What are the supplier exemption categories — and what is the difference between exempt and Not Assessed?
Exempt suppliers are removed from the rollout before the tracker is completed and should not appear in the tracker at all. Not Assessed is a platform status applied at the due date to suppliers who were invited but never opened their questionnaire. These are very different things.
| Exemption category | Description | Note in export as... |
|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietor — one-time engagement | Individual operating as a sole proprietor with a single, non-recurring assignment. No continuing supply chain relationship. | Exempt — sole proprietor, one-time engagement |
| No spend in past 12 months | No active commercial relationship in the last financial year. Flag as inactive — they re-enter if reactivated. | Exempt — inactive, no spend last 12 months |
| Intragroup / intercompany entity | Another Ivanhoe Mines subsidiary or related party. Outside scope of third-party ESG assessment. | Exempt — intragroup entity |
| Regulated utility | Electricity, water, telecoms providers subject to statutory regulation. ESG assessment adds limited value. | Exempt — regulated utility |
| Government body / SOE | Department, parastatal, or SOE procured for regulatory/statutory purposes, not commercial supply. | Exempt — government / SOE |
| Emergency one-off spend below ZAR 10,000 | Single reactive purchase with no ongoing relationship. Transactional, not relational. | Exempt — emergency one-off, below threshold |
| Supplier in liquidation or business rescue | Entity that has ceased trading or is in formal business rescue. No active relationship to assess. | Exempt — liquidation / business rescue |
⚑ Note: Suppliers holding ISO 14001, SA8000, or EcoVadis certifications are NOT automatically exempt. Their certification is noted in column V and taken into account during post-assessment engagement, but they still go through classification.