Validated Assessment Program (VAP)

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Validated Assessment Program (VAP)

The RBA Validated Assessment Program (VAP) supports on-site verification of compliance and effective assessments whose results can be shared.

Article contents

What is VAP?
VAP recognition programme
How VAP assessments work
Sharing assessment results
VAP guidance documents
Additional resources

What is VAP?

VAP is a core RBA programme for verifying conformance with the Code through independent, shareable on-site assessments. RBA establishes the programme requirements; approved independent third-party firms perform the assessments. The original article reported more than 4,000 VAP assessments since 2009, with hundreds of auditors from 12 firms in more than 20 countries. These are historical figures, not the current size of the programme.

Responsible Business Alliance — VAP

VAP recognition programme

RBA emphasises that the value of an assessment lies in both identifying issues and correcting them. The recognition programme acknowledges factories that close findings identified during a VAP assessment.

Three levels of recognition

Platinum: a VAP closure assessment score of 200, with all Priority, Major and Minor findings verified as closed.
Gold: a VAP closure assessment score of at least 180, with all Priority and Major findings verified as closed. Remaining Minor findings still require corrective action under the applicable VAP requirements.
Silver: a VAP closure assessment score of at least 160, with all Priority findings verified as closed. Other remaining findings still require corrective action under the applicable VAP requirements.

Only full VAP assessments of manufacturing facilities qualify for recognition. A complete corrective action plan must be submitted through RBA-Online and closure of applicable findings verified through a VAP closure assessment. CMA, AMA and other excluded assessment types do not qualify. Recognition is not an RBA certification or a guarantee that a site has no issues; the site remains responsible for conformance.

RBA — VAP Recognition FAQs (November 2025, version 7)

How VAP assessments work

Assessments of RBA member facilities and their suppliers are carried out by independent third-party assessors trained in social and environmental compliance and the VAP protocol.

A typical on-site VAP assessment may last one to five days, depending on operational risk and complexity. It includes document review, interviews with management and workers, and a visual site inspection. Local-language assessors are used where possible. They are trained to identify difficult issues such as forced labour and excessive working hours, including risks affecting migrant workers.

Assessment reports produced by independent firms undergo review and quality control by an Assessment Quality Manager (AQM).

Non-conformances are rated Minor, Major or Priority according to severity. Each category has defined correction deadlines. The facility must remedy findings and implement measures to prevent recurrence through a corrective action plan (CAP).

Sharing assessment results

Sharing assessments was an important reason for establishing RBA and remains a benefit of the programme. Members often share suppliers, which may also have suppliers in common. A member can share an assessment report on its own or a supplier facility with other customers of that facility that are RBA members.

Sharing assessments reduces duplicate work and costs for members and suppliers. This makes it easier to assess conformance with the RBA Code and support protection of workers and communities.

In 2018, RBA launched the Assessment Cooperation Program to increase the sharing of assessment results.

VAP guidance documents

The following links are reference documents retained from the original article. Some refer to earlier versions or the COVID-19 period. Check the current requirements and document versions on the official RBA website before use. Access to some programme materials may be restricted.

RBA — Current VAP resources