual practice earn no credit in the assessment.
Do we need separate projects for EcoVadis and SAQ? Most of the documentation infrastructure is shared. For organizations receiving both requests, a single preparation effort is run and the outputs are adapted to each assessment.
Do you fill in the questionnaire on our behalf? Responsibility for the answers rests with the organization. We provide hands-on support in interpreting the questions, defining the correct scope and mapping the evidence.
The assessment renews every year — do we need support every year? Our aim is for the structure to be run by your own team after the first cycle. Annual renewal support is available separately for organizations that request it.
Our result came in low — can we get support after the fact? Yes. Scorecard analysis and an improvement plan is frequently requested as a standalone service.
Get in Touch
We can start with a short call based on the request you received and your current documentation.