One of the most fundamental RBA programs is the Validated Assessment Program (VAP), which is a leading set of standards for RBA Code compliance verification and effective, shareable on-site assessments conducted by independent, third-party firms. The RBA Code sets the principles for the VAP, and assessments are independently conducted by third parties that have been approved by RBA to execute the VAP protocol. The RBA does not itself conduct or validate assessment results. As the program has grown it has become more complex, with hundreds of third-party auditors from 18 independent firms in more than 40 countries.
A typical VAP onsite assessment at a manufacturing facility or a service provider location may last 1-5 days, depending on the risk and complexity of their operations, and includes a thorough document review, interviews with management and employees and a visual site survey.
Where VAP assessments uncover non-compliances to the protocol, those findings are rated by severity as “minor,” “major” or “priority.” All three categories of findings have specified periods of time during which the facility in question should remedy the findings and implement systems to prevent recurrences. Remedy and prevention measures are part of corrective action plans (CAPs). Remedy and prevention are ultimately the responsibility of each company; however, the RBA can help companies with these measures when appropriate.
VAP Recognition Program
The RBA recognizes that the primary value of an on-site compliance assessment is not only in the identification of issues at a factory, but also in the correction of those issues. We want to recognize those factories that close the issues identified in a VAP assessment, as determined by the independent, third-party auditor.
Only full VAP assessments for manufacturing facilities are eligible for recognition. Additional details on the VAP Recognition Program can be found in this overview and these FAQs.
Assessment Cooperation Program
A key initial impetus for the founding of the RBA, and one of its continued benefits to its members today, is the practice of sharing assessments. Many RBA members share common suppliers, and those suppliers also share suppliers. Whenever a single RBA member assesses its own or a supplier’s facility, the member can share the report with other customers of that facility that are also RBA members. Sharing assessments save RBA members and their suppliers millions of dollars each year, which not only creates business efficiency but also ensures that cost is less of a barrier for companies seeking to ensure that their facilities and those of their suppliers are living up to the RBA Code of Conduct and protecting workers and their communities.
In 2018, the RBA began a new project to increase sharing of assessments, known as the Assessment Cooperation Program.
VAP Resources
View the current RBA VAP Standard in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Translations are provided as additional resources to increase accessibility, however, please note that the official document for standard interpretation and reference is the English version. In case of any translation discrepancies, the English version takes precedent.
The RBA Auditor Guidebook details the standards, conduct, and qualification requirements that independent third-party audit firms and auditors are expected to maintain, in order to meet the standards set for the RBA VAP suite of programs.
To initiate a VAP assessment, or for additional information on the program, contact the RBA VAP Team at VAP@responsiblebusiness.org.
