Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the questions we hear most often from buyers and suppliers using TradeAware

Answers to the questions we hear most often from buyers and suppliers using TradeAware. For full step-by-step instructions, see the TradeAware User Guide. Can’t find what you need? Reach us at [e-mail] or your CSM contact.

Contents

Supplier Onboarding & Invitations

Plot Data & Precision Analytics

Document Management & Questionnaires

DDS & TRACES Submission

TRACES Acceptance vs Production

Risk Assessment & CMS Checks

API & Technical Integration

Supply Chain Network & Connections

Account & Settings

Supplier Onboarding & Invitations

How do I invite suppliers to TradeAware?

BUYERS

Open the Suppliers tab and click the “+” icon to invite suppliers. Add email addresses individually, or upload a CSV of up to 100 addresses to invite multiple suppliers at once. You can include a free-text message that will appear in the supplier’s onboarding email. Connecting through the Commercial Network is free.

Learn more: Connect with your supply chain

Can I customise the invitation email, for example for non-English-speaking suppliers?

BUYERS

You can add a custom message that appears in the onboarding email your supplier receives. The rest of the email template is not currently customisable.

Learn more: Connect with your supply chain

How do suppliers connect with us once they’ve registered?

ALL USERS

You send a business invitation from the Suppliers page. The supplier receives an email to accept the connection, including any custom message you added. Once accepted, the supplier’s plots and risk statuses become visible to you. Data sharing flows one way, from supplier to buyer.

Learn more: Connect with your supply chain

Can we cancel an invitation that hasn’t been accepted?

BUYERS

Yes. Sent invitations can be cancelled from the notifications panel. If a supplier declines an invitation, it’s removed from your notifications automatically — no further action is needed.

Learn more: Connect with your supply chain

Plot Data & Precision Analytics

What’s the difference between the forest cover check and Precision Analytics?

PREMIUM FEATURE

Every uploaded plot is automatically checked against the EU Global Forest Cover Map (natural forest as of December 2020); any overlap is flagged for review. Precision Analytics is a more accurate, EUDR-aligned check that looks at land-use change rather than tree cover alone, so it can return a more favourable result even where the forest cover map shows overlap — for example, where the overlap is an existing plantation rather than recent deforestation. Where a Precision Analytics result exists, it takes priority.

Learn more: Open Source Deforestation Methodology

What are the size limits for plot uploads?

The maximum size for a single plot is 10,000 hectares — larger plots should be divided, or you can contact support for help. Bulk GeoJSON uploads must be under 10 MB per file.

Learn more: Upload and Analyzing Plots

My supplier’s GeoJSON upload was rejected — what should we check?

Upload errors are usually related to the properties structure of the GeoJSON file, or to geometry issues such as self-intersecting shapes or unsupported geometry types. Only Point, Polygon, and MultiPolygon geometries are supported; LineString, MultiPoint, and GeometryCollection are not. The GeoJSON formatting guide sets out the exact structure expected.

Learn more: Formatting GeoJSON for TradeAware Application Uploads

We removed and re-added the same plot — do we have to redo Precision Analytics and the risk assessment?

Yes. Removing and re-adding a plot is treated as a new upload, so it resets the plot’s status and requires the full screening process again — including Precision Analytics and any CMS assessment — even if the underlying geometry is unchanged from before.

Learn more: Upload and Analyzing Plots

A supplier added new plots after their questionnaire and risk analysis were already completed — do we need to redo the questionnaire?

Yes, in general. Newly added plots or commodities require their own assessment and their own supporting documentation, even if they’re in the same country as plots already approved — each plot carries its own risk and documentation requirements.

Learn more: Provide and Review Documents

Can we request Precision Analytics for many plots at once?

PREMIUM FEATURE

Yes. In the Plots of Land table, select up to 1,000 plots and click “Request Precision Analytics.” The pipeline runs once daily at midday CET, and statuses update automatically once processing completes.

Learn more: Upload and Analyzing Plots

A plot shows High risk after Precision Analytics, but we have documents proving no deforestation — what now?

A High or Medium satellite-based result is a signal to investigate, not automatic proof of non-compliance. You can attach supporting legal or forest-management documentation to the supplier questionnaire.

Learn more: Assess risk in your supply chain

Document Management & Questionnaires

Which country do I select when creating a questionnaire?

When creating a questionnaire, you specify the sourcing country it applies to. If your supplier sources commodities from multiple countries, they should expect to complete a separate questionnaire for each relevant sourcing country.

Learn more: Provide and Review Documents

How do I know which documents my suppliers actually need to upload?

