Release date: August 2023
New features - August
New home dashboard for Buyer and Buyer/Supplier members
We've redesigned the home page to streamline our users' experience.
SMETA Audit enhancements
ZAF code is now presented against each finding on the audit findings page. All users can now see the ZAF code against each submitted finding, simplifying report comparison and cross-referencing.
The finding due date for audit findings has been improved. It's now clearly labelled as "Due Date" and will turn red when overdue, highlighting when action is needed.
The date a finding is closed will appear on the audit findings page. This will allow users, particularly members, to monitor when action has been taken.
Findings raised in a SMETA Audit can be filtered by finding type, criticality, and due date, allowing members to prioritize their review.
We have now added site contact details to the CAPR and SMETA PDFs that are generated following a SMETA audit on the new platform.
We have added Additional Auditor's APSCA numbers to the CAPR and SMETA PDFs. This will help members validate that all of the auditors conducting SMETA audits are registered with APSCA.
Three new issue titles addressing extreme weather conditions have been added. This will allow auditors to capture findings that relate to the impact of heat stress on workers' health and overall welfare.
Site contact details are now presented in CAPR and SMETA PDFs. Members can now view the contact information which will be pre-populated from their site profile if it's provided.
Release date: July 2023
New features - July
Add a new site to your account
User admins can now effortlessly add additional sites to their accounts from the menu.
SMETA Audit
You can now see that a follow-up audit has been scheduled when you access your supplier site's latest full SMETA Audit.
Users can view a site's previous audits from the Audit details page by clicking on the relevant ZAA number.
Suppliers can now easily view their Management Controls Report
Suppliers can see how well their business is performing once they complete and submit their Goods Provider Self-Assesment Questionnaire (SAQ) from the homepage.
Release date: June 2023
New features - June
Seamless audit continuity
Auditors can now perform Periodic SMETA audits on the new Sedex platform, meaning open non-compliances and observations will carry over to the next full audit with Periodic SMETA audits, ensuring a smooth transition and reducing the risk of missed compliance issues. Allowing for comprehensive and continuous assessment of your suppliers' compliance.
To streamline audit the process, all SMETA audits submitted to Supplier (B) members will automatically be published if not manually published by the supplier within 14 days of submission. This makes accessing your suppliers' audits faster and easier.
Improvements to the My Audits & Findings and SAQ Analysis & Answers Reports
The My Audits & Findings report has been updated to prevent findings duplication. This report now includes trading relationships and corrective action information. The SAQ Analysis & Answers report and the Management Controls at My Business report have also been released, both within the New My Supply Chain folder.
Radar
Radar users can now access new Risk Assessment and Site Assessment reports, temporarily located in the New Risk Management folder. These reports have been updated to include data from the new Goods Provider SAQ.
Enhancement for audit firms
Audit company admins can now receive email notifications each time a CA/Dispute is raised. Additionally, schedulers and audit company admins can now prevent audits from being scheduled for sites with a 'new' membership status.
Release date: May 2023
New features - May
We're excited to announce the following updates we've made to the Sedex platform in May:
New and improved Self-Assessment Questionnaire for Supplier Members
We've launched a new Goods Provider SAQ for all Goods Provider type sites in Supplier member accounts that were either newly created since May 17th or were at 0% SAQ completion on May 17th.
New and updated reports
Management Controls at my Business: This report provides your supplier with actions they can take to manage risk at a site. It will only apply to sites that have completed the New Goods Provider Self-Assessment Questionnaire. You can download the guide on how the new report works.
SAQ Analysis and Answers: This report allows you to download the question and answers of your supplier’s sites from both SAQs. You can watch the walkthrough video here.
Improved Site Status Table
We've added buttons to view SAQ, Audits, and Site information when clicking on a supplier site in the Site status table, making it easier to view a supplier's SAQ, Audit, or Site information.
Account Management Button
We've added a new Account Management button to the quick menu, allowing you to manage your users or company information with ease.
Company Admin users can now quickly edit their company information through the new platform.
Membership Renewal Banner
A banner will now appear when a supplier has 3 months left of membership to allow them to renew for up to three years.
Audit improvements
The audit nature in the audit dashboard filter has been updated to combine all audit natures under Full Initial, Periodic, and Follow-up.
