Auditor & Consultant

Third-party auditors and compliance consultants provide the independent validation that regulators, buyers, and certification bodies demand. Auditors conduct systematic examinations of processes, records, and controls against defined standards — whether that's a supply chain audit for modern slavery compliance, an ICT risk assessment for DORA, or a conformity assessment for CE marking. Consultants guide organisations through compliance implementation, from gap analysis to documentation to regulatory engagement. Their signed reports, certifications, and assurance letters serve as the objective proof behind compliance claims.

Self-declarations have limitations. Most compliance frameworks explicitly require or strongly prefer third-party verification. For regulated certifications like CE marking, a notified body must review technical files for certain product categories. For ESG reporting under CSRD, limited or reasonable assurance from an accredited auditor is mandatory. For supply chain due diligence under CS3D, independent audits of high-risk suppliers demonstrate the thoroughness that regulators expect. Even when not strictly required, third-party audit evidence substantially strengthens compliance claims in the event of regulatory investigation or buyer scrutiny.

The main categories are supply chain audits (modern slavery risk assessments, forced labour prevention verification, CS3D due-diligence validation, supplier code-of-conduct compliance audits), regulatory compliance sign-offs (GDPR readiness assessments, DORA ICT risk evaluations, AI Act conformity assessments, CE marking technical file reviews by notified bodies), certification body services (ISO certification audits for 14001, 45001, 27001, B Corp certification, GRI report assurance, SBTi target validation), and financial and ESG assurance (carbon credit verification, EU Taxonomy alignment assessments, CSRD limited and reasonable assurance, TNFD disclosure review).

Audit reports and consultant certifications attach directly to the relevant compliance frameworks in Sustalium. They appear in audit-only views for regulator access, link to public compliance pages for buyer verification, and remain version-controlled with your compliance record. When an auditor issues a updated report or a certification is renewed, Sustalium tracks the version history and flags expired or superseded documents. For recurring audits, Sustalium maintains a schedule of upcoming assessments and tracks the status of corrective actions from previous audit findings.

Every compliance framework benefits from third-party evidence, but it's essential for frameworks requiring independent assurance. These include CSRD (mandatory limited assurance on sustainability reporting), CE marking (notified body involvement for higher-risk product categories), DORA (ICT audit requirements for critical third-party providers), ISO management system certifications (annual surveillance audits), SBTi (target validation by the Science Based Targets initiative), B Corp certification (third-party assessment every three years), GRI (external assurance options), and supply chain due diligence frameworks like CS3D and the German Supply Chain Act (independent audit of high-risk supply chain activities).