how are answers to a questionnaire filled in automatically

Recognition works at question level, not at document level

The system matches each question from the uploaded list against questions it already knows from earlier portals, and completes per question the answer from the supply chain file. That matching is based on meaning, not on literal text: "Aantal FTE" and "Number of employees (headcount)" point to the same file entry, namely the number of employees". The same applies to a question about the KvK number versus "company registration number" — both refer to the registration number as recorded under the Trade Register Act 2007.

For questions that go beyond master data — a question about the ten measures of Article 21(2) of the NIS2 Directive, or about the Annex A control measures of ISO/IEC 27001 — the system searches for the specific file document that covers that measure, not for a general "yes, we do cybersecurity". If that document is missing, the answer remains open instead of the system filling in something based on another, related question. For VSME or CSRD questions it works the same way: a question about scope 3 emissions is only filled in if there is a figure with a source in the file, not if there is only a policy text about sustainability in general.

Why each answer requires confirmation before submission

That follows from the platform's own working method: each proposed answer receives a yes/no confirmation, and without that confirmation nothing goes to the customer's portal. That step is necessary because matching based on meaning is never watertight — a question about establishments can for example concern the countries where the undertaking is active or specifically the registered office, and the entrepreneur must confirm that distinction themselves. The system recognises and proposes; the entrepreneur evaluates and submits.