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Assessment Workflow

This guide walks through the process of assessing a contractor/supplier evaluation from start to finish.

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Starting an Assessment

Evaluations are assigned to assessors manually (or via bulk assignment from the Evaluations list). Once assigned, open the evaluation to begin reviewing.

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Assessment Process

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Section-by-section review

The assessment page is a single-page view with sections, sidebar navigation, and a score summary. Work through each section in turn:

1. Review contractor/supplier responses
2. Check uploaded documents
3. Score and comment on each question
4. Mark each question as assessed

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Previous response history

Administrators and assessors can view the contractor/supplier’s previous responses from earlier submissions. This is useful for understanding how a response has changed between submissions or after a Needs Work cycle. To view previous responses:

1. Open a question during assessment
2. Click Previous responses on the question (the button shows a count when history is available, e.g. “Previous responses (5)”)
3. A panel displays all previous captured snapshots for that question, sorted newest first

Each history entry includes:

• The response text at the time of capture
• Any attachments that were uploaded
• Scores and assessment actions taken
• Internal and external comments
• The reason the snapshot was captured (e.g. submitted, needs work, approved)

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Question assessment

For each question, you can:

• Score — Select Pass or Fail (for pass/fail questions) or enter a numeric score between 0 and the maximum score (for numeric questions), depending on the scoring type configured on the question. An N/A option is also available for both pass/fail and numeric questions when enabled on the question.
• Internal comment — Add assessor-only notes not visible to the contractor/supplier
• Assessor comment — Add feedback that is visible to the contractor/supplier
• Actions — Create action items for the contractor/supplier to address
• Mark as assessed — Tick the checkbox to mark the question as reviewed. This cannot be ticked until a score is set first.

Progress through the evaluation is tracked per question using the “Mark as assessed” checkboxes.

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Internal guidance

When a question has current assessor guidance, an Internal Guidance section appears and is expanded by default. Select Internal Guidance to collapse or expand it. This guidance comes from the current question library for the evaluation’s client, so it can change after submission. If the guidance is cleared or the question is no longer in that library, the section is hidden. The contractor’s original question wording and scoring remain unchanged.

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Document verification

For uploaded documents:

1. Click to view or download the document
2. Verify the document is the correct type
3. Check dates and details
4. Verify it matches question requirements

If an embedded preview is blank or does not load, select Open in New Tab in the preview footer to open the file directly. The preview may also display an error for formats that the browser cannot render.

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AI-assisted assessment

RapidCert can generate AI-powered assessment guidance for individual questions using AI analysis. The AI analyses the contractor/supplier’s response text and the documents selected for that question (including DOCX and XLSX files, which are converted automatically) against NZ health and safety legislation and best practices.

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Preparing guidance for an entire evaluation

The AI Assist panel at the top of the assessment page can prepare guidance for all eligible questions in one run.

1. Review the counts for eligible, already prepared, and skipped questions. When some existing guidance is out of date, the panel also shows how many questions need refresh.
2. Select Run AI Assist.
3. Confirm the run by selecting Start preparation.

N/A and non-scoring questions are skipped. Each eligible question uses its saved evidence selections. Guidance that is confirmed current is kept. Other existing guidance, such as guidance prepared before the answer, evidence, or AI Assist version changed, is regenerated (see Out-of-date guidance). The run prepares guidance only; it does not apply scores, comments, or actions, and it does not mark questions as assessed. The panel shows how many questions are ready, remaining, skipped, or need attention. You can review ready questions while the run continues:

• Review next ready opens the next unassessed question with prepared guidance.
• Review issues opens the first failed or stale question that needs attention.
• Pause stops new work after questions already being processed finish.
• Continue remaining N resumes a paused run or retries unfinished questions after an issue is addressed. Existing ready guidance is kept.
• Retry N failed appears while a run is in progress and some questions could not be prepared. Select it to queue those questions for another attempt alongside any remaining work. A failed question whose guidance is now current, or that is no longer eligible, is not prepared again.

When a run finishes and some questions have out-of-date guidance, the panel shows how many and offers Refresh N out-of-date questions. Select it, then Refresh guidance, to regenerate that guidance. Current guidance is kept. If you leave the evaluation, RapidCert notifies you when preparation is ready or needs attention. Select View evaluation in the notification to return to it. If the current status cannot be loaded, select Retry. When preparation is not available for the evaluation, the panel explains that it is unavailable and does not show Run AI Assist.