Requirements vary by sourcing country, commodity, and supply-chain structure, so there’s no single universal checklist. As general guidance, documentation typically falls into a few areas: proof of land use rights, environmental protection compliance, forest-related regulations, third-party and labour rights, human rights and FPIC (free, prior and informed consent), and tax, anti-corruption, and trade compliance. Contact your Customer Success Manager for a more detailed reference list.

Learn more: Provide and Review Documents

What document formats and file sizes are supported?

Supported formats are PDF, JPG, PNG, DOCX, XLSX, TIFF, HEIC, CSV, TXT, and RTF, with a 200 MB limit per document. Multiple files can be uploaded at once, and all documents are scanned for malware before they can be downloaded.

Learn more: Provide and Review Documents

Can our supplier see our draft questionnaire, or can we see theirs before submission?

No, in either direction. Only submitted questionnaires are visible to the buyer; draft questionnaires stay visible only to the business that created them.

Learn more: Provide and Review Documents

Can I add supporting documents on behalf of my supplier?

BUYERS

You can’t edit a supplier’s own questionnaire responses, but you can upload supporting documents — such as certificates or audit results — directly to the supplier’s Documents tab. These uploads are recorded in the supplier’s audit trail.

Learn more: Assess risk in your supply chain

DDS & TRACES Submission

Why is my transaction still showing as processing?

Submitting a transaction moves its status from Draft to To Submit, meaning it is ready and pending submission to TRACES. It then moves to Processing/Submitted once TRACES receives it, and to Available once TRACES returns the DDS reference and verification numbers. This can take a few hours or longer, depending on TRACES’ response times.

Learn more: Manage your transactions

What information do we need to submit a DDS?

You need plot-level geolocation data (GeoJSON) and core product details — HS code, quantity, unit, and date of production. Supporting documents such as certificates aren’t part of the DDS submission itself; keep them on hand as your own evidence that due diligence was carried out.

Learn more: Manage your transactions

TRACES Acceptance vs Production

What’s the difference between Acceptance and Production, and how do I know which is active?

TRACES provides two environments: Acceptance, for testing, and Production, where DDS submissions are legally binding and processed by EU authorities. By default, TradeAware connects to Acceptance. A banner on the Transactions page always shows which environment is currently active for your account.

Learn more: Switching from TRACES Acceptance to TRACES Production

How do we move to Production?

Switching to Production is currently a manual step — contact Customer Support or your Customer Success Manager once you’re confident your data is final. Once enabled, all new submissions go to Production, and each Production submission shows a legal warning and confirmation dialog.

Learn more: Switching from TRACES Acceptance to TRACES Production

What happens to existing transactions when we switch to Production?

Draft transactions are kept after the switch. Transactions that were Submitted or Errored in Acceptance are cleared, and anything already submitted in Acceptance can’t be resubmitted in Production, since the two are separate environments.

Learn more: Switching from TRACES Acceptance to TRACES Production

Risk Assessment & CMS Checks

When is a supplier ready for a risk assessment?

PREMIUM FEATURE

A supplier is marked “Ready for assessment” once they’ve provided the required data for review - including de-risked plots and completed questionnaires.

Learn more: Assess risk in your supply chain

Is CMS risk assessment available on every account?

No. Risk assessment, including CMS-supported assessment, is a Premium feature. Contact your Customer Success Manager if it isn’t enabled on your account.

Learn more: Assess risk in your supply chain

What supplier and plot statuses are available, and can suppliers see them?

Suppliers can be assigned one of eight statuses: New, Under review, Ready for assessment, CMS assessment requested, CMS assessment completed, In risk mitigation, EUDR compliant, or EUDR non-compliant. Plots use a shorter set of five statuses: New, Under review, In risk mitigation, EUDR compliant, or EUDR non-compliant. Statuses and notes are visible only within your own business — suppliers can’t see how you’ve assessed them.

Learn more: Assess risk in your supply chain

If a plot shows a deforestation risk flag, does that automatically mean the supplier is non-compliant?

No. A risk flag is a signal to investigate, not an automatic finding of non-compliance. If documentation clearly shows a legitimate explanation — for example selective harvesting under an approved forest management plan, legally permitted harvest activity, removal of damaged or weakened trees, or preventive fire-risk harvesting — the plot isn’t automatically treated as non-compliant. Without supporting documentation, however, the plot will be considered non-compliant by default.

Learn more: Assess risk in your supply chain

Does a CMS Supplier Check need to cover every individual shipment, or can one check represent the whole supply chain?

