Over the last five years, I’ve seen product suppliers filling out hundreds of supplier questionnaires. And many are asking, for what purpose?
SMEs are increasingly being asked to provide information on everything from climate targets, emissions and reduction activities, to what they are doing to address modern slavery and labour exploitation in their supply chains. Add in certification requests, environmental commitments, and social sustainability reporting, and the process can quickly become overwhelming.
For SMEs with limited time, resources, and influence, completing these questionnaires can feel like an impossible task. Many are also more vulnerable to external economic pressures, which makes allocating time and resources even harder.
And yet, many suppliers do fill them out — with little to no feedback in return.
In this article, we’ll explore their frustration. And what you can be doing to improve things, so we can all work together to tackle modern slavery risk.
The Frustration SMEs Face with Sustainability Self-Assessment Questionnaires
Suppliers tell me:
We complete long questionnaires but don’t know if our practices are sufficient.
We don’t know if we’re meeting the minimum benchmarks (if you have them).
We don’t know if missing information or imperfect answers will mean losing a project.
This lack of transparency creates real frustration. It leaves SMEs questioning whether the time, energy, and resources they invest in responding to questionnaires is valued at all.
Industry collaborations are starting to address this, with initiatives like the Architects Declare – Product Aware Questionnaire and the Property Council of Australia’s Supplier Questionnaire. These efforts are helping to align expectations and reduce duplication, but there’s still a long way to go.
What SMEs Want You to Know
SMEs want to be part of the conversation.
They want to contribute to better social and environmental outcomes. But they also want clarity.
We need to start answering their questions. Things like:
Why does this matter?
Is this a one-off request, or do you expect us to take action?
If action is required, what action will be meaningful, and how will it benefit our ongoing relationship with you?
Because make no mistake — doing this work properly requires time, resources, buy-in, and commitment.
From Frustration to Feedback: What Suppliers Are Asking
It’s time to get clear. Here’s how SMEs want you to take action:
Have meaningful engagement (where possible).
If you don’t have 10,000 suppliers, take the time to engage directly. Real conversations build trust.
Ask for evidence.
Simple Yes/No questionnaires are open to misinterpretation and not every company completes them with integrity. Evidence makes a difference.
Give feedback.
If a supplier has strong environmental practices but weaker social programs, tell them. If you value the work they’re doing on modern slavery risks, let them know. Feedback can take the form of recognition, a corrective action plan, or an improvement request.
The Bottom Line
Suppliers want to do the right thing.
They want to support your ESG goals and play a part in reducing exploitation in global supply chains. But if the process feels like a tick-box exercise with no feedback loop, it creates mistrust and missed opportunities.
If you’re serious about supply chain sustainability, including tackling modern slavery then collaboration, transparency, and feedback are just as important as the questions themselves.
Ready to Move from Questionnaires to Meaningful Supplier Engagement?
If you want to improve how you engage with suppliers on modern slavery — and move beyond one-way questionnaires toward genuine dialogue and action — I can help.
I work with architects, designers, product suppliers and specifiers to develop practical, proportionate supplier engagement strategies that:
set clear expectations for SMEs
reduce frustration and duplication
focus on meaningful evidence and improvement (not perfection)
strengthen long-term supplier relationships
support real progress on modern slavery risk
If you’re ready to create a supplier engagement approach that works for both your organisation and the SMEs you rely on, let’s talk.