Buyer/Supplier members can now easily access their audits using the 'View audits' widget on the home dashboard.
Release date: April 2023
New features - April
We're excited to announce the following updates:
Insights widget - for Buyer and Buyer/Supplier members
We've launched a new Insights widget highlighting where the most severe non-compliances (NCs) are in your supply chain to help you take action. The Insights widget has been designed to help you manage supplier compliance more effectively, giving you greater visibility and control over your supply chain.
My Links - improved user interface
We've launched some improvements to the User Interface (UI) of the My Links page in the Sedex platform. These updates will make it easier for members to navigate and manage their supply chain data. These improvements are part of our ongoing efforts to make the Sedex platform more user-friendly and efficient.
Supplier dashboard - add a new site
Supplier members now have the ability to easily add a new site to their account.
Audit
Generate a new CAPR and SMETA PDF when an audit is in a state of ‘Published’ showing the latest state of findings - All users can generate a new CAPR and SMETA PDF report when findings are closed during a desktop review, to show the progress suppliers are making to rectify issues identified during their audit.
Filter audits by date, auditor, audit nature and audit status - Members can find the most relevant audit much more quickly without scrolling through pages of audits.
Present audit start and end date in CAPR & SMETA PDF footers - Users have visibility of the full audit length in the PDFs instead of only seeing the start date if the end date has also been provided.
CAPR signature date will be editable, not pre-populated - The accurate signature date can be provided if the CAPR is signed digitally after the audit takes place or if the status is changed back to started
Tooltip for Auditors in CAPR declaration page detailing what to do when any exceptions are identified - Auditors will have better signposting on where to document exceptions for an audit
Highlight changes made to the SMETA report during a follow-up audit - Any changes that are made to the SMETA report during a follow-up audit will be highlighted to show what has changed since the last full audit
Allow decimals for % fields in SMETA report - Auditors will be able to provide more accurate answers within the SMETA report
Schedulers can assign desktop reviewers when corrective actions and disputes are raised- Schedulers are notified when actions are taken on findings to allow them to assign reviewers as well as Audit Company Admins.
Desktop Reviewers can view disputes raised against findings with a ‘follow up’ verification method and amend findings if required following a dispute -
Findings can be updated if a dispute is accepted to ensure they are accurate.
Present ZU code and timestamp against findings history - All users can see who has raised/ accepted/rejected corrective actions/ disputes and when the actions took place, to help track time to resolution and support with troubleshooting.
Release date: March 2023
New features - March
We're excited to announce the following updates:
Updated x2 Analytics reports - click here to learn more
My Tracker report: We've combined the old tracker and Site Compliance reports and added data from audits conducted in the new platform. Now, users can view new platform data and Advance data all in one place. The old tracker reports will continue to only contain Advance data.
My Audits and Findings: The new Audits & Findings report combines data from audits conducted in both the new platform and the Advance platform. Users can now view new platform data and old Advance data together in one report. The old reports will continue to only contain Advance data.
My Links
We have swapped the ‘Via’ and ‘Supplier’ columns on the My Links table so it’s easier for members to understand which are Indirect links.
Adding a ‘Last updated’ column so users can see when a link was most recently updated.
My Links panel - Search for the site in the link. Users can search links with many sites for a specific site and sort sites alphabetically or whether the site is active in the link (image below).
Audit
❗ Complete Follow-up SMETA audits on the new platform: We are thrilled to announce, that we have launched the new Follow-up audit journey in the Sedex platform, which will enhance the auditor's experience and help them perform their role more efficiently. New Follow-up audits will be pre-populated with carried-over findings and the previous SMETA report, removing duplication and reducing time spent. Auditors will also now be able to raise corrective actions on behalf of suppliers whilst on-site to reduce any delays in closing non-compliances.
Buyer members can read more about Follow-up SMETA audits here.
We have reduced SMETA Audit PDF sizes by compressing photos, so users can now easily download a copy of the SMETA Audit PDF.
Buyer users can now view the finding history for their supplier's audit findings in the new platform. This means that when a corrective action or dispute is raised, rejected or accepted, buyer users will be able to view the comments and evidence that was attached. Similarly, if a finding is closed you will be able to view the actions that were taken (image below).
