Supplier capability audit in India
Clear To Load's supplier capability audit (factory audit) in India checks that a supplier exists, is legally registered and has the capacity and quality system to deliver your order. It costs US$449 per audit day, plus travel by band, and ends in a scored 8-section report with photographs and basic social-compliance observations. It is not a SMETA or amfori BSCI audit.
- Price
- US$449 per audit day
- Report
- Within 24 hours
- Coverage
- Any factory in India
- Result
- Cleared to load · Hold · Not cleared
A factory audit asks whether a supplier can make your order, not whether a finished lot passes. Clear To Load's version is a supplier capability audit: it scores legal status, capacity, quality control and subcontracting at an Indian factory, and adds basic social-compliance and environmental observations. It is not a SMETA or amfori BSCI social audit. To prepare, use the factory audit checklist for India.
What the capability audit looks at
The auditor walks every production step, from material store to packing, and checks documents against what is on the floor.
| Check | What the inspector does |
|---|---|
| Legal existence | Company registration, GST registration and Importer Exporter Code (IEC), and that the address matches. |
| Capacity | Machinery, workforce, floor space and current order book against your volumes. |
| Quality system | Incoming material checks, in-line QC, final inspection and record-keeping. |
| Subcontracting | Which processes are done outside the factory, by whom and where. |
| Workforce and safety | Basic social-compliance observations: working hours, age verification, and health and safety on the floor. This is not a SMETA or amfori BSCI audit. |
| Environment | Waste, effluent, chemical storage and the permits that apply. |
When to audit a supplier in India
An audit changes most when it comes before money moves. Plan it into supplier selection, not after the first order goes wrong.
| Step | When | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Shortlisting | Before the first purchase order or deposit | Audit the two or three suppliers you are choosing between, at the sites where your goods would actually be made. |
| Your booking | At least the notice for the factory's travel band (table below) | We confirm the inspector, date and price within 24 hours. |
| Audit day | A normal production day | On a holiday or during a shutdown the floor is empty and capacity cannot be judged. Semi-announced audits need the owner or manager on site. |
| Report | Within 24 hours of the visit | After supervisor review. The scored report comes with photographs. |
| Re-audit | Periodically, and after a move, expansion or change of ownership | Capacity and subcontracting change faster than registrations. |
| Monsoon (June to September) | A useful time to look | Roof leaks, damp stores and waterlogged yards show in the monsoon, so it is a good time to see how timber, fabric and cartons are stored. |
| Diwali (October or November) | Avoid the festival weeks | Many workshops close or run with fewer workers around Diwali, which hides real capacity and working patterns. |
Notice by travel band
Notice runs from your booking to the audit day. Unannounced audits are scheduled within a window you agree with us, not a fixed date. Check your factory's band on the coverage page.
| Band | Where | Notice | Travel fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | Jodhpur | Same day when an inspector is free, otherwise 1–2 working days | No travel fee |
| Band B | Jaipur, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Delhi NCR or Kolkata, where our other inspectors are based | Same day to 3 working days, depending on the city | US$99 per man-day |
| Band C | Anywhere else in India | Up to 5 working days, depending on distance | Actual travel cost, quoted before you book |
Audit cost per audit day
A capability audit is priced per audit day: US$449, plus travel by band, report included. The number of audit days depends on the size of the site and on how many subcontracted units you want visited; we confirm it before you book.
Worked example. A buyer is choosing between two furniture suppliers in Jaipur, which is in Band B, and audits both on separate days:
| Line | Sum | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier 1 | US$449 + US$99 Band B travel | US$548 |
| Supplier 2 | US$449 + US$99 Band B travel | US$548 |
| Both audits, before tax | US$1,096 |
One audit day in Jodhpur costs US$449, with no travel fee. Anywhere outside our base cities, actual travel is added and quoted before you book. Compare that with a deposit paid to a supplier that subcontracts your whole order. See pricing for all rates.
What auditors find at Indian factories
Subcontracting and home-based work
In Indian craft clusters, carving, finishing, embroidery and other steps are often done by smaller units or home-based workers. An audit should map these, because they affect both quality and social compliance.
Documents to expect
GST and IEC registrations, factory licence, fire and pollution-control consents where applicable, wage and attendance registers, and contracts with subcontractors.
Capability audit, SMETA or amfori BSCI: which one do you need?
| Audit | Who runs it | Main focus | When you need it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear To Load capability audit | Clear To Load | Legal status, capacity, quality system and subcontracting, with basic social and environmental observations | Choosing a supplier, or re-checking one before a large order |
| SMETA | Audit companies approved under the Sedex scheme | Ethical trade: labour standards, health and safety, environment and business ethics | When your retailer or customer asks for a SMETA report |
| amfori BSCI | Auditing companies approved by amfori | Social performance against the amfori code of conduct | When your company or customer is an amfori member and requires it |
A capability audit and a social audit answer different questions. If a scheme audit is required, the factory needs one from a firm that scheme approves. Our capability audit is not a pre-audit to any scheme: its social observations can show obvious gaps early, such as missing registers, but they do not follow a scheme's protocol. How each scheme is booked is in SMETA, BSCI and capability audits in India; the desk checks to run before any visit are in how to verify an Indian supplier.
What the audit report gives you
Cleared to load Hold Not cleared
The report is scored in 8 sections, including process, capacity, quality control and subcontracting, with photographs. It lists the registrations and documents seen, maps the subcontracted processes and where they happen, and records basic social-compliance and environmental observations. Each weak point is described so you can raise it with the supplier before you order.
We have not published a sample audit report. The six sample reports are product inspections; they show our photo and finding style, and the kind of process weakness, such as the badly filled cracks in Sample 04, that a capability audit looks for in the factory's quality system.
See all sample reports- Sample (ISO 2859-1, level II, code G)
- 31 pcs
- Critical defects
- 0 · zero tolerance
- Major defects (AQL 2.5)
- 0 · accept ≤ 2
- Minor defects (AQL 4.0)
- 2 · accept ≤ 3
- Quantity vs PO
- 181 of 181 offered
- Barcodes
- Scanned · passed
Often booked with factory audit
Pre-production inspection
Verify materials, components and the golden sample before production starts.
Pre-shipment inspection
A final random check of finished, packed goods before you release payment.
During-production inspection
Catch systematic defects while there is still time to fix them.
Factory audit: questions buyers ask
Why is it called a capability audit and not a social audit?
Because it is scored on whether the supplier can deliver your order: legal status, capacity, quality system and subcontracting. Its social-compliance and environmental notes are basic observations, not a scheme audit such as SMETA or amfori BSCI.
Is your audit accepted as a social audit by retailers?
Our factory audit is a scored capability and quality audit with basic social-compliance observations. It is not a SMETA or amfori BSCI audit. If your retailer requires one of those schemes, the factory needs an audit by an approved firm under that scheme. Our audit is not a pre-audit to any scheme, though its social-compliance observations can show obvious gaps early.
How much does a capability audit cost?
US$449 per audit day, plus travel by band: none in Jodhpur, US$99 per man-day in our other base cities, and actual cost elsewhere, quoted before you book.
Can an audit be unannounced?
Yes, semi-announced and unannounced audits are possible. They give a truer picture but sometimes mean the right people are not on site.
How do you detect subcontracting?
By comparing capacity and machinery with order volumes, walking every production step, and asking workers and managers where each process happens.
Can you audit a trading company's factory?
Yes. We audit the site where your goods will be made. If a trader will not name or open the factory, that is recorded as a finding in itself.
Know before it ships
Tell us the product, the factory's city and your ready date. We confirm the inspector, the notice time and the price before you book.