IntegrityNext is a free supplier self-assessment with short Yes/No questionnaires. Sedex is a paid membership platform where you complete a self-assessment questionnaire and, if a customer asks, commission a SMETA audit. EcoVadis is a paid sustainability rating: analysts review your documented evidence and publish a scored scorecard.
As a supplier, you usually do not choose between them. Your customer chooses the platform. This guide explains what each one means for you, and what to do when several customers use different platforms.
Platform details and links checked 4 October 2026.
Short answer
| IntegrityNext | Sedex (SAQ and SMETA) | EcoVadis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is it? | A supplier sustainability and compliance assessment platform | A membership platform for sharing responsible-business data; SMETA is its audit methodology | A sustainability rating based on a questionnaire and documented evidence |
| Who pays? | Not you. IntegrityNext says invited suppliers pay nothing | You. Supplier membership is charged per site per year; suppliers own and pay for SMETA audits | You. A subscription is required when you submit the questionnaire |
| What do you do? | Upload a recognized management-system certificate or answer a short Yes/No questionnaire per topic | Complete the self-assessment questionnaire; host a SMETA audit if requested | Complete a customized questionnaire and upload supporting documents |
| What does your customer get? | Your answers and topic results, shared automatically with the inviting customer | Access to your shared Sedex data and, if one exists, your SMETA audit report | Your scorecard with a 0–100 score, strengths and improvement areas |
| Certification, rating or audit? | None of these. It is a self-assessment that IntegrityNext does not verify | The SAQ is a self-assessment. SMETA is an audit methodology, not a certification | A rating. Medals rank you against other assessed companies |
| Can one replace another? | A recognized certificate can replace a topic questionnaire. IntegrityNext publishes no statement that a SMETA report or EcoVadis scorecard replaces its questionnaire | A SMETA report can be shared with several customers through Sedex | A recent SMETA audit usually exempts you from EcoVadis site verification. It does not replace the questionnaire |
Whether a customer accepts one platform's output in place of another is that customer's decision. Ask them in writing.
Side by side
| IntegrityNext | Sedex | EcoVadis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to the supplier | Free for invited suppliers | £224 (Standard) or £374 (Supplier Plus) per site per year, plus any SMETA audit fee | Tailored by company size, plan and location; Basic, Premium, Select and Corporate plans |
| Question format | 5–22 Yes/No questions per topic questionnaire | Questionnaire tailored to industry, size and country | Questionnaire customized by size, industry and location |
| Time the platform states | "Should take no longer than 60 minutes" for the questionnaires | Not stated on the pages checked | Scorecard publication typically 6–8 weeks after submission |
| Who checks the answers | Nobody. IntegrityNext says it does not verify accuracy | SMETA audits are carried out by Sedex-approved Affiliate Audit Companies | EcoVadis analysts review the evidence |
| Output | Topic results shown as green, yellow or red | SAQ data; SMETA audit findings and a corrective action plan | Scorecard; medal or badge when eligible |
| Validity | Updated when you revise answers or the questionnaire changes | Membership is annual | Scorecard and medal valid 12 months from publication |
| Sharing with other customers | Share your existing profile with new requesting customers | One shared profile and SMETA report for multiple customers | Share your scorecard while your subscription is active |
If your customer asks for IntegrityNext
IntegrityNext says there are no costs for an invited supplier. Its terms state that a supplier account is free of charge and that you can add colleagues at no cost.
For each assessment topic, you either upload a certificate for a recognized management system or answer the topic questionnaire. IntegrityNext describes these questionnaires as 5–22 simple Yes/No questions and says answering them "should take no longer than 60 minutes."
Submitted answers are shared automatically with the companies that invited you. Results appear as green, yellow or red depending on your answers. You can update a submitted questionnaire later, and the update is shared again.
IntegrityNext's terms say it does not verify the accuracy of what you enter. Your answers are your company's claims. Do not answer Yes on the strength of a policy that covers a different legal entity.
The terms also describe monitoring of news about suppliers ("Critical News") alongside questionnaire results. Your customer may see more than your own answers.
