The PLEDGE on Food Waste is a Private Limited Company incorporated in Singapore under the Membership number 201831048C. The PLEDGE on Food Waste is a third party audited certification and benchmarking system on food waste prevention designed to improve organizations and commercial kitchens’ bottom-line.

Below is a specification of The PLEDGE standard terms and conditions regarding the objective, scope and performance of the audit. The terms and conditions specified in sections 1 to 6 apply to all of our audit clients unless otherwise explicitly arranged.

1. Objective and scope of the audit

The objective of the audit is to evaluate the level of compliance of the organization against the 95 criteria of The PLEDGE. The auditor will examine whether the provided evidences and explanations provided by the organization for each of the criteria are in accordance with the standards.

The audit provides an in-depth snapshot of the restaurant’s operations and helps evaluate the restaurant’s compliance.

Purposes of the Audit:

• Evaluate Compliance Levels 
• Assess Team Commitment

• Bridge the Gap between Evidence and Reality

2. Performance of the audit

The audit typically takes 3 to 4 hours and should occur during the client’s regular service hours to assess operations effectively.

Pre-audit analysis: The auditor will check the evidence on the compliance platform before the official audit.

Analysis: The audit is comprised of three different types of evidence:

Verbal evidence: the auditor meets with the staff, individually or in a group, such as the Executive Chef, Heads of Department, Food Lover’s Committee, General Manager, and others.

Visual evidence: the auditor will visit different areas of the organization, from the restaurant to the back of the house (storage rooms, garbage area, delivery area, staff canteen, cold rooms, etc.)

Document evidence: the auditor will review the files and written explanations you provided on the compliance platform and compare them with the evidence collected during the onsite visit.

While visiting all the relevant areas onsite, the auditor will pay robust attention to the criteria compliance and take pictures or video as supporting evidence where appropriate. Figuratively, and in some cases literally, all doors should be opened. For example: in case your restaurant has multiple cold rooms, all of them must be visited, not just one.

3. Audit reporting

If any criteria are still non-compliant after the audit, the auditor will share a list with necessary actions and evidence, allowing the client a maximum of 10 days for corrections. 

The reports are sent to The PLEDGE on Food Waste for final review. If some criteria are not clearly documented, The PLEDGE on Food Waste team will ask for more information from the auditor. Once the reports are validated, they are sent to the client by The PLEDGE on Food Waste team with the final outcome.

4. Obligations of client

The Client will: 

1. settle the auditing fee sent by the auditor or The PLEDGE on Food Waste PTE. LTD.
2. ensure that sufficient information, instructions and documents are uploaded onto The PLEDGE compliance platform (https://thepledge.travelife.info) no later than 7 days prior to the desired intervention) to enable the required services to be performed.
3. provide all necessary access for the Auditing Company’s representatives to the premises where the services are to be performed and take all necessary steps to eliminate or remedy any obstacles to, or interruptions in, the performance of the services. 
4. ensure that all necessary measures are taken for safety and security of working conditions, sites and installations during the performance of services and will not rely, in this respect, on the Auditing Company’s advice whether required or not.

5. Fees and payment 

1. The Client will promptly pay no later than 30 days from the relevant invoice date or within such other period as may be established by the Company in the invoice (the “Due Date”).
2. Audit results will not be disclosed to the client until the payment has been received in full by the auditor or The PLEDGE on Food Waste PTE. LTD.
3. If the Auditing Company is unable to perform all or part of the services for any cause whatsoever outside the Auditing Company’s control including failure by Client to comply with any of its obligations provided for in clause 3 above the Company shall nevertheless be entitled to payment of: 

(1) the amount of all non-refundable expenses incurred by the Company; and 

(2) a proportion of the agreed fee equal to the proportion of the services actually carried out. 

1. Standard cancellation policy conditions shall apply in the event of any cancellation of any scheduled service by Client’s Facility / Third Party Facility: 

1. 0 % of the total fee for the Services if the cancellation occurs more than sixty (60) calendar days before the scheduled audit date, plus any reasonable non-refundable or avoidable travel expenses already paid payable on presentation of the supporting documentation;
2. 25 % of the total fee for the Services if the cancellation occurs between fifty nine (59) and thirty (30) calendar days before the requested audit date plus any reasonable non-refundable travel expenses already paid payable on presentation of the supporting documentation;
3. 50 % of the total fee for the Services if the cancellation occurs between twenty nine (29) and fifteen (15) calendar days before the requested audit date plus any reasonable non-refundable travel expenses already paid payable on presentation of the supporting documentation;
4. 75 % of the total fee for the Services if the cancellation occurs between fourteen (14) and eight (8) calendar days before the requested audit date plus any reasonable non-refundable travel expenses already paid payable on presentation of the supporting documentation; and
5. 100 % of the total fee for the Services if the cancellation occurs less than seven (7) calendar days before the requested audit date plus any reasonable non-refundable travel expenses already paid payable on presentation of the supporting documentation.
6. When a postponement or delay is requested more than once per site after an audit date has been agreed, an admin fee of 50 GBP will be applied for any such repeat postponements or delays (more than once) made per site, and any travel or other relevant expenses that may have been incurred that are non-refundable are fully recovered and charged for.

Suspension or termination of services

The Auditing Company shall be entitled to immediately and without liability either suspend or terminate provision of the services in the event of: 

1. failure by the Client to comply with any of its obligations hereunder and such failure is not remedied within 10 days that notice of such failure has been notified to Client; or 
2. any suspension of payment, arrangement with creditors, bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or cessation of business by Client.