Due-Diligence-efficiencies

One Audit, Multiple Uses: How HQAI Is Supporting Due Diligence Efficiencies

As humanitarian needs continue to soar while available resources dwindle, efficiency has become more than a goal—it is a necessity. In this context, HQAI’s external quality assurance approach is proving to be a game-changer. Through independent audits against the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), HQAI is helping aid actors not only meet their accountability commitments but also navigate complex due diligence landscapes with fewer redundancies and greater trust.

An Efficient Approach to Due Diligence: Passporting in Action

A central innovation in HQAI’s work is passporting—the concept that a robust, independent CHS audit can be recognised by multiple funders as meeting their due diligence (DD) requirements. This simple idea has profound implications: fewer duplicated assessments, quicker funding decisions, and more time and resources for programme delivery.

The HQAI CHS audit findings provide assurance in the following domains:

Safeguarding, PSEAH, code of conduct;
Complaint mechanisms and do no harm;
Governance and internal quality control;
Quality project management;
Downstream delivery with implementing partners.

Examples of funder recognition:

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), UK: CHS-certified agencies can rely on HQAI audit reports to fulfil large parts of FCDO’s due diligence requirements. In particular, the audit fully satisfies FCDO’s PSEAH criteria. This milestone decision creates efficiencies in admin, HR and time for both, the funder and the agencies.

Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs/DANIDA, UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA): These funders require CHS Certification or Independent Verification as pre-requisite for funding, replacing or reducing their own assessments—demonstrating strong recognition of the CHS as an accountability, quality and safeguarding standard.

Sahel Regional Fund (SRF): Uses HQAI audits as both due diligence evidence and a baseline for capacity-strengthening plans.

DG ECHO: Advises use of HQAI CHS audits to complete ex-ante assessments for Humanitarian and Programmatic Partnerships. HQAI offers a service to complete ex-ante assessments based on CHS audits. By using one audit to fill two requirements, the approach saves organisations considerable time, effort and money.

LoCAL Project: The ECHO-funded project is piloting a digital passporting platform to map, collate and use existing due diligence information from intermediaries and CHS audit information. By reducing duplication (“ask only once”), the tool concretely benefits local and national actors.

For FCDO's Due Diligence the HQAl audits provide greater assurance and economies of scale. They include deeper insights into quality and accountability, site visits and stakeholder interviews and their detailed rating system enhances evidence quality and consistency. Trusting HQAl means supporting impactful initiatives and upholding our Grand Bargain commitments. Linda Sloan, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office FCDO, 2025

Efficiencies and more locally-led response. The Advantages:

Using a shared due diligence (DD) approach offers organisations significant time and cost efficiencies by eliminating duplicated assessments. This enables quicker decision-making across partnerships, funding allocations, and project implementation. Resources can be redirected from repetitive compliance tasks to more impactful programmatic work.

The model fosters stronger collaboration and trust among stakeholders by encouraging mutual recognition of each other’s DD processes. It also empowers locally-led aid by easing the administrative burden on smaller organisations, while recognising the quality and accountability of their operations—creating a more inclusive and effective delivery ecosystem.

Challenges and the Road Ahead

Implementing a shared due diligence approach comes with challenges, particularly due to the volume and diversity of assessment criteria. Mapping different DD frameworks can be time-consuming and concerns about losing control over compliance and risk management may lead to resistance from actors wary of external evaluations.

However, collaborative initiatives—such as the Due Diligence Community of Practice hosted by ICVA—are making strides in addressing these issues. HQAI is committed to working with a variety of funders to make greater use of CHS audits within multiple quality assurance processes, thus advancing the agenda of more efficient and trusted partnerships.

Conclusion: Sector Change Requires A Systems Approach

HQAI’s work proves that systemic change is possible when trust, transparency, and collaboration guide the process. By scaling up passporting, supporting local actors, and reducing redundancies, we can collectively redirect valuable resources back to where they matter most: delivering effective, accountable, and high-quality aid to people in need.

A single audit—used wisely—can truly go a long way.