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BRCGS Unannounced Audit: Date Range Confirmation Needed

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ymorgad

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Posted 01 August 2025 - 11:44 AM

Hi everyone,
 
I need your help with a simple question. Our site has been certified since 1st February 2024 (following our initial certification audit). We had our second certification audit on 27th January 2025, so our third audit will obviously be unannounced.
 
I’ve heard that unannounced audits must be carried out within the four months prior to the anniversary of the initial audit date. In our case, since the initial audit date was 1st February, the unannounced audit would need to take place between 1st October and 30st January.
 
Is my understanding correct? I want to make sure we don’t take any risks regarding our certification.
 
Thank you in advance for your help!

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Scampi

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Posted 01 August 2025 - 12:36 PM

You are correct in your thinking 


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ymorgad

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Posted 01 August 2025 - 02:07 PM

Thank you Scampi for confirming, that’s reassuring!


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Bo16

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Posted 05 August 2025 - 05:59 PM

If our certification was delayed during Covid and every certification since than has used the new deadline, (May before Covid, November after Covid) what is the rule?  Our certifying body (new last year) sent us a date range that was neither of those dates listed.  

 

2023 Cert states  (it was a 2 day Nov 29th and 30th audit)

>Audit Date 30/11/2023 >Re-audit due Date 01/12/2024

>Issue Date 28/12/2023 > Expiry Date 12/01/2025
 
2024 Cert states
Date(s) of Audit: (From) 2024-11-25 (To) 2024-11-26 Certificate Issue Date: 2025-01-13
Re-audit Due Date: (From) 2025-11-03 (TO) 2025-12-01 Certificate Expiry Date: 2026-01-12
 
Certifier claims unannounced dates Window for 2025 is:  August 3, 2025 - December 1, 2025
 
Is this correct?
 
 

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redchariot

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Posted 06 August 2025 - 11:10 AM

It does not matter what date your last BRCGS audit was completed; the audit due date is always the same. For example, if your audit due on 1st December 2025, it will be 1st December 2026, 2027 etc. The certificate expiry date is 6 weeks after the audit due date and this does not change either.

 

What does differ is the audit window; if it is announced, it is usually 4 x weeks so in the above example, the audit window would be 3rd November - 1st December. If it is unannounced (either voluntary or every 3 years), the window is 4 x months so in the above case it is 1st August - 1st December.

 

My company is unannounced every year as it is a requirement for most UK retailers but in the 15+ years that we have been unannounced, the earliest we ever had the audit was 6 weeks prior to the due date. However, I know of sites that had the audit 3 months before the due date, (in one case 6 months, back in the day when it was a 9 month window).

 

As I said, the due dates never change, theoretically if you could have the audit at the start of the window one year and at the end the following year with a 16 month gap between audits


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GMO

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Posted 06 August 2025 - 06:05 PM

We had audits both at the start (first week) and end (last week) of the unannounced audit window.  It can happen, especially when most audit bodies are short of auditors and absence is a problem everywhere, auditing is no different.


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