Sedex platform transformation: the story so far

Sedex CEO Simon McCalla shares the latest from the Sedex platform transformation – our programme to rebuild Sedex’s core software with next-generation technology and greater capabilities.

Our ambitious plans to transform the Sedex platform are in full swing. I’m incredibly pleased with our progress so far and wanted to share an update on what we have delivered so far for the Sedex community.

I know from speaking with many of you that businesses need a platform to help them respond quickly and effectively to evolving demands from customers, investors and other stakeholders. Meeting this need underpins our plans for the Sedex platform.

Our platform must provide the trusted information, effective tools and data-driven insights that our members need to assess, report on and improve working conditions in their supply chains. The brand-new technology and functionality we’re introducing does exactly that, to help our members build more responsible businesses.

Just a few months into this two-year programme, the changes we have made so far directly support these goals: the supplier onboarding process, a new Site Status feature, and our agile approach to software development.

Though these are just the first of many changes, they have a huge impact for our members. They are evidence of the shift in our approach that I was keen for Sedex to pilot, where we innovate faster, try out features with members earlier, and use their feedback to reach the best solution sooner.

Simplified supplier onboarding

We’ve streamlined and simplified the process for inviting and bringing suppliers onto the Sedex platform, addressing a common challenge for our members.

Automated supplier registration allows members to send and track invites directly from within the platform, and guides suppliers through their onboarding steps. This saves our members and their suppliers a massive amount of time, and makes it far easier for each supplier – ensuring a positive first impression as they start interacting with Sedex.

“Faster supplier onboarding means less cost, time and energy spent on this crucial process.”

Site Status: supplier data in a single glance

The new Site Status feature pulls together several pieces of information on supply chain sites in one place.

Up-to-date membership, audit and Self-Assessment Questionnaire status is laid out in one clear table, giving members instant visibility of their supplier network in a single screen. Search functions, pre-set filters and traffic-light colouring help members navigate sites in just a few clicks.

This is another major time-saver – members no longer have to manually extract and combine this data from separate reports. This means more time for what matters most: taking action to address areas of concern.

Developing at pace to reach the best solution faster

Perhaps the most exciting part of the story so far is that our agile approach to developing the platform is working extremely well. The streamlined supplier onboarding process and Site Status are proof that a different approach to developing our services truly works.

Our teams are getting a first release out of the door quickly, working closely with a small set of members who have early access to new features. This allows us to get more feedback earlier on in the development process, so that we can introduce improvements sooner and build products that are shaped by our members and their needs. We are always looking for more members to get involved with our testing phases – if you are interested in joining our Early Access Groups, I strongly urge you to get in touch.

I came to Sedex in 2019 with a commitment to change our ways of working. I am incredibly proud of what our teams have delivered against this promise so far, and I can’t wait to share more as we introduce more sophisticated elements – like APIs to feed data between our platform and members’ systems, the first of which is now in the testing stage.

Thank you to all those who have supported on this programme so far, especially the Sedex members who have taken the time to test our latest features.