Your suppliers do the paperwork. You keep every decision.
Supplier approval for food manufacturers. Suppliers upload their certificates and specifications to their own portal, and Qualanta checks each one against your rules so your team only sees the failures and the decisions.
A Libra Europe product
Today
3 for you
- Review
Certificate scope does not cover the material
Exception · BRCGS Food Safety
- Query
Sub-component has no country of origin
Exception · Specification v2
- Decide
Supplier ready for an approval decision
Decision · Risk band Low
- Chase
Questionnaire not started
Onboarding task · overdue
The supplier file is usually an inbox and a spreadsheet.
Certificates arrive as email attachments, and their expiry dates sit in a spreadsheet until someone remembers to look.
Without Qualanta
With Qualanta
Chasing suppliers by email
Reminders go out 60, 30 and 7 days before a document expires, and every 3 days once a task is overdue.
Re-keying certificates by hand
The system reads type, dates, grade and scope from each certificate, and a person confirms what it found.
A spreadsheet of expiry dates
A nightly check of every expiry, review date, concession and due date, with a record of what it did.
Evidence spread across inboxes
Every decision and every email kept on the record it is about, word for word.
The same questions, every year
A valid certificate answers the questionnaire questions it covers, and the supplier keeps one profile for every customer.
Specifications as loose PDFs
Specifications completed as structured records, with every gap against your requirements listed.
A certificate is read and checked the moment it lands
New document from Cwm Valley IngredientsException raised: scope
Read by Qualanta
Confirm fields Confirmed by you- Document type
- BRCGS Food Safety
- Site
- Valley Way, Cardiff
- Grade
- AA
- Issued
- 21 Aug 2026
- Expiry
- 25 Aug 2027
- Scope
- Dried herbs, spices, seasonings
Checked against your rules
- TypeMatches the request
- ExpiryIn date
- GradeAA meets your minimum
- ScopeDoes not name tomato paste, which this site supplies
Expiry runway
Step 1 of 3: Qualanta reads the certificate
It pulls out the type, site, grade, dates and scope, and a person confirms what it found. It never approves anything on its own.
A risk score built from the supplier's own answers
Most sections are pre-filled from the certificate, the agent link and the supplier's documents, and each is scored 1 to 3 against your template. The band sets the next review date, so no supplier drifts past review.
Supplier risk assessment
Cwm Valley Ingredients Ltd · raw material supplier
- Accreditation statusBRCGS AA, in datePre-filled
- Service historyNo non-conformances in 12 monthsAnswered
- Number of products11 to 20 finished productsPre-filled
- Physical riskSieved and metal detected on siteAnswered
- Allergen riskCelery and mustard handled on sitePre-filled
- Vulnerability statusLow on the last assessmentAnswered
- ChannelDirect from the manufacturerPre-filled
- Supplier locationUnited KingdomPre-filled
- Ethical considerationsSEDEX memberPre-filled
Step 1 of 4: Most sections arrive pre-filled
Six of the nine come from what Qualanta already holds, such as the certificate and the supplier's documents. The supplier answers the rest, like service history and physical risk.
Specifications checked before anyone signs
The supplier fills in sub-components, origins and the 14 allergens. Qualanta compares the specification with your requirements, turns each gap into a query, and both sides sign once it is clear.
Specification v2 · Spice blend
Completed by Cwm Valley Ingredients Ltd
Sub-components
| Paprika | 40% | Spain |
| Cumin | 25% | India |
| Black pepper | 20% | Vietnam |
| Mustard seed | 10% | Missing |
| Celery seed | 5% | Egypt |
The 14 allergens
- Sub-components add up to 100%
- Every allergen in the ingredients is marked as contained
- Each sub-component has a country of origin: mustard seed. Query sent to the supplier.
Step 1 of 4: The supplier lists every sub-component
Paprika, cumin, black pepper, mustard seed and celery seed, each with its share of the blend and its country of origin. Mustard seed has none.
Four steps from invite to approval, and who acts at each
The same steps run again at each periodic review, and for every new material source.
- 01You
Invite the supplier
Say what they will supply and which of your sites they serve, and Qualanta sends the invite.
In detail
- A buyer or the technical team raises the request: company, contact, supplier type, what they supply and the sites they serve.
- If the company is already on Qualanta it is linked, not duplicated.
- The invite email is shown to you before it is sent, and the onboarding tasks are set up for that type of supplier: manufacturing site, agent or service provider.
- 02Supplier
They enter the data
From an emailed link, on a phone or at a desk, the supplier fills in what you need.
In detail
- They confirm company, sites and contacts, then sign each of your policies that applies to them.
- They complete your questionnaire. Questions a valid certificate already answers are filled in from it and linked, so only the rest are asked.