Release date: February 2023
New features - February
We're excited to announce the following updates:
Supplier Dashboard
Supplier members with subsidiaries can view their site's on the Supplier Dashboard.
My Links
Introduction of new tabs in the Links table and new icons for viewing, accepting and rejecting a link:
Received - View and action your outstanding link requests.
Sent – Vlick your outstanding sent link requests.
Linked – View your existing links.
Unlinked - View customers and suppliers that you have unlinked from.
Bin – View your cancelled or declined link requests.
Buyer members are able to use the Search box to find: the name, ZS/ZC number, address and, membership status of another Sedex member.
Audit
Schedulers and Audit Company Admins can now edit audit details in all states until the audit is submitted to a supplier. This means that the audit date, assigned auditors and audit pillar can all be updated during an audit if requirements change.
Generate a draft CAPR and SMETA PDF at any point during the audit process until an audit is submitted to the supplier. This is to allow Auditors and Reviewers to check the information within the PDF is accurate and formatted correctly before sharing it with a supplier.
Release date: January 2023
New features - January
We're excited to announce the following updates:
Audit
Autosave is now live on the new platform. This means that if a user enters information into the CAPR or SMETA forms and clicks out of the page or refreshes their browser without clicking save the information will remain in the forms. This should prevent the risk of data loss.
Reviewer comments to auditors are now visible in the platform when an audit is sent back to the auditor (alongside the email that is triggered to auditors). This information is visible to the Audit Company Admin and Sedex Admins to help monitor quality where changes are requested to an audit
Schedulers, Audit Company Admins and Sedex Admins can now delete audits in Created or Started states when the audit has been scheduled by mistake or the audit has been cancelled. This means that they can delete the audit until the CAPR is signed and therefore the visit has taken place.
Schedulers can now only select a site to audit by using the ZS number instead of site name. We hope that this will reduce the risk of the wrong site being chosen and therefore remove the need for moving audits from one site to another.
Schedulers can now schedule/ amend an audit for the same day. This will help when the audits are last minute, or if an auditor is unable to attend the site schedulers can change the assigned auditor on the date of the audit.
We have now updated the ‘external auditor’ feature so that schedulers can only search using either the auditor's email address of ZU number instead of the APSCA number.
Root Cause when adding a finding is now optional. This was causing challenges for auditors when the supplier is unable to provide a root cause.
My Links
Accept a link request from the My Links panel
It now defaults to select all sites for the supplier when requesting or accepting a link request. Supplier is able to de-select the sites or untick specific sites
Release date: December 2022
NEW: SMETA 6.1 full initial audits are now digital
Auditors
We've made the full initial audit journey digital for audit firms (AACs). So through the new platform, it is now possible to:
Review and publish an audit
There are improvements for buyer and suppliers members too:
Overview of changes for suppliers - click here
Overview of changes for buyers - click here
December 2022
NEW: Manage your supply chain on the new platform
My Links page
We've made improvements to the My Links page so you can now:
Accept, reject or cancel a pending link
Edit your visibility rules
Watch the short walkthrough video or read more about the features here.
Release date: November 2022
NEW: All supplier members can now access the new dashboard
Supplier Dashboard
The dashboard in the new platform allows suppliers to:
Quickly view and edit their company and site information
Easily add information about their workers and details about their employment
Access and edit their Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) in Advance
View when their Sedex membership expiries or add another site
View their links or set up a link to new customers
Multi-site suppliers can now access information for individual sites
My Links page
Release date: July 2022
View and search your linked customers and suppliers
My Links page
The 'My Links' page displays all the commercial relationships that you are linked to on the Sedex platform.
In Sedex Advance, this is known as your relationship data (My Relationships). On this page, you will see all accepted and rejected links, as well as sent and received pending link requests.
With an intuitive page design and improved search and filter functionality, you’ll find your links much easier.
If you have any questions about the information shown on this page you can visit our FAQs article to find out more.
Release date: May 2022
Reduce the time it takes to link to Sedex members
Link to your suppliers or customer’s on the new platform
You can now easily request to link to your customers and suppliers. Letting you view or share: site, Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), and ethical audit information quicker than before. Allowing you to gain visibility of your supply chain and enhance your responsible business journey effectively and efficiently.
