A targeted background check for suppliers focused on ESG & Sustainability.
Speeki Trust™ is an independent background check sourced from public research on a supplier's ESG and sustainability credentials.
New legislation in Europe and around the world expects you to conduct detailed due diligence on your suppliers with respect to several key ESG and sustainability risks.
Speeki Trust™ is a background check solution. It is part of the suite of products that make up Speeki's solutions for supply chain selection, qualification, and ESG due diligence. Speeki Trust™ is designed only for suppliers. It is targeted at suppliers as opposed to other, more common, due diligence targets: channel partners and distributors. Our focus on suppliers allows us to target our research into what matters for you.
What is Speeki Trust™?
Speeki Trust™ is a background check solution that will form part of your supplier qualification and due diligence.
Unlike most background check vendors and products in the market, the Speeki Trust™ research is targeted according to your instructions. You tell our team where across the ESG and sustainability areas you want us to focus. If you used other Speeki products like Speeki Path™ or Speeki Qualify™ you will easily be able to give those instructions because you will already know the areas that need to be focused on for that specific supplier.
Is Speeki Trust™ a database check?
Speeki Trust™ is research-based due diligence. It is far more than a simple database check.
Humans, combined with some research support from generative Ai, conduct research on a named supplier across up to 5 of 19 key risks areas within ESG and sustainability. The research spans from incorporation and corporate governance confirmation, financial, traditional and social media, online litigation or regulatory enforcement as well as identified previous issues of concern.
Our research is conducted in any country, delivered in a PDF report for a set fee.
The Benefits of Speeki Trust™ | Due Diligence
Speeki Trust™ backgroSpeeki Trust™ background checks can cover any of the key 19 risk areas within ESG and sustainability.und checks can cover any of the key 19 risk areas within ESG and sustainability.
Bribery and corruption
Failure to manage bribery and corruption risks can lead to significant consequences, such as large fines, reputational damage, and internal and external investigations – just to name a few. Research as part of Speeki Trust™ will search for evidence of illegal conduct, engagement in bribery allegations or a propensity to do so.
Whistleblowing
Failure to support whistleblowing may lead to debarments from public procurement in certain countries. A Speeki Trust™ due diligence engagement will check to see if the supplier has such a programme and whether it is effective.
Diversity, equity and inclusion
Failure to manage diversity, equity and inclusion risks can lead to reputational damage and difficulty in hiring and retaining staff. With a Speeki Trust™ engagement, your supplier will be reviewed to see what public information exists about its employment practices, approach to diversity and any key practices they have in place which can be accessed.
Human rights and modern-day slavery
Failure to manage human rights risks can lead to reputational damage, significant fines, debarments from public procurement, and internal and external investigations. The Speeki Trust™ reports assess the risk of such activity and searches for any public evidence of employee mistreatment, employment issues, allegations of workplace or employee harassment, as well as positive signs that the company promotes human rights and takes steps to avoid modern-day slavery.
Compliance
Effective compliance programmes protect business and the return on investment could be significant, helping to avoid waste, fraud, abuse, discrimination, and many other practices that disrupt operations and put a company at risk. A Speeki Trust™ research project looks to see how the company has adopted compliance. We look for evidence of a compliance culture and see how the company uses compliance to reduce its own risks.
Supply chain and partner management
Supply chain and partner management is essential for the efficient and sustainable running of any business that uses third parties to either source or distribute its products and services. Your supplier also has suppliers and a Speeki Trust™ engagement can look for evidence that they actively manage supply chain issues that deliver value for all stakeholders, including you.
Health and safety
A lack of consideration for health and safety can increase absenteeism and negligence claims, affecting workplace productivity and morale. It may also lead to a supplier's inability to provide you with products and services. With a Speeki Trust™ research engagement we search for evidence of health and safety issues and the steps that the supplier is taking to identify risks in its health and safety programme and how it demonstrates to its customers (including you) that they manage those risks.
Data privacy and information security
The protection of and access to an individual’s private data is growing in importance as new international laws come into effect. Your supplier could be handling your private data and that of your customers. Most data leaks happen because of a supplier breach. A Speeki Trust™ engagement will search for evidence of recent breaches, gaps or compliance failures. It will look for what evidence exists that the supplier has a data protection and information security programme and gain insight into both the technical and legal aspects of how they are managing privacy and data security.
Using Speeki Trust™ brings significant value to your qualification process
Using Speeki Trust™ adds significant value to your qualification and due diligence process. The following are some of the key elements of Speeki Trust™ that sets Speeki apart from other background check companies.
Your Speeki team is objective, independent and comes from a long line of background check and due diligence experience. Lead by two of the best known leaders in the industry.
We are experts in ESG and supplier due diligence. The Speeki Trust™ solution is one that is substantive and substance over form, allowing your team to focus on other matters.
We focus on timely delivery of our work and strive to exceed our stated time guidance. We manage these issues closely and report out to clients during regular reviews.
Our commitment to quality is certain. We demand our teams deliver the best possible research reports available. Speeki Trust™ reports should give you value and certainty.
Speeki Trust™ includes some indicators in the form of barometers in our reports. It gives you perspective on our research depth and availability and accuracy of data.
Speeki Trust™ is focused on suppliers and a wide array of ESG and sustainability risks. Our research and reporting is always relevant and as your trusted background check vendors, we strive to produce actionable insights.
Our focus at Speeki is that every Speeki Trust™ report should provide you with the essential information you need to make a decision on your supplier. Our focus is your focus. Building a strong supply chain that reflects your ESG and sustainability position.
