Completing a security questionnaire as a supplier

If you sell software or IT services to larger organisations, sooner or later you receive a security questionnaire. Sometimes a standard one, often the buyer’s own spreadsheet. The deal waits until it is back.

Questionnaires you will meet

• The buyer’s own questionnaire, usually in Excel or a supplier portal
• Standard questionnaires such as the SIG from Shared Assessments or the CAIQ from the Cloud Security Alliance
• Privacy assessments and questions about data processing agreements
• The security section of a tender

Why it takes so long

The questions look alike but are worded slightly differently. The knowledge sits across policy, engineering and contracts. And in a small team nobody owns the task.

How to complete it well

1. Create one source of truth. Record which documents describe your policies, architecture and procedures.
2. Link every answer to evidence. A reference to a section or a configuration makes an answer verifiable.
3. Answer the question that was asked. Not the one you would rather answer.
4. Be honest about gaps. Write what is not in place yet, and when it will be.
5. Reuse carefully. Keep approved answers with their source, and recheck them when your policies change.

What a buyer really wants to see

A buyer is not looking for a perfect company. They want a supplier who knows what it is doing, can show it and is honest about what is not finished. A supported answer with an open item convinces more than a row of smooth yeses.

How Holdvero helps

You send us the questionnaire and your documentation, after an NDA. We complete it with the source next to every answer and name open items explicitly. You get it back within 3–5 working days to review. A questionnaire of up to 150 questions costs €695; larger or more complex ones from €1,195.