Do not assume IntegrityNext accepts a SMETA report or an EcoVadis scorecard in place of a questionnaire. The official pages checked mention management-system certificates, not audit reports or ratings from other platforms.
Preparation steps are in the IntegrityNext questionnaire guide.
If your customer asks for Sedex or SMETA
Sedex is a membership platform. Sedex lists supplier membership at £224 per site per year (Standard) or £374 per site per year (Supplier Plus), billed annually in GBP, with regional taxes possibly applying. Membership includes a self-assessment questionnaire tailored to your industry, size and country.
SMETA is a separate step. Sedex says it owns the SMETA methodology but does not carry out audits; approved Affiliate Audit Companies do. You must be a Sedex member to have a SMETA audit conducted. Sedex also says SMETA is "a continuous improvement methodology rather than a certification." An audit produces findings and a corrective action plan, not a pass certificate.
Sedex says suppliers own and pay for their SMETA audits, and a single report can be shared with multiple customers through the platform. Sedex does not publish an audit fee on the pages checked. Ask the audit company for a quote.
Check which job is open: the SAQ, a SMETA audit, or both. The Sedex SMETA preparation guide and the SAQ guide cover each.
If your customer asks for EcoVadis
EcoVadis says its assessment is a paid service based on documented evidence. The questionnaire is customized by company size, industry and location. Analysts review your answers and documents before the scorecard is published.
Subscription fees depend on company size, plan and location. Newly invited companies may get a free questionnaire period of up to six weeks, but a subscription is required at submission.
The scorecard shows a score from 0 to 100. Medals are awarded by percentile against companies assessed in the previous 12 months: Platinum top 1%, Gold top 5%, Silver top 15%, Bronze top 35%. Medals and scorecards are valid for 12 months. Sharing a scorecard requires an active subscription.
On SMETA, EcoVadis says that a company which has provided a valid, relevant audit report, such as SMETA, RBI or BSCI, conducted within the previous two years, will generally not be selected for EcoVadis site verification. That is the recognition EcoVadis describes. It does not say a SMETA report replaces the EcoVadis questionnaire or score.
More detail: the EcoVadis supplier guide and EcoVadis medal levels explained.
If several customers use different platforms
Many suppliers get requests from more than one platform. One customer uses IntegrityNext, another asks for Sedex, a third sends an EcoVadis invitation. The platforms do not share answers with each other.
Each platform lets you reuse its own output. IntegrityNext lets you share an existing profile with a new requesting customer. Sedex lets you share one profile and SMETA report with several customers. EcoVadis lets you share a valid scorecard. None of them carries your answers into a competitor's questionnaire.
What does carry across is your own evidence. The same facts recur: certificates, policies, workforce data, health and safety records, energy and emissions figures, ethics controls, supplier requirements. Prepare those records once, then answer each platform from them:
- Keep one current file per fact: the figure or statement, its source document, legal entity, sites, period and owner.
- Check certificate scope and expiry dates before uploading them to IntegrityNext or citing them in EcoVadis.
- Reuse an approved fact, not an unchecked sentence. A Yes/No answer in IntegrityNext and a documented answer in EcoVadis need different levels of support.
- Record which customer received which version, and when.
- Ask each customer whether an existing scorecard, profile or audit report satisfies their request before starting again.
Do not promise a customer a score, medal or result from any platform. Each platform and each customer decides how the information is used.
For the broader method, see answering multiple ESG questionnaires. For a comparison that includes CDP, see EcoVadis vs CDP vs Sedex.
Official sources
- IntegrityNext: Are there any costs involved?
- IntegrityNext: What resources will be required from me?
- IntegrityNext: How do I answer / complete the assessment?
- IntegrityNext: How do I share my profile with other customers?
- IntegrityNext terms and conditions
- Sedex supplier membership
- Sedex: SMETA audit
- Sedex: SMETA vs in-house audits
- EcoVadis: What is the EcoVadis assessment process?
- EcoVadis subscription costs
- EcoVadis: Understanding medals and badges
- EcoVadis: Subscription period and scorecard validity
- EcoVadis: On-site verification