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Requesting AI Assist

1. Open a question during assessment
2. Click AI Assist on the question — this opens a form where you can optionally enter custom instructions and choose additional evidence
3. Click Generate AI Assist to start the analysis
4. The button shows Generating… while AI Assist prepares the guidance
5. When complete, click the View AI Assist button to open the AI assessment in a modal

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What AI Assist includes

The AI generates a structured markdown assessment with these sections:

• Summary — 2–3 sentence overall finding
• Evidence review — what was provided, quality assessment, notable gaps
• Compliance assessment — evaluation against NZ H&S requirements (HSWA 2015, regulations, standards)
• Concerns/gaps — specific items for the assessor to investigate
• Strengths — positive practices identified
• Suggested score guidance — pass/fail recommendation or numeric score suggestion
• Action status review — evaluation of any existing actions (if applicable)

When structured evidence citations are available, numbered inline references link the guidance to the Evidence sources table.

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Files for AI assessment

AI Assist always uses the written response and question context. Files attached to the question are selected by default, and you can leave out files that are not relevant. You can also include files from elsewhere in the same evaluation. To choose the files for AI assessment:

1. Open AI Assist for the question
2. Under Files for AI assessment, select Choose files
3. Under Attached to this question, untick any direct attachment that AI Assist should leave out
4. Under Elsewhere in this evaluation, select up to 10 additional files
5. Search by file, question, or section, and preview files when needed
6. Select Apply selection, then generate AI Assist as usual

Direct attachments do not count towards the 10-file additional-evidence limit. Removing a direct attachment from the selection does not delete it from the contractor’s response; it only excludes it from this question’s AI generation. Entries marked as possible copies can be expanded so you can inspect and select the correct file. RapidCert remembers the included and excluded files used for each question after you generate AI Assist. A selection on one question does not affect another question. If a selected file is removed or becomes unavailable, choose the files again before generating.

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Key files

Select the star beside a useful document to place it first in evidence pickers throughout the evaluation. This is useful for manuals and other documents that apply to several questions. Starring a file does not include it automatically. Select its checkbox when you want AI Assist to use it for the current question. You can remove the star at any time.

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Custom instructions

You can provide custom instructions to focus the AI on specific areas of concern:

1. Click AI Assist on the question
2. Enter your instructions in the text field (e.g. “Focus on whether their confined space procedures meet HSWA requirements”)
3. The AI prioritises your instructions in its analysis

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Evidence citations

When AI Assist produces verified native-PDF citations, the result includes an Evidence sources table. Each row shows the file name, physical PDF page number, and evidence detail. Citations appear in two forms:

• Matched quotation: the quoted text was matched on the PDF page shown. This confirms where the quote appeared; it does not prove that the evidence supports the AI’s conclusion.
• AI page reference: the AI describes visual evidence on a specific page, such as a table, diagram, or scanned image. The document and physical page are verified, but you must review the page to confirm the description and its relevance.

Select a numbered reference in the guidance, such as [1], or select the file name in the Evidence sources table to open the cited page. Select Close source to return to the guidance, or Open source in a new tab to open the PDF directly in the browser. If the file has changed since the AI run, RapidCert opens the exact version used for that guidance and identifies it as historical. Non-PDF files, unavailable document versions, malformed PDFs, and PDFs that exceed processing limits cannot produce verified citations. A textless scanned or visual PDF can produce an AI page reference when its physical pages can be parsed. If a source cannot be opened, select the reference again to request a new access link or refresh the guidance. An unverified label in the guidance marks a point where the AI’s supporting reference could not be verified against the document. Check that point manually before relying on it.

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Suggested assessment

When the evidence supports them, AI Assist shows ready-to-review suggestions after the evidence sources. Depending on the question and scoring criteria, these can include:

• A score with its reason
• A contractor-visible assessor comment
• An action for a material evidence gap
• Actions describing what may support a higher score, such as the next and highest score bands, or the pass mark and maximum score

Review each suggestion against the response, evidence, and assessment criteria before selecting Apply or Apply to draft. Applying a score or assessor comment uses the question’s existing save flow. If the field already contains a value, RapidCert asks you to compare the current and proposed values before replacing it. Applying an action places the wording in the editable action draft. Review and edit the draft, then select Create Action when it is ready. It does not replace an existing action or create one automatically. A score can be provisional for several reasons, for example when unresolved evidence could change the result. AI Assist always marks a score provisional when some supplied evidence could not be reviewed, in which case the guidance lists those files, or when the score does not match one of the question’s written score bands. When the suggested score is already the maximum or a pass, AI Assist does not suggest actions.

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Out-of-date guidance

Guidance reflects the evaluation as it was when the guidance was prepared. When that may no longer be true, a badge appears beside View AI Assist on the question and a message appears at the top of the guidance, with Regenerate. No indicator appears when the guidance is current or when RapidCert cannot tell, for example for older guidance.

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Live guidance updates

Internal guidance and AI Assist results refresh when the assessment fetches updated data, including when you return to the tab or reconnect. These guidance updates preserve your unsaved scores, comments, and assessment draft work.

