BSCI Audit FAQ

Audit scheduling
Auditing
I have an OLD audit from before the cutover to the new platform. How do I handle this ?
A. You should now ONLY use the NEW platform. The new ONLINE FORM should be used to upload the audit
I have an Audit report for a Producer which is NOT in the system. What do I do ?
A. The Producer should first exist in the system, or be created. Get approval from the RSP holder to start an
audit, or start an audit yourself, if you have the MEM code. Open the online form, and complete the audits as
usual.
Where can I change the name of the Auditor in the on-line form ?
A. You can change the name of the Auditor in the on-line form : MASTER DATA - PART A. You can have more
then one Auditor assigned. You can also assign one LEAD-Auditor.
Is a self assessment mandatory ?
A. No it is not. The Self assessment is optional
Does the RE-AUDIT need to follow the new format if the Initial Audit was in the old format ?
A. Yes, from now on the Initial audit AND the re-audit both need to be done in the NEW format.
What is ISMS ?
A. ISMS means Internal Social Management System. Further details on this are available under the
RESOURCES section on teh BSCI website. ISMS is only of importance for PRIMARY PRODUCTION sites.
There is no SAVE button on the page CAP B TIER 1. Will my answers be saved ?
A. Yes, every time you click on a dropdown box or make a different selection, the page will save whatever
change you have just made. This is why there is no SAVE button on this page.
Can a Producer request an Audit ?
A. Yes this is possible. In the Audit Request page, the correct MEM code will have to be entered before the
AUDIT can continue.
How can we include paper copies or signed forms in the respective sections of the online form ?
A. You should be using the on-line form, section "Attached Documents" to upload those documents.
Can we complete the questions in a foreign language ?

A. You have to complete the answers in English, but you may add an local language translations if you wish
to do so. This will make it easier if you want to present a copy of the report to the factory manager for
signature.
When do we use the box AUDIT PARTIALLY CONDUCTED ?
A. You select this checkmark on the Cover page, when you have not been able to complete the entire audit,
or the entire visit, because you were not allowed to visit some part of the premises, or some of the answers
were not provided.
When do I use the checkmark AUDIT ABORTED on the Cover Page ?
A. You can use this box, if you are not allowed entry to the factory, or if during the visit, your are asked to
leave the premises. You should then complete any remaining open questions with NC (non compliant) and
complete your audit report as non-compliant.
Which documents are mandatory to upload ?
A. We refer to the BSCI Social Audit Guidelines to find out exactly which documents are mandatory to
upload. You can use the platform to upload/attach any of these documents. Section 4.2.2 of the document
lists all mandatory documents.
What does this mean : Outsourced Structure ?
A. With Outsourced structures, we mean subcontractros or different legal entities. They are not audited.
What happens if the producer holds a GolbalGap certificate?
A. If the farm holds a GLOBALGAP valid certificate, chapters B.10 (Health and Social Facilities), B.11
(Occupational Health and Safety), and B.13 (Environment) are not to be audited.
Can I export the online forms before going to take the audit ?
A. Yes you can. Of course you must press the START AUDIT button first, to access the Audit screen. The last
option on the left hand menu will be the export option.
Where can I find the OFF-LINE tools for Auditing?
A. (1) Go to the Producer you want to Audit (2) Open his profile (3) Initiate the Audit, the request page will
have to be completed (all sections), and the participant responsible will need to agree or aprove of this audit.
(4) Once validated, you (the Auditor) can use the START AUDIT button from the participant profile, or from
the Audit Scheduler Menu (5) this will bring you to the AUDIT COVER PAGE. (6) The last option on the left is
the export section to print the OFF LINE forms.
Can we give a copy of the CAP B report to the Factory ?
A. Yes you can leave a copy of the CAP B report. This is a static report which shows the results of what you
have entered so far. It is OK to leave a copy of this report behind.
Where do I select the Lead Auditor ?
A. For every Audit, at least one LEAD AUDITOR has to be slected. You may have more than one auditor, but
one person needs to be selected as LEAD. This is done from the page "MASTER DATA PART A" . In the middle