Key Features of your Speeki Trust™ reports
On time Delivery
We take our role seriously as a key part of your supplier qualification and on-boarding. We aim to deliver within three (3) business days from clear instructions and we commit to updating you if we see any delays.
Simple language and clear guidance
While we always aim to have simple language, we also aim to give clear guidance. We do not see Speeki Trust™ as just a research paper with findings, it is a report with guidance and recommendations.
Simple to Read
We aim to produce reports that are easy to read by anyone, anytime. No legal complexity, minimal disclaimers and no complex answers.
Targeted areas to focus
Select one or up to 5 of the currently-available topics to focus our research. With more topics to come to address 19 ESG risk areas, we are always focused on the research that gives you the most informed guidance.
Collaborate internally and with your supplier
While we keep the intellectual property in our Speeki Trust™ research reports, we allow you to share them internally and with your supplier. It is important to share this reporting with your supplier at your discretion.
Get your trust barometers
We include three indicators in our Speeki Trust™ reports that help give you our perspective on the data we are reviewing and our views on what it is saying. Use these included barometers to help give perspective.
Easy follow-up and questions
If something is unclear in your Speeki Trust™ report, or you need a quick follow up call to explain something, we can quickly schedule a call to walk through our findings.
Easily step into Speeki OnBoard™
Based on the findings in our Speeki Trust™ report, we can easily provide contractual provisions as part of our Speeki OnBoard™ solutions. Speeki OnBoard™ gives you contractual addendums that require suppliers to take certain steps in accordance with the risks identified in the Speeki Trust™ reports and the result of any Speeki Qualify™ assessments.
The benefits of a background check vs. a simple database or internet search.
Most internet searches done internally lack language checks
If you have a large research team and they speak all available languages, then great. Most companies don't have this capacity. Research needs to be done in the local language of the location in which the supplier mostly operates.
Local knowledge researchers add value
Our researchers are trained on research. They know where to look, what to focus on and how to digest large amounts of information. They invest the time in chasing down leads and know where to find information in certain countries. They also know when to stop and look at alternative branches of research.
Databases normally cover money landering and PEPs
There is no such thing as an 'ESG and sustainability database'. There are databases to check for known money launderers, people under sanction and politically exposed persons. However, these databases are highly unlikely to help with ESG and sustainability issues. Rely on them at your peril.
Some research sources are only available to specialists
In some countries, in order to conduct a litigation search, you need to be a lawyer. In other countries, conducting live searches of the corporate companies office can only be done by registered people. The research team are in the right place with the right skills.
Access to multiple sources
Managing some research in-house often lacks the multiple sources that a research company can access. Save money in subscribing to multiple systems and leverage the subscriptions of your research company.
Relying on consolidated news sites or databases is risky
If we have learned anything in the last five years, it is that media reporting on issues may not always be reliable or free from opinion. Relying on media databases solely for research would be a mistake.
Speeki Trust™ FAQs
How much information do I need to tell you to kick off a request for a Speeki Trust™ report?
We don't need a lot of information. Name of the supplier, identification numbers, address and the ESG areas (up to 5) where you want us to focus is normally sufficient.
How do you charge for your Speeki Trust™ reports?
Speeki Trust™ reports are a fixed price. Our clients buy a package of a minimum of 10 reports which are billed and paid upfront. As each Speeki Trust™ report is ordered and delivered, the oustanding package is reduced.
Do you have different versions of the Speeki Trust™ reports and is the pricing different in different countries or industries?
There is only one form of Speeki Trust™ report and the pricing is set per report. The pricing is the same in any country and the price is fixed.
How long does it take to deliver a Speeki trust™ report?
While it is not guaranteed, we aim to deliver reports within three (3) business days in most cases. If there are delays, we will do our best to let you know and provide you with some guidance on expected delivery. Delays are most likely caused by the inability to locate data on the company.
Can I share the Speeki Trust™ report with my suppliers?
Yes. Athough Speeki keeps all of the intellectual property in our Speeki trust™ reports, Speeki provides a licence to use the content of the report for internal purposes which includes sharing with your supplier for its own review.
How do we target different risk areas in your research?
Speeki Trust™ considers 19 different risk areas as part of our ESG and sustainability reports. You get to decide for each engagement up to five areas of focus. It doesn't mean that we don't look generally at all 19 areas, but we double down on the named five areas.
Are there any areas or countries where we do not provide reports?
Yes. There are areas where we might, from time to time, decide not to conduct research and produce Speeki Trust™ reports. This might be due to regulatory restrictions or safety and security reasons. We reserve the right to not accept a request or instruction at our discretion or to provide a reduced version of the report based on the data that we can access legally and safely.
Can I order and pay in any currency?
Speeki Trust™ is a product contracted and delivered by a Speeki subsidiary in Hong Kong, Speeki (Hong Kong) Ltd. That being the case, our currency is HKD, USD or EUR as our principal currencies for contracting and payment.
What makes Speeki Trust™ different from other background check providers?
Speeki is a mix of content experts, assurance and audits, technologists and communicators.
We know how best to build systems, programmes, and tools to engage people to drive ESG and sustainability solutions. We are focused on building the best solutions for companies to manage supply chain risk in ESG and sustainability.
How Speeki Trust™ fits in with other Speeki supply chain qualification and due diligence solutions
Reach out to learn more about Speeki Trust™ background checks
Speeki regularly holds workshops with clients to discuss their needs for supplier qualification, assessment, due diligence and auditing. We are experts at mapping out solutions that make sense and add value to your business. Contact us to learn more.