Factory audit cost gets confusing fast: one provider sends you a $200-ish quote, another comes back at $900+ per day, and both call it a “factory audit.” The reason is simple—an audit quote is really a bundle of time, travel, and evidence requirements.
A quick supplier capability check, a quality-system deep dive, a SMETA social audit, and an ISO certification audit are four different jobs with four different cost structures.
In this guide, you’ll learn how audit companies build quotes, what pushes prices up or down, and how to estimate your budget before you request proposals. You’ll also see real-world published price points (mostly in USD, but sometimes in GBP/EUR) so you can sanity-check what lands in your inbox. By the end, you should be able to look at any factory audit quote and immediately spot what you’re paying for—and what you’re not yet today.
What Is a Factory Audit?
A factory audit is an on-site assessment of a supplier’s facility, systems, and records against a specific objective. That objective matters because the same building can be audited for capability, product quality controls, labor standards, or a regulated requirement, and each one needs different proof.
In practice, audits fall into a few buckets. Supplier verification confirms the business is real and operational; quality or technical audits test process controls like calibration, incoming inspection, traceability, and CAPA; and social, ISO, or GMP audits add interviews, record sampling, and stricter reporting.
The auditor typically does a site tour, checks documents, and speaks with managers and workers, then ties evidence to findings. You’re paying for the evidence trail in a written report, plus corrective actions you can require before you place or safely ship an order.
What Pricing Models Are Used for Factory Audit Quotes?
Now that the audit types are clear, the next problem is the quote format. Two providers can charge the same total and still present it differently, which makes comparison hard. Most audit quotes use one of four models, and each model hides or reveals costs in a different way.
Man-day pricing (the most common)
A man-day is one auditor on site for one working day. Some firms publish an “all-inclusive” man-day rate, while others treat the man-day as on-site execution only and bill other work separately. QIMA, for example, notes that additional services (such as desktop reviews or training) may not be included in the fee and can be quoted separately.
Flat fee, packages, and volume plans
You’ll also see flat per-site pricing, tiered packages (simple vs extensive), and volume plans where the price per audit drops when you buy a bundle. These can be great when you know your scope is standard, but they’re risky when “standard” isn’t defined.
Before you accept any number, make sure you’re comparing the same basket of costs. Ask the provider to confirm:
- What the price includes: on-site hours, document review, and report writing.
- Travel policy: local transport, flights, hotels, and mileage.
- Report turnaround and language: standard vs expedited, English-only vs bilingual.
- Extra modules: environment, security, C-TPAT, or custom checklists.
What Factors Drive Factory Audit Costs Up or Down?
Pricing models tell you how a quote is packaged; cost drivers tell you why your quote is higher than someone else’s. Almost every driver changes one of two levers: the number of auditor days, or the auditor day rate. If you can predict those two levers, you can predict the quote.
Here are the drivers that usually matter most, in order:
- Audit objective and scope. A quick capability check is lighter than a deep quality system audit, and both are lighter than a full social compliance or regulated audit.
- Factory size and complexity. More production lines, more shifts, multiple buildings, dorms, and subcontracting all increase evidence to check and people to interview.
- Country and travel time. Day rates vary by market, and long travel can add half-day or full-day increments. SMETA guidance, for example, adds extra time based on travel hours.
- Language and interpreter needs. Worker interviews and document checks slow down when translation is required.
- Urgency and scheduling. Rush bookings cost more because the provider has to reshuffle auditors and logistics.
- Follow-up audits. If corrective actions need verification, you may pay for a shorter re-audit—still another trip, another report, another invoice.
When you read any quote, try to map each line item to “more days” or “higher day rate.” If the provider can’t explain which lever changed, you’re probably looking at vague scope, not a real cost reason.
How Much Does a Supplier Quality or Technical Factory Audit Cost?
With the basics in place, you can finally answer the question most buyers ask: how much does a factory audit cost when you’re mainly validating capability and quality controls.