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Cancelling or retrying a request

For an individual question, Cancel request appears after an AI Assist request has been running for 60 seconds. If an attempt does not complete, AI Assist retries automatically: the question shows that it is retrying (with the attempt number when known), and Cancel request is available straight away. Select Cancel request to cancel that request. Your assessment work on the question is unchanged. If the request fails, the question shows AI Assist couldn’t complete this question with the reason. The message stays until you request AI Assist again or the question receives newer guidance, for example from a whole-evaluation run.

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Regenerating AI Assist

If you want a fresh assessment (e.g. after the contractor/supplier has updated their response):

1. Click Regenerate AI Assist on an existing AI assessment
2. Optionally provide new custom instructions
3. Optionally tick Include previous AI response for context if you want the AI to build on its earlier assessment
4. The AI generates a new assessment

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Text improvement

When writing comments, actions, or feedback, you can use the Improve text feature to refine your writing:

1. Type your text in any comment or action field
2. Click Improve Text
3. The AI improves grammar, clarity, and tone while maintaining NZ English spelling and HSE professional language
4. Review the suggestion and accept or discard

Text improvement works for internal comments, external comments, actions, questions, conclusions, rejection reasons, descriptions, and guidance text.

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Browser AI assistance

When browser AI assistance is available, select AI assistance in the header to see its current status, pause or resume access for the tab, and open the Assessment guide. The guide provides a starter prompt for reviewing an evaluation one question at a time. The assistant can help read evidence and prepare assessment changes within your existing role and selected-client access. Final approval and Require Actions remain human decisions. See Browser AI assistance for scope, permissions, and limitations.

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Assessment tools

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Sidebar

The sidebar contains:

• Company info (including category and subcategory when recorded)
• Scoring accordion
• Custom fields
• Question filter controls
• Sections list

Navigate between sections using the sidebar links.

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Internal notes

Internal notes are the Internal Comment field on each question. There is no separate notes icon or feature — use the Internal Comment field directly on the question to add assessor-only notes not visible to the contractor/supplier.

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Making Decisions

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Overall decision

After reviewing all sections and marking questions as assessed:

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Decision Options

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Approve

When approving:

• All required questions must be assessed
• All required insurance policies must be verified or approved — policies that are still pending verification will block approval
• Certification record is created
• Contractor/supplier is notified
• Status changes to Approved

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Require Actions (Needs Work)

If the contractor/supplier needs to address issues before the evaluation can progress:

1. Set action items on the relevant questions during assessment
2. Select Require Actions as your decision
3. Review the modal — it shows a warning, an info alert, a pending actions table, and a confirmation checkbox
4. Confirm

Status changes to Needs Work. The contractor/supplier receives a notification, addresses the action items, and resubmits. The evaluation then moves to Pending Reassessment for re-review.

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Send Back to Draft

If you need the contractor/supplier to redo the entire evaluation from scratch:

1. Click Send Back to Draft
2. Review the modal — it shows a “No Automatic Email” warning and a confirmation prompt
3. Confirm the action

Status changes to Draft. You must contact the contractor/supplier directly to explain why the evaluation is being sent back.

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Score review assessments

When you are assigned a score review, you are reassessing a completed evaluation in response to a contractor/supplier’s request. The assessment process is the same as a standard assessment, with a few key differences.

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What to expect

• The review contains the contractor/supplier’s submitted responses and uploaded documents, together with their reason for requesting the review
• The review may be free or may involve a non-refundable fee, depending on the evaluation type
• Your score replaces the original, whether it is higher, lower, or unchanged

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Conducting a score review

1. Open the evaluation from the Evaluations list (it will be in Review Request status)
2. Work through each section as you would for a standard assessment — review responses, check documents, and score each question
3. Use the sidebar score summary to track your progress
4. Make your final decision: Approve Evaluation or Require Actions

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Quality Assurance

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Consistency

Ensure consistent assessment by:

• Referring to assessment guidelines
• Using standard criteria
• Documenting reasoning in notes and assessor comments

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Score review on request

RapidCert does not have a built-in second review system. Evaluations are only reassessed if a contractor/supplier formally requests a score review. See Handling score review requests for details.

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After Assessment

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Approved evaluations

• Certification record is created
• Certificate PDFs must be generated manually (by an admin, assessor, contractor/supplier, or viewer)
• Report PDFs must be generated manually by an admin or assessor
• Contractor/supplier receives notification
• Evaluation moves to the Finalised tab
• Insurance dates are tracked

During a standard assigned assessment, assessors and administrators can complete custom fields and the conclusion as part of the normal review flow. After approval, only administrators can use the finalised-evaluation edit controls to update custom fields or the conclusion without reopening the evaluation. See Managing Evaluations for details.

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Troubleshooting

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Next Steps