there is a section to indicate the names of all auditors. Add all names of the poeple who have contributed.
Make sure the LEAD auditor is selected in the last column. If this has not been done, press EDIT for the
concerned auditor, then click the checkmark in the last column, and press UPDATE. Don't forget to save the
page.
How and when to use part B tier 2?
A. This part of the BSCI audit questionnaire can only be used once the Tier I has been audited. Notably, Tier
II refers to production units -usually farms- that produce the raw material for Tier I. This Part B Tier II ONLY
refers to the sampled audited units (usually farms) which are part of the ISMS of the auditee. This
questionnaire is also to be used by the internal auditor. Since the internal auditor sample is 2/3 of the total
amount of farms, he/she will need to add as many columns as farms involved in the ISMS. - If a farm has
between one and five workers on a continuous basis, all chapters apply, but the auditor only answers the
questions marked with the letter S. - If a farm has five or more workers on a continuous basis, the auditor
should apply all chapters and answer all questions. Certain questions could, occasionally, not be applicable.
If this is the case, please provide the arguments why a question is not applicable. Please use one column to
score each sampled farm. If the farm holds a GLOBALGAP valid certificate, chapters B.10 (Health and Social
Facilities), B.11 (Occupational Health and Safety), and B.13 (Environment) are not to be audited.
The scoring system in the form of percentage
A. - There is a new audit score in percentages, on top of the 0 -1-2 Within the 13 chapters the number of
questions represented the 100% : for instance in chapter 1 you have 12 questions , if factory failed in 2
questions - the have 10 out of 12 question assessed good the % at the end of this chapter will : 10/12 = 83%
The same approach applies for the overall online form and is visible in the cover page . The 123 questions
contained in the online form represent the 100 % compared to the number of succeeded questions for
instance (4 questions assessed good our of 123 will score a 68% ( 84/123 ) The purpose of this additional
measurement is to provide the BSCI participants with an insight level of fulfilment to complete the 0 1 2
scoring which is more a general scoring. A factory could be assessed NC and have a 93% scoring just
because one crucial question ( or double frame question was assessed 0 ) On the other side a factory could
be arte IN and have a % of only 65%
Who can request an audit?
A. BSCI participant with RSP Producers, suppliers and auditors provided that they enter the RSP holder name
or Mem-code in the audit request form.
If a producer request an audit
1.Who will have to approve the audit?
2.What if the request is addressed to a BSCI Member without RSP?
A. 1. BSCI participant who holds RSP will have to approve the request 2.The producer will not be able to
proceed , his request will be rejected
What if the RSP holder will not release the RSP Dead-end"?
A. The non RSP holder will not be able to proceed and will have to wait for the RSP holder to follow up on the
CAP deadlines
What if you dont want to release the RSP, how is the other participant notified, there is no reject button?
A. You just press on the reply button and notify that you do not want to release RSP.

What if you receive a RSP release request, without the release button?
There is no release button.
A. When a release RSP is sent to you and you accept to release RSP , you should enter the producer profile in
your producer list and click on the green button Release RSP
Will it continue to be possible to simply provide a member code to a producer who then proceeds and
requests the audit himself while allowing the audit company to create the producer record and upload the
audit report (preferably without our interference)? That is by far the most efficient process for large
companies like ours with thousands of producers.
A. Yes through the mem-code auditors can request audits on your behalf provided that you hold RSP for this
producer, if not they will be blocked . If you set up your producer audit announcement method to notify only ,
they will be able to proceed without your interference .
What report can CBs or BSCI participants send to their customers ?
A. The Platform will provide the possibility to convert the on-line audit questionnaire into a PDF document in
2013. Meanwhile, we would suggest you provide your client with the off-line questionnaire (Excel) converted
into PDF. If you are not able to do so (because the report has been already submitted and you cannot
download it into Excel. Then, please save Cover Page and CAP into PDF. You can do it (each page separately)
by clicking at FILE, PRINT and then select PDF adobe as a print. You will then save both documents and sent
them as attachment. These two documents contain the relevant information needed that your client might
be interested to know.
An Audit has started and I want to DELETE the request. How do I do this ?
A. The Audit company can at all moments CANCEL a request via the AUDIT SCHEDULER. The first column in
the grid contains a DELETE REQUEST BUTTON. This can only be done if it is in REQUEST status. If the audit
has started (you have pressed START AUDIT) then the audit can not be deleted anymore. If you are not
granted access to do an audit at a factory, you should still complete all forms, but clearly mention ( as per
BSCI guidelines ) that the Audit is aborted, and mention the status is NC for NON COMPLIANT
Where can I find the remarks from auditors in the new online questionnaire ?
A. Click on column Summary Chapter Part B tier I (between Chapter Guidelines and Sub-chapter) You will
open a pop-up window (similar to the CAP window) and the auditor can there make his/her remarks per
chapter.
How can auditors delete audit requests?
A. Auditorscan delete an audit request after it has been scheduled and/or started. There is anew delete icon
on the left side of the grid. When an auditor clicks this button the audit request is marked as audit deleted
by requestor and if they started an audit on the audit platform that is also deleted. The ability to see this
delete column in the schedulercan be editedin roles manager.The admin can givethe auditor role the
permission to see the delete audit column. Ifthe auditorfeel that the auditor employees should also be able
to see the delete audit columnthey can add the permission.