In Asia, published examples for a “simple” factory audit can be around $188 per man-day, while a more extensive audit is listed at about $238 per man-day on the same pricing page. That type of quote typically covers a site tour, document checks, and a capability snapshot rather than a deep process audit.
A lot of providers also sell audits as simple vs extensive packages. For example, one published pricing page lists a simple factory audit at $220 + travel costs and an extensive factory audit at $440 + travel costs.
Package pricing can be useful when you want a predictable scope, but you should still confirm whether the checklist includes calibration records, incoming inspection, traceability, nonconformance control, and CAPA evidence.
At the mid-tier, you’ll find “all-inclusive” offers that bundle travel within major manufacturing clusters. One example lists a standard factory audit rate of $398 per man-day with no extra travel charge in key Asian regions and a report issued within 2 days. On the other end, premium models can quote $900+ per man-day depending on geography, with audit duration often set as 1 man-day under 500 workers and 2 man-days for larger sites.
QCadvisor factory audits in Asia starts at $280 per man-day and it can scale with additional inspections and reports like factory verification and technical audit, followed by a social compliance audit and customized audits tailored to meet specific needs and criteria for your business
The practical takeaway is that the Factory audit price is really “days × rate + extras.” If two quotes differ, ask each provider to state the audit objective and the assumed auditor days in writing. Those two lines usually explain the gap faster than haggling over the headline number.
How Much Do Social Compliance Audits Cost?
After a technical audit, the next budget jump usually comes from social compliance. These audits are priced primarily by auditor days, then adjusted with travel and admin. On top of the audit company’s invoice, you may also see a separate platform or methodology fee tied to the program you’re using—Sedex, for example, charges a fixed SMETA fee per audit (effective July 1, 2025) that is distinct from what the auditing firm charges.
Auditor-day count is not guesswork. SMETA guidance sets workforce-based minimums and also allocates 0.5 auditor-day for report writing on full-scope audits. That means your “2-day SMETA” quote is often really 2 on-site days plus half a day of writing time at the auditor’s rate.
As a rough planning reference, the minimum on-site days in the SMETA table are:
- 5–100 workers: 1 auditor day
- 101–500 workers: 2 auditor days
- 501–1,000 workers: 3 auditor days
- 1,001–2,000 workers: 4 auditor days
- 2,001+ workers: 4+ auditor days, with larger sites scaling upward
Then add what can move the final number. Travel time can increase billed days (SMETA adds a half day for 1–2 hours travel per audit day, and a full day for 3–4 hours). Interpreter support for worker interviews can also raise the total. Finally, if corrective actions need verification, you may pay for a follow-up visit and another report.
Other programs like amfori BSCI follow a similar “days first, rate second” logic, but neither the payer nor the exact price is prescribed by the program—it’s agreed with the auditing company you choose.
How Much Do ISO Certification Audits Cost?
Social and technical audits help you decide whether to buy from a factory.
ISO certification audits are different: you’re paying a certification body to verify a management system against a specific ISO standard, then maintain that certificate over time. That’s why ISO pricing usually looks like a multi-step package—Stage 1, Stage 2, and ongoing surveillance—rather than a single visit.
On most quotes you’ll see charges built from day rates plus add-ons, such as:
- Application/admin fees and scheduling
- Auditor day rate × number of audit days (Stage 1, Stage 2, and surveillance)
- Travel and hotel (often excluded from the base day rate)
- Planning and report writing time (sometimes billed at full or half-day rates)
- Technical review and certificate issuance fees
To make that precise, an example shows an ISO 9001 day rate of $695 + VAT, with a $150 + VAT application fee and $150 + VAT for technical review/certificate issue, with travel and hotel billed separately unless an all-in rate is agreed.
Here’s a simple way to read a fee table when you’re comparing certification bodies (illustrative example format):
| Company size (employees) | Stage 1 fee | Stage 2 fee | Annual surveillance fee |
| 1–10 | ~½ to 1 day | ~1 day | ~1 day |
| 16–25 | ~1 day | ~2 days | ~1 day |
| 46–65 | ~1 day | ~3 days | ~2–3 days |
If you operate multiple sites, expect extra audit time and a higher total, because the certificate scope has to be verified across each location.
