Companies that participate in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) may request a detailed explanation of the assessment results for up to three CSA questions.
Companies raise Assessment Queries for various reasons, but typically they seek explanations on the following:
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Methodology clarifications.
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Information that was not accepted in the current assessment.
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Information that was previously accepted in earlier CSA submissions but was not accepted in the current assessment year.
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Significant changes in scores from one year to the next.
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Possible oversights in the assessment process.
These Assessment Queries must be raised directly via the Sustainability Reporting Portal. We cannot accept Queries sent by email.
Furthermore, we cannot accommodate call requests about our assessment process and score feedback. So you're aware this is our policy for all companies, and we do this to ensure an equal level of access through a structured process.
Assessment Queries can be raised after the company’s S&P Global CSA Score is published in the Sustainability Reporting Portal. This feature is only visible and accessible to users that are designated as a Portal ‘Administrator’. The form can only be submitted once per methodology year, even if less than three queries are raised. The limit of three queries ensures that the Corporate Engagement team can provide an equal level of service to all companies.
Follow these steps to raise your Assessment Queries:
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Login to the Sustainability Reporting Portal.
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From the menu across the top navigation, select ‘Frameworks’ and navigate to “Response” under ‘CSA’.
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From there select ‘Questionnaires’.
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Click on the button to “Raise assessment query.”
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This will open the following window where you may select up to three (3) questions to raise as assessment queries.
Start by selecting the criterion, which will then allow you to pick the related question. Provide the details of your query in the “Justification” field. If you think that there are possible oversights in your assessment, please prioritize raising these questions as an Assessment Query with an explanation. The Corporate Engagement team will review the query and advise on next steps.
Tips for using the “Raise assessment query” form:
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One query relates to one CSA question, identified in the Sustainability Reporting Portal by a number, e.g., 1.2.1 Board Independence. Please do not try to request the review of the full criteria – only one question per entry will be reviewed.
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It is not possible to toggle back and forth between the Query form and the assessed version of the questionnaire. Open two tabs of the Sustainability Reporting Portal or note your criterion/question selection before opening the form.
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The form does not accept any attachments, including, but not limited to PDFs, WORD documents, JPEGs, PNGs or screenshots.
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Content cannot be saved in the form to return to later. It is recommended to document your question separately, outside the form, and copy any text from there.
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The form is only available once per methodology year and cannot be re-opened, even if less than three queries are raised.
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Once you have filled out the requested information on the queries you would like to raise, please click “Submit”.
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Upon submission, the confirmation pop-up below will appear. It will also be followed by a notification email listing the queries submitted. The email is sent to the company’s registered Main Contact with all Sustainability Reporting Portal Administrators in copy. The email is also stored in your company’s Inbox in the Sustainability Reporting Portal.
Commitment to data accuracy
S&P Global is committed to correcting all potential oversights in an assessment. If any Assessment Query results in the detection of a potential oversight, a question-level Re-assessment Request process for the company will automatically open in the Sustainability Reporting Portal. There is no question limit for raising justified re-assessment requests. Re-assessment requests must be submitted via a dedicated online form directly in the Sustainability Reporting Portal. See the Company Concerns document for details.