With ‘Set up a link’ you can:
✅ Reduce the time it takes you to view your supplier’s information or share your information with a customer
✅ Receive email notifications when the link is accepted
✅ Track the progress of sent link requests
Once a link request has been accepted a Buyer will be able to see their Supplier’s sites, membership, SAQ, and Audit information in Site Status, Analytics, and Radar.
Check out this short walkthrough video or find out more information about setting up a link in our FAQs.
Updates to the Supplier Dashboard
When new suppliers are invited to join Sedex from the platform, they will now be able to complete their Company and Site information within the new platform. Making it even faster and easier for new suppliers to complete their onboarding.
We've also added status bars to each section so suppliers can easily tell how much they have left to complete.
Release date: April 2022
Updates to the Site Compliance Report
Our members have given us some great feedback so we have made some improvements to the Site Compliance Report:
✅ You can now choose to 'opt-out' of audit cycles.
✅ We have added an additional status and business-critical non-compliances to the Non-Compliance metric block.
✅ We have added helpful tool tips to the Non-Compliance metric block to show the percentage of your supplier base that falls into each category.
✅ When you select filters they are now represented in a filtered data sheet when you download it.
✅ We’ve added an information button that explains how to configure and download the report; as well as adding a link to the walkthrough video.
You can view a short walkthrough video of the Site Compliance Report.
To view your Site Compliance Report:
Login to Sedex Advance
Select Sedex Analytics
Navigate to the My Supply Chain folder
Select Site Compliance Report
Release date: March 2022
We’ve made it easier for new suppliers to complete the Self-Assessment Questionnaire
Improvements to the Self-Assessment Questionnaire on the new platform
We’ve improved the design of the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and reworded some of the questions, making it easier for your new suppliers to complete and understand. Available in English, Spanish or Simplified Chinese.
Important note: only suppliers who have been invited through the platform and have one site will be able to complete the SAQ on the new platform. Existing suppliers or suppliers with more than one site will continue to complete the existing SAQ in Advance.
Find out more
If you would like to learn more about the new Self-Assessment Questionnaire read our FAQs for Supplier members or Buyer members.
You can also find out how you can invite your suppliers through the platform with our short walkthrough video.
Quick, actionable insight about your supply chain
New report in 'Sedex Analytics'
We have launched a new Site Compliance Report that gives you an overview of your suppliers' compliance information in one place - saving you time and resource
To view your Site Compliance Report:
Login to Sedex Advance
Select Sedex Analytics
Navigate to the My Supply Chain folder
Select Site Compliance Report
Insight that drives decisions
In one report you will see your suppliers' Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) completions, membership status, audit status, number and criticality of non-compliances, and Radar risk scores.
Build the report around your business
We know every business manages its supply chain differently, so you will be able to edit and set your own compliance criteria for your suppliers.
Manage your supply chain and direct resource where it is needed most
Manage audit cycles for the first time, allowing you to keep on top of which suppliers are due for a new audit.
Find out more
If you would like to learn more about the Site Compliance Report you can watch this walkthrough video or read our FAQs.
Release date: February 2022
Search for your suppliers and link them to your customers quickly and easily.
Updates to 'set up a link' feature
We’ve simplified the linking process for Buyer/Supplier (A/B) members. Your customers no longer need to manually accept multiple relationship requests, and your suppliers can accept a link request with one click of a button, saving everyone time on administrative tasks.
Find out more
If you would like to learn more about setting up a link between your suppliers and customers you can watch this walkthrough video or read our FAQs.
Release date: January 2022
Quickly onboard new suppliers to Sedex
Updates to the ‘Invite a supplier’ feature
When a Buyer member invites a new supplier to join Sedex through the new platform It is now quicker for a new supplier to register with Sedex. We’ve added a new and improved onboarding journey for suppliers that have one site.
Once you send the invite, your supplier will confirm their site address is correct and will be guided to create a username and password. When they log in for the first time, they’ll be taken to a new supplier dashboard to:
Pay for their membership
Complete information about their company
Fill in the required information about their site
Once these three steps are completed your supplier is onboarded and they will then be able to complete the Self-Assessment Questionnaire.
Giving suppliers a better experience to register and pay for their Sedex membership means you can onboard more suppliers, much faster.
Never 'Invited a supplier' in the new platform?