PREMIUM FEATURE

Not necessarily. A single CMS check is based on one shipment considered representative of the supplier as a whole, covering a one-year period — for example, a supplier with several sub-suppliers feeding the same product can be covered by one standard check on the Tier-1 supplier, provided the chain is fully traceable end-to-end. The buyer and supplier remain responsible for holding valid, compliant documentation for every other shipment that meets the same requirements.

Learn more: Assess risk in your supply chain

How do we receive a CMS report?

PREMIUM FEATURE

CMS risk-assessment reports are stored as PDFs in the supplier’s Documents section, where they can be previewed or downloaded and remain linked to that supplier’s audit trail. Additionally, your CSM contact at TradeAware will share this by email.

Learn more: Assess risk in your supply chain

API & Technical Integration

What format and limits apply to plot data uploaded via the API?

API USERS

The API accepts GeoJSON with Polygon, MultiPolygon, and Point geometries (MultiPoint, LineString, and MultiLineString aren’t supported), using the CRS84 projection and 2D geometries only. Maximum payload size is 10 MB per request.

Learn more: API Access and Business Account Registration

How is riskLevel calculated, and how does it differ from riskAssessmentStatus?

API USERS

riskLevel is a system-computed, read-only value returned when requested via ?includes=riskLevel. If a Precision Analytics result exists, it takes priority, returning “high” or “none”; without one, the Open Source Screening returns “medium” or “low.” A null value means the analysis isn’t complete yet. riskAssessmentStatus is a separate, customer-controlled field set via a Plot or Supplier Risk Assessment — the system never sets it automatically.

Learn more: API FAQs

How do we set or update a risk-assessment status via the API?

API USERS

Create a risk assessment the first time you set a status — POST /plots/{plotId}/plot-risk-assessments or POST /businesses/{supplierId}/supplier-risk-assessments — then use PATCH with the returned risk-assessment ID for later updates. There’s no bulk endpoint, so each plot or supplier must be updated individually.

Learn more: API FAQs

How do we retrieve all our plots via the API?

API USERS

Use the page parameter to paginate through results, and set limit up to its maximum of 500 records per request (the default is 100). Use the select parameter — for example, select=id,name — to limit which fields are returned, which keeps large exports lighter to process.

Learn more: Plots (API reference)

How do we retrieve EUDR-compliant plots to build a transaction?

API USERS

Fetch plots from a supplier (and its upstream) using filter.riskAssessmentStatus=$eq:EUDR_COMPLIANT, extract the plot IDs from the response, then submit those IDs inside the relevant component when creating a transaction via POST /transactions.

Learn more: API FAQs

Supply Chain Network & Connections

What exactly is the “commercial network,” and is there a cost to use it?

It’s a free way for buyers to request plot data from suppliers, and for suppliers to share data anonymously from their own sub-suppliers — avoiding the need to re-enter the same plot information for every new buyer request. Data flows downstream only, from suppliers to buyers.

Learn more: Connect with your supply chain

What’s the difference between a Business Invitation and a Business Connection?

A Business Invitation is the request a buyer sends to a supplier asking them to share their compliance data. A Business Connection is the result once that invitation is accepted — at that point, the supplier’s plots and, where submitted, legal documentation are shared with the buyer.

Learn more: Glossary

Can a downstream buyer see the details of our sub-suppliers?

SUPPLIERS

Data flows downstream only — from supplier to buyer, never the reverse (except the Precision analytics results). A Tier-1 supplier can invite and manage its own sub-suppliers, and can choose to share sub-supplier plot data with its buyer anonymously, without exposing the sub-supplier’s identity.

Learn more: Connect with your supply chain

Account & Settings

How do we add team members?

From Settings → Team members, invite colleagues by email. Invited users show as “Invited” until they complete onboarding, after which they have the same account access as other team members.

Learn more: Settings Guide

A colleague sees different data than the rest of our team — why?

First check whether you’re both working in the same Workspace, since each workspace has its own suppliers, plots, and transactions. If that’s not the cause, they may be signed into a different account than the one set up for your company — contact support to confirm.

Learn more: Managing Workspaces

How do we add multiple legal entities to one account?

Go to Settings → Business Information, scroll to Legal Entities, and select “Create Legal Entity.” Add the entity’s details, including its EORI and/or VAT number. When creating a transaction, you can then choose which legal entity should file the DDS.

Learn more: Settings Guide

How do I reset my password?

On the login page, select “Forgot Password” and enter your account email. You’ll receive a reset link from [e-mail] — check your spam folder if it doesn’t arrive — then follow the instructions to set a new password.

Learn more: Getting Started