- They upload the documents you require. Agents link the manufacturing sites they supply through.
- 03System
Qualanta checks, scores and chases
Every document is checked, every risk is scored, and late suppliers are chased without anyone asking.
In detail
- Each document is checked for type, expiry, grade and scope. Each failed check becomes one exception, with the evidence beside it.
- The supplier risk assessment is pre-filled from what the supplier has given, and banded by your scoring.
- Reminders, overdue chasers and escalations to the owner go out on their own, and each one is logged.
- 04You
You decide
Your team reviews only the exceptions, then approves, sets conditions, asks for more or rejects.
In detail
- Accept, query or override each exception. A query reaches the supplier as a task; an override needs a reason.
- Approval authority follows the risk band: high risk needs the technical manager.
- Conditions of approval become scheduled obligations. Approved supply goes on the Approved Supply List with its band and next review date.
Suppliers onboard themselves from their phone
They upload a certificate, confirm what Qualanta read from it, and find the questions it already answers filled in. Your team re-keys nothing, and reminders do the chasing.
- Confirm your company and sites
- Sign the supplier policy
- Upload your BRCGS certificate
- Complete the questionnaire
- Upload your allergen statement
We read this from your certificate
Three answered from your certificate
Do you hold a GFSI-recognised certificate?
Answered by your certificateIs a HACCP plan in place for this site?
Answered by your certificateAre metal detection checks recorded?
Answered by your certificateAre you a SEDEX member?
YesIs there a documented recall procedure?
Yes
All done
Submitted to Pilot Foods Ltd. You will hear if they need anything else.
5 of 5
Step 1 of 4: Their tasks, on their phone
The supplier opens the portal from your invite. Two of five tasks are done, and next is to upload their BRCGS certificate.
The exceptions queue, worked down to nothing
Every failed check from every supplier lands in one queue. Accept it, query it or override it with a reason, and each decision is kept with who made it and when.
Exceptions
4- Cwm Valley IngredientsAllergen handling statement · MissingQueried
- Polyform Pouch FilmsPackaging certificate · Expired two days agoRenewal queried
- Indus Grain TradingSpecification v2, basmati · Origin missing on one sub-componentQueried
- Shieldline Pest ServicesPublic liability insurance · Expiry not found on the documentOverridden, reason given
Decision log
Override on Shieldline insurance by the technical manager: a letter from the broker confirms cover until March 2027, attached.
Step 1 of 4: Every failed check, in one queue
Four exceptions from four suppliers. The first, a missing allergen statement from Cwm Valley Ingredients, is queried.
From a failed check to an approval
Exception · BRCGS Food Safety certificate
Scope does not name the material suppliedScope covers the material: check passed
Query the supplierAcceptOverride with reasonSupplier portal · a task, due in 5 days
Answer a query about the certificate scopeRevised certificate uploaded and read
SupplierDecision · risk band Low, so a compliance or technical manager may approve
ApproveWith conditionsRequest infoRejectOn the Approved Supply List
ApprovedRisk band LowNext review in 3 years
Step 1 of 3: Your team queries the exception
Accept it, query it, or override it with a reason. A query goes to the supplier as a task.
The Approved Supply List, built from the records
Only approved, in-date suppliers and material sources appear, each with its risk band and next review date. When a certificate lapses with no replacement, the source comes off overnight. Export it to Excel or PDF for an audit.
Approved Supply List
ExcelPDF| Material and supplier | Band | Next review |
|---|---|---|
| Basmati riceIndus Grain Trading, via 2 mills | Medium | Mar 2028 |
| Tomato pasteCwm Valley Ingredients | Low | Jun 2029 |
| Retort pouch filmPolyform Pouch FilmsCertificate lapsed overnight: off the list | Low | Jan 2029 |
| Spice blendCwm Valley Ingredients | High | Nov 2027 |
| Pest controlShieldline Pest Services | Low | Sep 2029 |
Step 1 of 3: Built from the approved records
Each approved, in-date material source is listed with its supplier, its risk band and its next review date.
From the first invite to the annual review
Each of these is a structured record, so reports and audit packs are printed from it.
Onboarding and approval
The supplier fills in their side, and your team approves from the same record.
In detail
- Company details, sites, signed policies, the questionnaire and required documents, entered by the supplier.
- Decisions: approve, approve with conditions, request more information, or reject. The decision email is shown before it is sent.
- Each manufacturing site behind an agent is risk-assessed and approved in its own right, with its own status, review date and conditions.
Risk assessments
Supplier, raw material and vulnerability assessments, pre-filled and banded by your scoring.
In detail
- Supplier risk: sections scored 1 to 3, with a total that sets the band. Red-flag sections in your template force high risk whatever the total.