Auditing ON LINE Form

I want to use Chinese, Japanese, or Korean characters in the ON-Line form of the Audit
questionnaire. Part of the questions are showing up all garbled. How can I solve this.

A. Make sure you have installed the correct ASIAN LANGUAGE pack on your computer. This
MICROSOFT document explains the details :
https://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/enus/int_pr_install_languages.mspx?mfr=true

The re-audit option is not available in Score Area?

A. This is because the re-audit has been previously selected in the type of audit. Having done that
first identification of the scope, questions scored in Part B can be: Not rated: Because there is no
corrective action to be followed up, Not applicable: For the questions that where not applicable at
the time of the previous audit and remain not applicable. Rated + if the question re-audited has
the corrective actions implemented in a satisfactory manner. Rated - if the question re-audited has
the corrective action implemented in a way that is not satisfactory and therefore the negative rating
is keep. For additional topics that were not supposed to be re-audited but the auditor felt the need to
report the findings, these questions will be scored - and a corrective action allocate to them.

Action verified is not available in CAP B?

A. The field Action verified have been removed from the CAP window. Instead, you will report as
described below: On the field CAP You copy and paste the finds from the previous audit setting the
date of that audit at the beginning of the sentence. (e.g. July 1st, 2011: It was observed) In a
separate line you will then add the date of the re-audit and the relevant comments about the actions
taken by the producer. (e.g. July 1st, 2012: It was observed that) If such actions are satisfactory in
the professional judgement of the auditor, he will confirm that those actions are effective and the
CAP will be considered completed, (Select YES in the relevant field). If such actions are not
considered satisfactory in the professional judgement of the auditor, he will describe that those
actions are not effective and why. The CAP will not be considered completed. (select NO in the
relevant field). As you see, you will use the field CAP both to report the initial corrective action and
how this action was verified

When we conduct re audits , how do we handle the information from the previous audit that are
pulled up automatically in the re audit form?
How does the offline import works in those cases ?

A. Within the new platform, the full audit report remains as a separate document in the progress of
the producer. In this case, the full audit is identify as audit 2355 whereas the re-audit you are
about to conduct is audit 3559. As a way to support the auditors in conducting the audit, the reaudit reports appears temporarily filled with the same information that the full audit. This allow the
auditor to save tremendous amount of time as instead of having to fill in ALL information from
scratch, he or she will just overwrite whatever information has changed. (E.g. number of workers in
the master data). Here some recommendations on how to fill in the re-audit report: If you are doing
that on-line: You will go through the master data A and verify that all information is still valid, if not
you will update it accordingly. You then go through Part B Tier I and use the filter Score type to
select all questions rated + and then changes them to not rated. You have to do this change
one by one. You use the filter score type again to select all question rated - . You will now click
on the body of each question to allow the CAP window pop-up. At the top of the sentence provided
from the full audit, you will type in the date of the full audit. (E.g.. 17 DECEMBER 2012 Inconsistency
was noted between the production records and employees' attendance records ()) in a separate
paragraph but as part of the same CAP text box you will write the re-audit conclusions. 01 FEBRUARY
2013 No incontinency was noted between production records and employees attendance. The
problem has been fixed. Then you click at save and close and you do the same for each question.
You continue with the verification of the other items in the report to make sure that the information
is all up-to-date. (it is the picture of 1st February 2013). Once the re-audit report is properly filled in
you will submitted. It will appear in the progress of producer above the related full audit report.
Alternatively, if you are using the off-line document you will follow a similar logic. You will go through
the master data A and update the information as needed. Under Part B tier I you will filter all

questions rated + and change them to not rated. Please noticed that questions rated not
applicable in the full audit report will remain as such. Then you will filter questions rated - and
edit the text in the column CAP as per instructions mention above (1.c) Finally you will go to Audit
import/export bottom and import the re-audit in Excel. The new information will populate the on-line
re-audit report. After careful verification that the data is accurate, you may then submit.

