The growing compliance load and an initiative that gives some relief.

SMEs I am sure have experienced the challenges of a growing compliance load over the last several years.

Striking the balance between operational efficiency and compliance is always the challenge, so when something new comes along that promises to alleviate duplication and the administrative burden, it is most welcome.

That then allows for more productive time spent implementing and fine-tuning policies and processes.

JOSCAR launched in Australia in June 2024, supported by the Australian Department of Defence and major primes in the defence sector, appeared to offer relief in part anyway, of that load.

Acting as an online single point of reference and repository for the relevant onboarding questions and supporting documents, and then ongoing updates of any documents with expiry dates, it seemed clear the potential for time saving, would be beneficial.

Having completed the first 12-month cycle post the initial on boarding, the benefits seen are as follows.

1. Simpler very much shorter supplier assessment forms received from participating primes.
   Suggest approximately 1/10 of the time to complete to the previous full assessment forms.
   
   
2. Document management – one upload of replacement documents to replace expiring documents e.g. insurance certificates of currency rather than multiple to individual primes.
   
   
3. Clarity and consistency with a single point of reference rather than individual buyer forms to complete, After the initial on boarding, gives greater confidence that our policies and processes align.
   
   
4. On site audits – most of the administrative time consuming elements of an audit can be completed off site via JOSCAR,
   This allows for more focused on site audits which we very much welcome and find typically a great two-way learning experience.
   Gives greater clarity for the customer as to the culture and context around how we work, and an opportunity for us to learn more regarding the protocols, requirements and expectations of the customer.

As they say, JOSCAR in our experience anyway, is doing what it says on the tin,

JOSCAR launches in Australia