How do you prepare the first meeting with a BRCGS consultant?
Come with facts, not just the buyer’s requirement. The more information the consultant receives before the visit, the sharper the gap analysis and the fairer the quote.
Gather these items before the first meeting:
- the buyer’s written request: the standard required, the deadline and any customer-specific requirements;
- the list of products, lines and sites to include in the scope;
- your national sanitary approval or authorisation (in Morocco, issued by ONSSA, the Office national de sécurité sanitaire des produits alimentaires) and the latest inspection reports;
- the HACCP plan in force and the latest customer audit reports;
- the organisation chart and the time your quality manager really has available;
- any work already planned on the building or the equipment.
Ask your own questions too. Which standard exactly, and which issue? Which deliverables? How much of your team’s time is expected? Who runs the mock audit? What happens if the buyer’s deadline cannot be met?
Finally, check the consultant’s profile. BRCGS sets minimum criteria for its consultant programme: a degree or equivalent in a relevant field, a registered QMS Lead Auditor course or equivalent, at least five years’ experience in the relevant sector, and evidence of consulting experience with at least two company references. The official directory is available from brcgs.com.
What the consultant’s proposal must contain
After the gap analysis, ask for a written proposal you can compare and manage against. It must state:
- the standard, the issue and the target scope (products, lines, site address);
- the deliverables of each step, not just a list of days;
- the split between days on site and remote follow-up;
- the time expected from your project lead and your teams, week by week;
- the training included, with its audience and duration;
- the target date for the mock audit and the conditions for confirming the certification audit;
- what is not included: site works, laboratory testing, the certification body’s fees.
A proposal that says nothing about your team’s time underestimates the project. It is the first warning sign.
What are the steps of a BRCGS support assignment?
An assignment follows six steps on the consultant’s side before the certification body takes over. Each step must produce a deliverable you can check; otherwise it is not finished.
Step | Objective | Deliverable | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Gap analysis | Measure the gap with the standard | Gap report ranked by severity | Report presented to management |
2. Action plan | Prioritise and set dates | Plan with owners, deadlines and works budget | Plan approved and signed by the managing director |
3. Training | Give the team the foundations | HACCP team, process owners and internal auditors trained | Learning assessments filed |
4. Documentation | Write what is done, do what is written | Procedures, HACCP plan, vulnerability assessments | Documents approved and issued |
5. Implementation | Produce evidence | Records, traceability and recall tests, internal audits | At least one full cycle recorded |
6. Mock audit | Simulate the real audit | Mock audit report and close-out plan | Major gaps closed |
After step 6, your site contacts the certification body approved by BRCGS, schedules the audit, then closes any non-conformities within 28 days. The certificate is issued within 42 calendar days of the first audit day, if certification is granted.
For the gap analysis, start from the official BRCGS self-assessment checklist. For Issue 9, it is available in several languages, including English and French, which makes the work easier with team leaders who are more at ease in French.
Who does what between your team and the consultant?
The consultant proposes, trains and checks; your team decides, applies and proves. Any blur in this split is paid for at the audit.
Activity | Management | Internal project lead | Shop-floor teams | Consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Set scope and deadline | Decides | Proposes | — | Advises |
Food safety culture plan | Leads and presents | Coordinates | Takes part | Structures the method |
HACCP plan | Approves | Leads the HACCP team | Verifies on the floor | Trains and reviews |
Procedures and instructions | Approves | Writes or adapts | Tests | Provides the framework, reviews |
Building works | Funds | Follows up | — | Flags the gaps |
Daily records | — | Checks | Fills in | Spot-checks |
Internal audits | Receives reports | Runs the programme | Are audited | Trains auditors, co-audits at first |
Mock audit | Attends the closing meeting | Organises | Are interviewed | Leads the audit |
The key point is the internal project lead. Without a person who gives a real share of their time to the project, no consultant can make up the difference. Write that time into the job description, not into a good intention.
Which checklist should you run before the certification audit?
Check these points two to four weeks before the audit. A single unticked point on the fundamental subjects is reason enough to discuss a postponement with the consultant.
Which mistakes should you avoid with a BRCGS consultant?
Failures rarely come from missing documents. They come from a poor split of roles and an unrealistic timeline. These are the mistakes we meet most often in Morocco and West Africa.
Buying a turnkey system. Generic procedures copied from another site match neither the lines nor the practices. The auditor sees it during the first walk through the plant.
Signing without a gap analysis. An overall price without a site visit hides either a safety margin or missing days. Either way, you pay.
Underestimating site works. Floors, drains, separation of areas, pest proofing: these gaps need quotes, lead times and sometimes a line stoppage. They must appear in the action plan from the first month.
Choosing an audit date before having evidence. An auditor assesses what is done over time. A system launched a few days before the audit has no history.
Letting the consultant speak during the audit. The auditor wants to hear the line leader, the storekeeper, the maintenance manager. The consultant prepares these people; the consultant does not replace them.
Neglecting language. A procedure in French that operators do not read has no value. Plan materials and training in Arabic or in Darija, the Moroccan spoken Arabic, where needed.
Stopping after the certificate. The first audit is only a beginning. Without internal audits and management review, the system degrades before the next audit.
How do you measure the value of the support after the certificate?
Measure what remains once the consultant has gone. Good support leaves an autonomous team, tracked indicators and a next audit better prepared than the first.
Four simple indicators are enough:
- the number and severity of non-conformities from one audit to the next;
- adherence to the internal audit programme;
- customer complaints related to food safety;
- the time taken to close corrective actions.
To estimate budget and duration before you sign, read our article on BRCGS consultancy cost, timeline and funding in Morocco. For an overview of the consultant’s role, see our complete guide to choosing a BRCGS consultant in Africa, and for a field example, the case of an exporting fish cannery.