Branches
How do I connect a Producer to a Branch ?
A. You log in as branch, you find your producer with the SEARCH function, and you add himto your list, with
the " + " option.
How do I assign RSP to the Branch level for a company ?
A. Contact BSCI with the details, and we will take care of this.
Do I have to create branches ?
A. No, this is not required, if you have a small turnover this maynot be necessary. It can be usefull if you
want to set up offices to group thme by geographical area / by activity / by Product group.
How can I transfer employees to a Branch ?
A. Yes this is possible by accessing the my company tab in your dashboard then select the employee to be
transferred, click on the edit pencil icon , and pick up the destination branch in the drop down list branches

Can the ADMIN of the Mother Company also be the ADMIN of the Branch ?
A. As the system does not allow the use of the same email more than once, No, this is not possible, unless
you create a second email address for the same person.
Does the ADMIN of the mother company see the email and alerts of the Branch ?
A. Yes, the Mother Company sees all Branch Email and Alerts.

Bulk Upload
I have many error messages while trying to upload my XLS file. I wonder if there is anything wrong with my
file format ?
A. When you are uploading an XLS file, make sure the XLS file is saved as XLS 97 workbook format. The
extension of the file should be XLS. If newer versions of XLS the extension by default may be XLSX this will
NOT work

Communication flow within the platform

Can you turn off the notifications?

A. As some notifications and alerts require action from the users it is therefore not possible at the moment to
turn off this function without impacting the audit process

When will the export function of the producer list be up and running again?

A. In December 2012

How can you assign responsibilities to colleagues in different parts of the company or have them
share your responsibilities?

A. Through the manage roles function under the Administration tab and menu users and sub menu
"manage roles " you will be able to assign roles to your teams .You can create a new role from a blank view
or use the existing role by default and adapt the rights according to the tasks of your teams.

What is the difference between the Primary Contact and the ADMIN person ?

A. The difference between an Admin and a primary contact - the admin has all rights to edit his company
profile, add new employees, assign roles to the employees, add branches....etc... the only thing a primary
contact does is he is the person that others can contact when they need to contact the entity. Their role is a
participant employee, or a producer employee with limited rights and no access to commitments .So they
have no special access or anything, they are an employee but they are the first point of contact for anyone
looking at the entity profile page. The only way for anyone in the db to contact another entity is to click that
'Send Email' button next to a contacts name. If the entity admin ( YOU ) wants to be the first point of contact
then they would add themselves as the primary contact (and they would do this by clicking the 'Add Existing
Contact' button in the contacts section). If they want to make one of their employees the first point of
contact they would add one of their employees as the primary contact. So in short there are no special
privileges for a primary or secondary contact, they are just the person who will receive emails from other
entities trying to reach their company. ADMIN gets : Release RSP Request RSP Alerts Audit request Approval
of audit request Confirmation from audit company Invitations to capacity building Replies from producers or
suppliers on capacity building invitation Email to link participants Primary contact gets Emails sent through
the email button The platform allows for more than one contact, so if someone emails the primary contact
and doesnt get an answer (they are on vacation or out sick, etc) the can then email a secondary contact.
There is no way in the platform to contact the entity admin person unless they are listed as a primary or
secondary contact. Others user do not see the admin person unless you appoint yourself as primary contact
therefore if you want to centralize the communication flow , we would recommend to assign the primary
contact role to you

Who has access to data submitted through the BSCI Database?

A. The BSCI is an initiative of the Foreign Trade Association (FTA), an international non-profit organisation
constituted under Belgian law. In other words, the BSCI is part of the FTA, and the BSCI Platform is run by the
FTA. Pursuant to the applicable Terms of Use of the BSCI Platform, the FTA undertakes to treat all data
submitted by users of the BSCI Platform as confidential and to disclose such data only to the extent required
for the functioning of the BSCI Platform and the rendering of BSCI-related services. As a result, no person or
legal entity that is not a user of the BSCI Platform will gain access to the data. What is more, users of the
BSCI Platform are only allowed access to specific information, based on their role. For instance, auditors gain
access to information regarding a BSCI Participant and its supply chain only on the basis of consent of the
BSCI Participant, whereas access rights of BSCI Participants, suppliers and producers vary according to their
position in the supply chain.

How do I create a read only role without the possibility to add or delete a producer?