- Raw material risk: food safety, integrity, commercial, ethical and security of supply, each banded. Medium and high categories need mitigations.
- Vulnerability: likelihood, detectability and profitability give a priority number and a band.
- Pre-filled where the data already exists: agent route, SEDEX membership, spend, volume, product count and allergens handled. The band sets the next review date.
Specifications
Versioned specifications, completed by the supplier and signed by both sides.
In detail
- The 14 UK allergens, each marked contains, may contain or free; sub-components with percentage and country of origin; chemical, physical and microbiological limits; claims, species, shelf life and storage.
- Compared with your requirements, with every gap listed as a check. Queries go to the supplier and close when answered.
- Accepted specifications are locked. Any change creates a new version and reopens review, and the material source shows it is under change.
Concessions
Temporary deviations from specification that end on time.
In detail
- Each concession carries a reason, the deviation, an end date and an approver.
- It is active until its end date, flagged in the week before, and closes on its own.
Monitoring and periodic review
Expiries, review dates and due dates are checked every night.
In detail
- Suppliers are reminded 60, 30 and 7 days before a document expires, and every 3 days once a task is overdue. After 7 days overdue the customer owner is told.
- With no accepted replacement, an expired document expires the supplier or material source, and it appears on Today.
- On each review date the review opens with its tasks: confirm details, re-sign changed policies, confirm specifications, renew documents.
Non-conformances
Raise an issue at a desk or on a phone at the line, and see it through to close.
In detail
- Severity sets the response due date: minor, major or critical.
- The supplier responds with containment, root cause, corrective and preventive action, and evidence. You accept it or return it with comments, then close it once verified.
- Two or more major non-conformances in 12 months prompt a review of the supplier risk assessment.
Approved Supply List
Only approved, in-date supply, ready to export.
In detail
- Approved suppliers, sites and material sources, each with risk band, status and next review date.
- Exports to Excel and PDF.
A full audit trail
Every email and every change, kept on the record it belongs to.
In detail
- Every email the platform sends is logged word for word on the record it is about.
- Every change is recorded with who made it, what changed and when, and cannot be edited.
- Reports on demand: compliance status, overdue items, the risk register, supplier scorecards, and a supplier record printed as an audit pack.
Answers for a technical director weighing Qualanta up
Who in our team uses it?
Technical managers make final approvals and own the risk. Compliance managers run approvals and review exceptions.
Technical admins look after specifications, documents and chasing, buyers request new suppliers and materials, and QA raises non-conformances from a desk or on a phone at the line.
What does starting involve?
Your existing suppliers, materials and Approved Supply List come in from spreadsheets, with a column-mapping step.
You set your questionnaires, policies, risk scoring, thresholds and approval authority once in Settings, then give Qualanta an email address for each supplier.
Does the AI approve anything?
No. It reads uploaded certificates and suggests the document type, issue and expiry dates, certifying body, grade and scope. A person confirms every field.
Approval decisions are always made by a person, and high risk needs the technical manager.
Will our suppliers really use another portal?
They sign in from a link in the email, with no password to remember, and it works on a phone.
Each screen asks for one thing, and questions a valid certificate already answers are filled in for them.
A supplier also works with another manufacturer. What can they see?
A supplier’s profile and certificates exist once, and the supplier chooses what to share with each customer.
Your view of the supplier (approval status, risk assessments, non-conformances and notes) belongs to you and is never visible to their other customers.
Can we keep our own scoring and approval rules?
Questionnaires, risk templates, red-flag sections, thresholds and approval authority are set per customer.
By default, low and medium risk can be approved by the compliance or technical manager; high risk needs the technical manager.
What about the supplier list we already have?
Existing suppliers, materials and your Approved Supply List can be imported from spreadsheets, with a column-mapping step, and existing documents can be filed against them.
What do we show an auditor?
The Approved Supply List, the risk register and compliance reports, exported to Excel or PDF, and any supplier record printed as an audit pack.
Behind them sits a full history of who changed what and when, and every email sent, word for word.
Who emails our suppliers, and what do they say?
Emails go out in your name, sent via Qualanta, and you see invites and decisions before they are sent.
Every email is logged on the record it is about, so you can always read exactly what a supplier was told.
Does it connect to our ERP?
Not yet. Spend, volume and product counts are entered by hand today.
A link to Sage X3 is on the list for a later version.
Where is our data held?
The application and its database run in London.
Can our team practise without touching live records?
Yes. Training mode lets people walk through the work with nothing touching live records and no email sent.
Talk to us about how you approve suppliers.
Tell us how you approve suppliers today, and we will walk you through Qualanta working the same way.
Talk to Libra about Qualanta
Qualanta is built and supported by Libra Europe, and we will take your team through it.