How Much Do GMP and Regulated-Industry Audits Cost?
If your supplier makes regulated products—pharmaceuticals, medical devices, certain foods—the audit cost usually jumps for a simple reason: the auditor is expected to evaluate compliance against stricter rules and deeper technical evidence. That means more preparation, more sampling, tighter reporting expectations, and higher professional liability.
You’re also paying for auditors with regulated-industry competence, which tends to push day rates up.
You’ll typically see one of two charging patterns. The first is a day-rate model that explicitly bills audit days plus prep/report time. In one published auditor contract for the APIC audit programme, the auditor is paid €800 per audit day, plus a one-time €800 payment for preparation and preparing the audit report. That split matters because even a “2-day on-site audit” can carry meaningful off-site work.
The second pattern is a programme or set-fee model, often used for shared audits where several customers split the cost. An APIC audit cost example shows €8,400 + VAT for a one-customer audit, while a shared audit divides that amount by the number of customers and adds a handling fee per customer.
Your best move is to ask whether the quote includes preparation and report writing, or only the on-site days. That single question prevents a lot of sticker shock.
What “Hidden Costs” and Surcharges Should You Budget For?
Even when a provider gives you a clean day rate, the invoice can grow after booking. The easiest way to avoid surprises is to plan for the add-ons that show up most often. If you want fewer budget fights later, force every quote to list these items up front.
Start with travel. Some “all-inclusive” offers bake travel into the man-day, but many quotes treat travel as pass-through cost, especially when the factory is far from major cities. Next is time outside the on-site slot: several providers explicitly separate desktop reviews, consulting, or training from the man-day price.
Then you have surcharges. Here are the ones you should expect to see in real terms:
- Rush scheduling. Short-notice audits can carry a premium because the auditor pool is limited.
- Overtime and non-standard hours. Some pricing pages itemize night overtime and holiday work (for example, +$50 per man-day on official holidays and +$15 per hour after 6:00 PM).
- Translation and bilingual reporting. If you need a bilingual report or translated evidence, budget extra.
- Extra modules. Adding environment, security, or custom questionnaires increases audit time or rate.
- Programme fees. For SMETA, you may see a separate fixed fee in addition to the audit firm’s charge. Sedex
If you treat these as line items from the start, your internal budget won’t get blown up by “small” add-ons.
Who Pays for a Factory Audit? Buyer vs Supplier vs Cost-Sharing
Once you understand the components, a practical question follows: who pays the bill. In real supply chains, you’ll usually see three models, and each one changes the incentives around scope and timing. Knowing the model helps you interpret the quote and the report.
First, buyer-paid audits: you pay because you want full control over scope, auditor selection, and scheduling. Second, supplier-paid audits: common in social compliance programs because a recognized report can be shared with multiple customers, reducing duplicate visits. Third, cost-sharing or programme audits, where several customers split the same audit cost under a shared framework (APIC is one published example).
There’s no universal rule. amfori explicitly states it does not prescribe who should cover the cost or how much audits should cost; the arrangement is agreed between the member and the supplier.
If the supplier pays, protect credibility. Use approved audit companies where required, define the scope in writing, and ensure you receive the report directly rather than a “summary” version.
Quick Estimation Method: How to Calculate Your Expected Audit Budget
By this point you’ve seen enough variables to feel like pricing is a moving target. The fix is to estimate the budget the same way audit firms build quotes: separate “time” from “expenses,” then add programme fees and contingencies.
A simple formula you can use is:
Total audit budget = (auditor day rate × auditor days) + (report/planning days × rate) + travel + programme/platform fees + surcharges + follow-up allowance
Here are two quick examples so you can plug in your own numbers.
Example 1: Supplier quality audit (typical 1 man-day).
If your provider charges $280 per man-day for a standard factory verification and travel is local, your base is $280. Add travel if the site is remote, plus any expedited reporting you request. A realistic internal budget is often “base + 20–30%” to cover surprises like interpreter time or an extra half day.
