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 🌍 Supplier Audits in 2026: Adapting to Updated Standards

Ben Koziol's profile image
Ben Koziol posted 05-13-2026 01:57 PM

Supplier audits are a critical area where updated standards, training, and certification intersect, especially for organizations certified to both ISO 9001 (Quality Management) and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management). With the recent publication of ISO 14001:2026 and ISO 19011:2026 Guidelines for Auditing Management Systems expected later May, there’s much to consider for our approaches to supplier oversight and risk management.

  • How will updated standards like ISO 14001:2026 influence supplier audit practices?
  • What role does transition training play in preparing teams for these changes?
  • How can organizations leverage integrated management systems to streamline supplier audits and improve outcomes?

Why It Matters:
Aligning supplier audits with updated standards can:

  • Enhance trust and collaboration across the supply chain.
  • Provide better visibility into risks and process interactions.
  • Strengthen resilience in the face of disruptions or regulatory changes.

Looking for your input: Let’s discuss how these updates are influencing supplier audits and what strategies are helping organizations adapt. Share your insights, experiences, and questions!

Christian Schmidt's profile image
Christian Schmidt

Hi Ben

This is an important topic, especially for supplier audits where quality, environmental performance, risk management, and business continuity increasingly overlap.

In my view, updated standards should lead to a more mature assessment of supplier risk, process interaction, and the organization’s real dependency on the supplier.

For integrated management systems, I see a clear benefit when audits are planned around actual processes and risks rather than around isolated standards. A supplier issue rarely stays within one discipline. A weak supplier can create quality risk, environmental risk, delivery risk, documentation risk, and reputational risk at the same time.

Transition training is therefore important, but it should not be limited to clause-by-clause changes. Auditors and supplier quality teams need to understand how revised expectations affect audit planning, sampling, evidence review, auditor competence, and follow-up of findings.

From an auditor’s perspective, the key is to avoid “standard-by-standard auditing” and move toward a risk-based assessment of supplier control, resilience, and effectiveness.

Best regards,
Christian Schmidt
Founder & Principal Consultant
Schmidt GMP-Consulting
https://schmidt-gmp.com

Raul Bernardino's profile image
Raul Bernardino

This is not my area of expertise.