New protocols were launched

Two new protocols, Road Risk and Sustainability, were launched. You can read more about these in the news section of our website:

If you’d like to participate in a pilot of either, or both, of the new protocols, please get in touch at scheme.manager@risqs.org. 

Hybrid audits are coming

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new hybrid auditing process. This initiative is designed to streamline and enhance the efficiency of our auditing process, aligning with practices implemented in other auditing schemes.

What does the hybrid process involve?

The new hybrid approach will allow suppliers to upload a portion of the required documentation prior to the audit. This pre-audit review will ensure that the time spent in a face-to-face, or remote, audit allows the auditor to focus on areas that require further clarification or an in-depth review.

Key benefits

  • Increased efficiency: By submitting evidence in advance, you’ll help maximise the time spent adding value to your business from the audit.
  • Targeted focus: Auditors will be able to concentrate on key high-risk evidence, making the in-person, or remote, audit process more effective.
  • Alignment with industry standards: This change aligns us with similar schemes, ensuring that we maintain a consistent and rigorous approach to supplier assurance.

Next steps

  • Audits: You’ll receive notification of a new requirement on the RISQS portal to allow for evidence submission. You’ll receive this notification after you’ve agreed and booked your audit with the RISQS Scheduling team.
  • Platform for evidence submission: Our team will provide details of the platform and guidelines on how to upload your evidence securely.
  • Early adopters: If you have an audit booked and would like to take up this opportunity early, please contact us at scheduling@risqs.org, where we can advise on availability for this.

We believe that this new process will bring significant improvements to the audit experience and help us all maintain high standards of safety and quality. 

Scheme health

For the financial year of 2024 (April–present), RISQS noted that 231 major non-conformances and 1,190 minor non-conformances had been raised. Every non-conformance has the potential to be a risk to personnel, the infrastructure, or the client they’re supplying to. 

Therefore, it’s essential that suppliers take mitigating action when they’re raised and take a positive view that all findings are an opportunity to make improvements and protect their business and those affected by their services.  

Furthermore, an average of 462 suppliers each period held a non-compliant status on the RISQS portal. 

The team has worked exceptionally hard to contact suppliers in this position to help them re-enter a fully compliant status. If a supplier fails to cooperate, however, they will not be visible to buyers on the portal. 

So, please take action if requested to do so. We’ll continue to commit to phone calls and distribute email reminders to prevent suppliers from missing out on potential work. However, we are reliant on you to support us by taking the necessary actions to remain compliant.

Audit scheduling

Following the automation of our audit system, our system can now automatically generate an audit based on your profile requirements.

Please note: This means that if you have an auditable requirement on your profile (RICCL codes or answered ‘Yes’ in your questionnaire to the auditable questions) and you have yet to undergo an audit, an audit will have been created following the launch of our new system. 

Our Scheduling team is currently contacting these suppliers, but we would ask that all suppliers check that their profile is up to date and matches what their business delivers. If the audit is no longer required, your profile will need to be updated to reflect this for the audit to be cancelled by the system.

Industry engagement in 2024

In 2024, we continued our webinar programme, discussing many topics. These included our new portal, non-compliance, procurement regulations, and lessons for the supply chain. In total, over 1,000 scheme members attended our webinar series. You can view all the webinars from this year on our dedicated events page. 

Not forgetting in-person events, over the year, we visited London, Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Newport, and Nottingham. We also joined the Department for Transport at its SME workshops, representing RISQS across the UK.

This year also saw the RISQS team travelling all over the UK with the RISQS roadshow. Visiting five locations, we engaged with the rail industry on the new portal and the Procurement Act, with the opportunity for buyers and suppliers to connect. The RISQS team found the workshops a great opportunity to engage face-to-face with buyers and suppliers. Across the events, we met 250 industry representatives.