All prospective suppliers are required to complete a supplier evaluation questionnaire and submit documentation to demonstrate that they meet the basic legal industry standards and Compass Technical requirements. Food suppliers that pass the initial assessment may be subject to a site audit against Compass Technical standards pending risk category and possession of third party approval. All audits are carried out by Compass Group nominated auditing bodies. Low risk food suppliers possessing BRC accreditation and those located in Ireland certified by EIQA Hygiene Mark negate the need for a site audit.
All Compass Group approved suppliers are required to renew supplier evaluation questionnaires every 36 months. Suppliers that require site audits are re-audited at specified frequencies depending on risk categories. Suppliers manufacturing Compass bespoke products are audited every 12 months regardless of the risk category. All Compass Group approved suppliers are subject to unannounced spot checks.
Procedure for Requesting Product Specifications and Certifications
We pride ourselves on knowing the provenance of our food. If would like more information, follow the steps outlined below:
To request supplier product specifications, halal or organic certifications please E-mail the following information to rebecca.beasley@compass-group.co.uk:
Product description
Product VMC code
Supplier name
Pack size
Storage condition (ambient/ chilled/ frozen)
Please allow 5 working days for your request to be actioned.
Please note that all product specific halal certificates are specific to the product batch and therefore may appear to have expired even though they are actually still valid.
Supplier Auditing - Business Rules
The supplier evaluation and approval process is described below.
New Suppliers
New suppliers are requested by the business on the Foodbuy online helpdesk system. Full details including of the requestor and the new company should be provided on an AVL form (available from the Foodbuy helpdesk team) and uploaded onto the helpdesk system with evidence that the supplier has accepted the Supplier Code of Conduct and Foodbuy T&Cs (links to these are on the AVL Form.
Requestors will also need to provide evidence that the sector MD or FD have agreed to the need for a new supplier to be added to their supplier lists.
Supplier Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ)
All new suppliers are required to complete a supplier evaluation questionnaire (food safety, environment & CR) and submit supporting documentation. The questionnaire is assessed by the Compass Vendor Assurance Team to determine if the supplier is suitable for Compass Group UK & Ireland, what risk category the supplier falls into, and whether a site audit will be required. All suppliers are required to renew the SEQ every 36 months. All suppliers are required to provide valid 3rd party approval certificates (when applicable) and detailed product specifications. Suppliers may also be requested to submit product specifications using Compass Group own format.
Site Audits
When a supplier has passed the SEQ assessment, a physical site audit may be required depending on the risk category and the type of 3rd party food safety approval the supplier may have. Compass Group UK & Ireland accept the following 3rd party food safety accreditations and certifications:
BRC Global StandardsSuppliers with the above mentioned 3rd party approval are required to be audited against the Compass Product Compliance Audit Standard before the final approval to supply can be considered:
High risk suppliers are audited prior to supply.
Medium risk suppliers are audited within 2 months of supply
Suppliers without the above mentioned 3rd party approval are required to be audited against the Compass Technical Audit Standard before the final approval to supply can be considered:
High & medium risk suppliers are audited prior to supply.
Low risk suppliers are audited within 4 months of supply.
Suppliers must close out the non-conformances raised during the site audit within the given timescale (typically 28 days) or the approval to supply will be reviewed. Low risk suppliers with the above mentioned 3rd party approval negate the need for a physical site audit. All Compass suppliers are subject to unannounced spot checks.