Practical questions about laboratory audits.
The questions lab directors, COOs and operations managers ask most often before they engage. If your question isn't here, ask it on the Discovery Call — that's what the call is for.
About the audit
Will this disrupt lab operations?
No. We work from your data and a single optional walkthrough. No equipment downtime, no bench interruption, no staff shadowing. The audit is structured to require minimal lab-team time — typically around 90 minutes across the engagement.
How long does it take?
A typical Baseline Audit runs 4–6 weeks, end to end. Smaller, focused reviews (e.g. waste-only, procurement-only) can complete in 2–3 weeks. Multi-site or unusually complex labs take longer; we'll be specific in the proposal.
What does it cost?
Scoped per lab. We quote a fixed fee within 2 working days of the Discovery Call. We deliberately don't publish a price, because lab variation makes a single number misleading. We charge for the work; we don't run "free assessments" because that usually means "disguised proposal".
How quickly can we see savings?
Identifiable saving opportunities are in the audit report at week 6. Realised savings depend on implementation pace; quick wins — procurement consolidation, waste contract right-sizing, expiry-prone consumable control — typically land within the first 90 days.
Will we get a report or a presentation?
Both. A presentation to your team and stakeholders, the full report, and a one-page summary suitable for board or finance leadership.
About data
Do we need perfect data?
No. We are built for incomplete data. Methodology notes accompany every figure so you and your auditors know exactly what is evidenced, what is modelled and what assumptions sit behind the numbers.
What format does the data need to be in?
Whatever you have. CSV, PDF invoices, supplier statements — even photographs. We do the structuring.
What if our suppliers won't share data?
We model defensibly using sector-standard emission factors and benchmarks, and flag the gap clearly. The output remains useful and defensible. We don't depend on supplier disclosure to deliver value.
About scope and risk
Will this affect compliance or accreditation?
No. The audit runs parallel to your QMS. We don't advise on, or modify, anything QMS-relevant. Where actions touch accreditation-relevant procedures, we flag them for your QM lead — we don't act on them.
Will it create more work for our team?
Around 90 minutes of interview time across the engagement, plus optional walkthrough attendance. We design the audit to require minimal lab-team time.
What if you find something embarrassing?
Findings are private. We deliver them to whoever you specify; we don't publish them, we don't aggregate them across clients, and we don't share them externally without your written agreement. You control distribution.
Most of the answers above are easier to discuss than to read. Book a 20-minute call — no prep needed.
Book a Discovery Call →About sustainability
Is this just carbon accounting in disguise?
No. Cost recovery is the primary output. Carbon and Scope 3 are produced as built-in outputs of the same operational analysis — not as a separate workstream and not as the headline.
Is this suitable if sustainability is not our main priority?
Yes. The audit pays back through cost recovery, supplier risk reduction and reporting readiness. Sustainability is a built-in by-product, not the price of admission.
What if we already work with a sustainability consultant?
Common. We work alongside sustainability programmes, often providing the operational-data substrate that those programmes need to be actionable. We don't duplicate or replace certification work (Planet Mark, B Corp).
Do you do certification?
No. We are not a certifier. If certification is your goal, we'll point you at the right body. Where labs need certification and operational change, we deliver the operational change and feed our outputs into the certification process.
About RTR HealthTech
Can you work with small labs?
Yes. SME private labs are our primary client. The audit is scoped to lab size and complexity.
Are you actually independent of suppliers?
Yes. No supplier commissions. No kickbacks. No preferred-vendor schemes. We don't resell anything.
What makes you different from generic sustainability consultants?
Two things. We start from operations and cost — not from frameworks and certification. And we use Atlas, our internal operations intelligence system, to make recommendations defensible and reporting reusable. The result is work that survives finance-team scrutiny, not just compliance scrutiny.
Are you a software company?
No. Atlas is internal infrastructure that supports our consultancy work. We deliver consultancy, not software seats.
Where are you based?
UK. Registered as RTR HealthTech LLP. Most engagements are remote-led with one optional on-site visit.
If your question isn't above, ask it on the call.
A 20-minute Discovery Call is the easiest way to ask a specific question. No prep, no pitch, no obligation. We respond within one working day.