What is the SAQ?

The Risk SAQ is a comprehensive risk assessment tool designed for facilities to evaluate their compliance with the RBA Code of Conduct. The SAQ addresses various aspects of responsible business practices, including labor, health and safety, environmental considerations, ethics, and management systems. It aims to assist facilities in identifying areas for improvement and creating action plans to address any identified issues. 

The SAQ serves multiple purposes:

• Self-Assessment: It enables facilities to assess their practices against the RBA standards and recognize areas for enhancement.
• Risk Identification: By systematically reviewing different operational areas, facilities can pinpoint and identify potential risks related to labor, health and safety, environmental practices, and ethics.
• Action Planning: The findings from the SAQ can guide facilities in developing action plans to resolve non-compliance issues and improve their responsible business practices.
• Reporting: Facilities can utilize the SAQ to update RBA member companies regarding their compliance status and progress in meeting the standards. 

Steps to Complete the SAQ

All registered facilities will have the chance to complete the Risk Assessment annually. The RBA revises the questionnaire yearly but does not impose a completion deadline. Customers may contact their suppliers and suggest a deadline based on their supply chain requirements.

The SAQ consists of a 3-step structure that also provides an opportunity for scoring improvement through the submission of evidence for control mechanisms and an optional desktop validation of those controls. Only the first step in this structure is mandatory from RBA prior to requesting a VAP assessment. See the graphic below for guidance:

The previous SAQ is now known as the VAP Prep Tool and is optional as a support tool to prepare for a VAP assessment. For more information about the SAQ please visit the SAQ FAQ here. 

How to access the Self Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs)

The SAQ can be accessed from the RBA Portal by following the steps below:

1.     Log in to the RBA Online Portal: https://www.rba-online.org/. Follow the Password Reset Instructions if you do not remember your access details.  
2.     On the left navigation bar, locate My SAQ’s Menu, which will expand, and then select Facility.

      3.   Next on the listing view, you will see a list of SAQs available. Locate the most current one and click on options on the right, then select ‘Edit’.

       The SAQ form will appear for the user to be completed. 

Note that you can download a copy of the questions template by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page. 

4.   Click on the Risk Questions Tab to begin editing the SAQ. The SAQ form can be completed either online using the web browser or offline by selecting the ‘Download to Excel’ Button at the bottom of the page.

•     If you decide to complete the Form online, then we recommend that you save the form every 5 minutes to ensure that the platform saves any new information added to the form. 
•     If you decide to complete the Risk questionnaire offline, you will see a user access prompt. Choose to save the file locally before you start the edit. Then press Ok to proceed.

5.   After you are done completing the Excel document, the next step would be to log back into the RBA Online Portal as shown earlier to upload the questionnaire. Once on the SAQ menu, you will need to select the ‘Upload’ button to attach the newly completed form.

Select ‘+Upload a file’

Then press on close.  The online form will update after a few seconds. After the SAQ is 100% complete, the user will see a button at the bottom of the form, allowing the user to “Release” the submitted information to their Trading Partners.

6. Once released, you will notice that the survey now displays the Control questions. Repeat the activities completed in steps 4 and 5 and release the report.

7.  After the SAQ has been released, the user can edit it or download the report. The SAQ status will be set to Released, and a VAP/CMA/AMA assessment can now be initiated for this facility.

If you have any questions regarding the Facility SAQ, send your queries to Helpdesk@Responsiblebusiness.org