Compliance Management
Sumerra Compliance Management is a service designed to assist Brands, Licensees and Suppliers in managing the audit process in a more streamlined and effective manner. Compliance Management programs are on-going, and in many cases, each program is developed specifically to meet the needs of a particular client (whether it be a Brand, Licensee or other association). Sumerra manages the audit process from start to finish, including scheduling the audit with an approved, Third Party Auditor; managing any payment transactions; verifying the results and providing a score; creating a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and working with the factory to follow-up on and remediate outstanding CAP findings. The process is a continuous flow, with Sumerra tracking the steps and providing notification along the way (including notice when the next audit is due).
The Compliance Management Program is highly flexible, offering a customizable solution to meet the specific needs of the client, including driving consistency in audit results, freeing up internal staff to focus on improving compliance performance throughout the supply chain and providing an effective monitoring program. Benefits include:
- Consistency – All audits are reviewed by Sumerra to ensure Brand standards and applicable laws are applied when rating or grading audit results
- Increased Resources – By outsourcing the management of the audit process, Brand, Licensee and Factory resources are freed up, allowing them to focus on remediation and issue mitigation
- Effective Monitoring – Sumerra manages all contracts with third party audit firms. Auditors are trained and approved by Sumerra to ensure Brand standards and audit protocols are implemented
- Improvement – Corrective Action Plans are provided to the Factory/Licensee after the audit; Sumerra can follow-up with the factory to ensure effective remediation plans are in place
- Collaboration – Utilizing Sumerra’s network of clients, it becomes easy to share audits between different Brands/Retailers or Licensees. This results in lower costs, fewer audits and a more effective auditing program
Sumerra has partnered with several Brands and Organizations to build custom Compliance Management Programs. We work hard at creating a program that benefits all parties involved. Sumerra has trained and approved Third Party Auditors on a global scale and strives to provide continuous feedback to help the Auditors continue to improve. Sumerra not only has the necessary knowledge and experience for reviewing audits, but we also pride ourselves in our attention to detail, organization and ability to manage a process.