Example 2: SMETA-style social compliance audit.
Assume 300 workers. The SMETA minimum table points to 2 on-site auditor days for 101–500 workers, plus 0.5 auditor-day for report writing. Multiply 2.5 days by the auditor’s day rate, then add travel time if applicable (SMETA guidance adds extra time based on hours traveled). Finally, add the fixed £185 SMETA fee that Sedex charges per audit (separate from the audit firm’s invoice). Sedex
If you write your estimate this way, you can compare quotes quickly because you’re comparing the same components every time.
How to Request Quotes and Compare Audit Providers
Your cost estimate is only as good as the inputs, so the next step is collecting quotes that are actually comparable. Start by writing a one-sentence audit objective (“verify the factory’s quality system for molded plastic parts,” not “do a factory audit”). That single sentence forces every provider to price the same scope.
When you request quotes, give the provider the details that change auditor days: country/city, worker count, number of buildings, product type, and any required standards (SMETA 2-pillar vs 4-pillar, ISO 9001, GMP, C-TPAT). Then compare providers on more than the headline number.
A practical comparison checklist:
- Scope match. Are optional modules included or priced as add-ons?
- What’s included. On-site only vs report writing, travel, and translations.
- Auditor profile. Years of audit experience, language skills, and regulated-industry credentials when needed.
- Report quality. Ask for a redacted sample report and confirm turnaround time.
- Corrective action support. Will they verify CAPAs or run a follow-up audit if findings are serious?
- Cancellation and access rules. If the factory denies entry, who pays for the wasted trip?
If two quotes still differ, ask each provider to break their price into day rate, days, travel, and surcharges. The gap usually becomes obvious.
How to Reduce Factory Audit Costs Without Increasing Risk?
Saving money on audits works only when you’re cutting waste, not cutting evidence. The smart approach is to reduce auditor days and travel, while keeping the parts of the audit that catch real risk. That’s where most savings actually come from.
Here are cost controls that usually hold up:
- Pick the narrowest audit that answers your decision. If you only need to confirm the supplier is real and capable, don’t pay for an extensive module set.
- Combine trips. If you already have a pre-shipment inspection scheduled, ask whether the same auditor can add a short supplier evaluation while on site.
- Use existing credible audits when appropriate. If the factory already has a recent recognized social audit, you may only need a targeted gap-check instead of a full repeat.
- Plan early to avoid rush premiums. Booking ahead is usually cheaper than “this Friday.”
- Request a local auditor. Local coverage cuts flights and hotels, and it reduces the odds of delays.
- Standardize your checklist. Custom checklists and extra modules are common drivers of extra days and add-on fees.
If you’re tempted to skip the audit entirely, switch the question: “What’s my cost of being wrong?” When the order value is high, a single audit can be the cheaper line item.
How Does QCadvisor model lowers factory audit cost without lowering audit evidence?
If your goal is fewer auditor days + less travel (while keeping the proof that actually protects you), QCADVISOR is a useful reference point because their pricing structure is built around those exact levers:
FAQs
1. What is a man-day?
A man-day (or “manday”) is one auditor working one full working day on site. Many providers quote audits as day rate × man-days, but you still need to confirm what’s inside that rate—on-site only, or also reporting and coordination.
2. Are travel costs included?
It depends on the provider and the country. Some publish all-inclusive regional rates, while others invoice flights, hotels, and local transport separately. For social audits, travel time can also increase the billed days based on travel hours.
3. How long does the audit report take?
Many factory audit providers turn reports around in 1–3 business days, with faster options priced as expedited service. One published example promises a report within 2 days for a standard factory audit. For SMETA, note that report writing time is explicitly allocated (0.5 auditor-day) on full-scope audits.
4. How do ISO surveillance audits affect annual cost?
Initial ISO certification is staged (Stage 1 and Stage 2), then the certificate is maintained with surveillance audits, typically billed as day rates plus fees and travel. That’s why you should budget an ongoing annual line item, not a one-off spend.
