HQAI Commits to Making CHS Audits More Accessible

Announcement of Cost Reductions in Audit Activities

HQAI remains committed to providing professional audit services that are as accessible as possible, ensuring that cost does not present a barrier to organisations or the broader growth of CHS verification. In response to the sector's call for more affordable solutions, we are pleased to announce a reduction in the costs of our audits from 2025.

The cost of Independent Verification and Certification audits are largely driven by the time required to measure all CHS requirements (i.e. gathering sufficient evidence to confirm that a requirement is systematically met or not met). After a thorough review and incorporating best audit practices from different sectors, we have identified several ways to reduce these costs while maintaining the quality and reliability of our work. These measures include:

Reducing the size of audit teams for smaller organisations and on-site visits;
Simplifying document review processes;
Simplifying reporting formats;
Streamlining quality assurance processes.

The extent of these cost reductions will be specific to the audit scope of each organisation – e.g. how many country programmes/other sampling units are included in the audit. On average, we anticipate that most partners will see reductions of 5 to 15% over a three-year audit cycle. In addition, to support the growth of quality locally-led action, we will reduce the cost of a three-year audit cycle by up to 20% for smaller organisations. We anticipate that more streamlined processes will also reduce work for our partners, thereby reducing the level of internal resources needed to support the CHS audit process.

Achieving this cost reduction has required thoughtful adjustments to our operations, ensuring that we are working as efficiently and effectively as possible. From 2025, HQAI will introduce a leaner operational set-up and new ways of working. As part of this shift, organisations will primarily liaise with their Lead Auditor and we will further standardise administrative processes. Where an organisation requires additional support, this will be managed by Lead Auditors and incur the corresponding costs of any additional time.

We remain fully committed to maintaining the professionalism, impartiality, and competence that are central to our work and valued by funders as part of their due diligence and risk frameworks. The maturity of our processes and quality controls, combined with our risk-based audit approach and applied best audit practice reinforces our confidence that these changes will both maintain the quality of our accredited services and benefit our audited partners.

In this era of shrinking resources, we all share a responsibility to ensure quality and accountability standards are met, even with limited resources. We therefore invite you to support us in advocating for the use of CHS audit results for multiple objectives, including due diligence, learning, capacity and risk-sharing. The current momentum around due diligence passporting initiatives presents a unique opportunity for institutional donors and intermediaries to extend their support.

With thanks for your continued trust in HQAI and warm regards,

Victoria Lyon Dean

Head of Quality Assurance