A. To create a new role, press the "Administration" tab, once you are in the administration section, press
"Users" and then "Manage Roles". You can create a new role or edit an already existing role. New Permission
My Producer List If you check the create box here you will be able to see the add to my producer list icon

when searching the database. When creating a read only role you would NOT check this box If you check the
delete box here you will be able to see the trash can icon (delete producer) in your producer list. When
creating a read only role you would NOT check this box New Permission My Supplier List If you check the
create box here you will be able to see the add to my supplier list icon when searching the database.
When creating a read only role you would NOT check this box If you check the delete box here you will be
able to see the trash can icon (delete supplier) in your supplier list. When creating a read only role you would
NOT check this box

How does the FTA use data submitted through the BSCI Database?

A. Any use of data by FTA must take place in compliance with its obligation of confidentiality, and this
confidential nature of the data is taken into account when FTA generates data sets or reports on the basis of
the data. Consequently, the main public result of use of the data by FTA is statistics, with consolidated
figures but without names and without private information regarding purchase volumes etc.

General Platform Question

How can I change my access password?

A. Go to your [OWN PROFILE] page. Press the EDIT PROFILE button. Just below where you would see your
picture, there is a button which is labeled : CHANGE PASSWORD.

Is it possible to turn off the possibility for an auditor to create a producer for you?

A. If needed, we could in the future foresee remove the mem-code of those participants that do not want
auditors or producers to request audits on their behalf . This means that you will have to request all your
audits

Can I change the EMAIL address of an employee ?

A. You can now change the email address of an employee. When you change the email address, the
employee will receive a new "welcome" message, asking him to join the platform. To change the email
address, you NEED TI BE ADMINSTRATOR, and follow these steps : Log on as administrator From the righthand side dashboard, click on your company nmae (just below BSCI Home) You will have a list of existing
employees which displays. Find the employee that you want to change. At the very right, click ont eh edit
icon (pencil icon) The EDIT EMPLOYEE screen comes up, Change the EMAIL field. Save your changes

How to change my employees email

A. Entity Admins have the ability to change their employees email address on their company home pages. If
they change an email address a new welcome email will be sent to the user.

Self assessment

Why arent the SAS and CoC visible in the progress of the producers section ?

A. Simply because these are confidential documents that mention the name of the customers and that you
might not want to publish in the public section seen by all. Once you receive the Coc and SAS you can easily
upload the files in your own section for you to monitor and follow up on the process

The self assessment.

A. In the old database the self-assessment was online , visible in the producer record , translated in 5
languages ( Hindi , Tamil, Bangla, Chinese, Turkish ) Producers could either enter the data online or print the
form and submit to their customer or auditors in attachment. In 2014 we have been proceeding to the
revision of our audit form and self-assessment , the audit form was finalized and built into an online form .
The new self assessment will be built in online format in the coming months, once the laucnh of BSCI 2.0 has
been consolidated. The procedure is that the Self assessment should be downloaded by the producers , filled
in and sent back to the BSCI participant or auditor by using the email feature in the platform with attachment
. the Coc and SAS are sent by the producers and suppliers to the BSCI participants individually as an
attachment then you upload the Coc and SAS in your private information section in the producer profile .

Where do you as a participant upload the CoC + SAS for the producer?

A. In the private information section of the producer profile.

Suppliers and producers

What happened to the Self Assessment? Where can I find it?

A. In the old database the self-assessment was online , visible in the producer record , translated in 5
languages ( Hindi , Tamil, Bangla, Chinese, Turkish ) Producers could either enter the data online or print the
form and submit to their customer or auditors in attachment. In 2014 The BSCI has been proceeding to the
revision of our audit form and self-assessment After consultation and revision process , the online form has
been finalized and built online.The new self-assessment will be built online once the BSCI 2.0 system is
consolidated . The SA can be found under the resources section in the Starter producer Kit. The procedure is
as follows : the Self assessment should be downloaded by the producers , filled in and sent back to the BSCI
participant or auditor by using the email feature in the platform with attachment . For the Code of Conduct ,
it will be also visible in the resources section for the producers and suppliers to sign it and send it back to
their customers through the platform via the email feature . The BSCI participants can then upload these
docs : Code of conduct and self-assessment in their private information space . Why arent they visible in the
progress of the producers section ? Simply because these documents contain confidential data that
particpants might not want to disclose to all users of the platform.

Do you have any instructions for the database for producers and suppliers?

A. Training material for suppliers and producers will be posted in the platform by beginning of December
2012.