If you would like to use the ‘Invite a supplier’ feature watch our walkthrough video or read our Frequently Asked Questions.
Release date: October 2021
Find out which suppliers haven’t received your invite
Updates to the ‘Manage invites’ feature
You can now see which invites haven’t reached your suppliers. We have added a new tab to the Manage invite feature called “Not delivered”. This will show you the email address of the invites that have been sent but not delivered.
Release date: September 2021
Onboard suppliers quickly with reminders
Updates to the 'Invite a supplier' feature
We know your suppliers are busy. To help, we're going to start following up with suppliers who do not respond to the first invite you send them from the new platform. An automated email will be sent to follow up with your suppliers to accept your invitation. Allowing you to gain visibility of your supply chain quickly and efficiently. The supplier's Company Administrator will receive email reminders to confirm the link request.
Release date: July 2021
We've made it easier for you to link to existing supplier members
Updates to the 'Invite a supplier' feature
Initiate a link with a supplier: when you Invite a supplier through the new Sedex platform, you can see if they are a Sedex member. If they are a Sedex member, you can now create a link with one click of a button - making linking a much more seamless process. When you link with a supplier's specific site or subsidiary, the supplier's Company Administrator will receive an email to confirm the link request. When the link is accepted you will receive a confirmation email. You can see the supplier's response in the Relationship area within Advance.
The image above shows the journey of linking to an existing supplier member with multiple subsidiaries, through the 'Invite a supplier' feature.
Release date: June 2021
Find out where your suppliers are in the onboarding process
Updates to the 'Manage invites' feature
Check the progress of your supplier as they complete the steps in the onboarding process: when you select 'Manage invites' you can get a better understanding of where each of your suppliers are in the invitation process. We have added three status fields in the 'Sent' tab:
Invitation sent - date of when you sent out the invite to the supplier
Membership payment due - invite has been accepted by the supplier, but they haven't paid yet (note: the date is the date you sent the invite)
Site profile incomplete - supplier has paid for their membership, but they haven't completed the mandatory fields on the Site status, so can't start their SAQ yet.
You should also notice a new tab 'Completed', which will show you the date a supplier completed the onboarding process.
Updates to 'Invite a supplier' - Buyer members
Link to your suppliers during the invite process: when you enter an individual supplier's email address, it will also search the email domain for example "@sedex.com". This is to check if that supplier is already on the Sedex platform, making it much easier to link to your suppliers.
Release date: May 2021
Languages added, personalise your invite email to suppliers, and improvements to Site status
Updates to the 'Invite a supplier' feature
Additional languages: you can now choose to send your supplier invitation email in English, Spanish or Simplified Chinese. Suppliers can also choose their preferred language to accept the invite and connect with you on the platform.
Personalise your invite email: you’re now able to edit the email invite you’re sending to suppliers, add your own message in any language, and add attachments such as pdfs, images, and documents (see below).
The image above shows how you can edit an invite to a supplier via the new Sedex platform.
Updates to the 'Site status' feature
Additional languages: you can view Site status information in English, Spanish and Simplified Chinese (see below)
Updated filters: subsidiary and indirect relationship filters have been updated to display the company name rather than the ZC number
Membership status: you can see a new membership panel in the Site status table
The image above shows the language drop-down menu. This will appear when a user logs into the new Sedex platform for the first time.
Release date: April 2021
**New feature** See membership, Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ), and audit information in one place
Company Administrators can now see the latest membership, audit, and Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) information about their suppliers in one easy-to-use table. We call it Site status. We've built it to save you time accessing this important information and to improve your decision-making.
To start using this new feature, simply login to Sedex Advance and click ‘New Platform’ in the menu bar. If you need any help read our frequently asked questions or contact helpdesk.
The image above shows the Site status table, which can be clicked to find out more information about a specific site.
Release date: April 2021
**New feature** Automatically invite new suppliers via the Sedex platform
Buyer members can now onboard suppliers to Sedex, faster and more efficiently with the new supplier invite feature. It automatically creates relationships, saving you considerable time and effort.
To start using this new feature simply log into Sedex and click ‘New Platform’ in the menu bar. If you need any more information see our frequently asked questions or contact helpdesk.
The image above shows how easy it is to send an invitation to your suppliers via the new Sedex platform.