each customer requests their own format, can this system handle that

One supply chain file, each format has its own question set

Yes, the system can handle that — that is precisely why a supply chain file exists instead of an archive of completed lists. The bank asks the question about employee numbers differently than the insurer does, and the sustainability list of customer A groups questions differently than that of customer B. But beneath all these formats usually lies the same set of facts: the number of employees, the countries where the enterprise has establishments, or whether there is an ISO 9001 certificate. The system recognizes the question in the customer's format and links it to the correct fact in the file, regardless of how exactly the question is phrased.

What does matter: the more specific the question, the less automatic the link. "Do you have an information security policy" is a different level than "which of the control measures from Annex A of ISO/IEC 27001 are implemented" — the latter requires a file that is structured at that level of detail, not just a yes/no flag. The same applies to the ten measures of Article 21(2) of the NIS2 Directive: if a customer wants evidence per measure, the file must have something to offer per measure, not just a general statement. The system then suggests what fits; confirming per answer remains the customer's choice.

Recognition per question, not per format

The link works at the level of the individual question, not at the level of the entire list — this is necessary because no two customer formats are identical, even within the same standard. A question about the EFRAG VSME basic module can be an open text field in one customer's format and a separate yes/no question per indicator in another customer's format; the file provides the same underlying fact in both cases, just presented differently. Where a format asks for something that is not in the file — for example, a detail that has not yet been recorded, such as whether the undertaking deploys AI systems — the system does not suggest an answer, because there is no source to point to.