VSME Basic vs Comprehensive: which module fits your SME

The scope of a VSME report is one of the first decisions an SME faces when starting the reporting process. Basic is sufficient in most situations, but Comprehensive is needed if the requesting customer is a large CSRD-obligated company or if external assurance is required. This article helps you choose the right module.

What distinguishes the Basic and Comprehensive modules

VSME is built around two modules, clearly defined in the EFRAG standard. Basic is the foundation level. Comprehensive is the extended version, which always includes everything in Basic plus deeper thematic coverage.

The structure is intentional. An SME can start with Basic, respond to a customer request quickly, and move to Comprehensive later if the customer base or financing situation requires it. The standard’s content does not change mid-journey.

In practice, Basic covers approximately 30 data points; Comprehensive more than doubles that number and adds several qualitative sections.

For an SME, the choice is essentially a strategic decision, not a technical one. Basic is designed as a reactive response to a customer information request. Comprehensive is designed for a company that is building sustainability reporting as part of its business strategy, or that needs a more extensive report for a financier or pre-listing preparation.

VSME Basic Module: content, data points, and who it serves

The Basic Module is designed as a fast response to most information requests that SMEs encounter.

Content:

Basic organisational information: headcount, industry sector
Core workforce metrics (number of full-time employees, gender breakdown, turnover rate)
Energy use (electricity, heating, fuels)
Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (both location-based and market-based if you use guarantees of origin)
Water and waste data
Basic information on governance and ethical business practices
Fines and significant violations, if any

Who Basic is sufficient for:

SME suppliers from whom a large customer requests basic sustainability data
Banks’ standard corporate finance due diligence questions
As a baseline for the first reporting period
Companies with fewer than 1,000 employees that can invoke the value chain cap rule

The majority of NGS’s VSME projects are at the Basic level. This covers approximately 70–80% of the customer requests NGS receives.

VSME Comprehensive Module: when you need it

The Comprehensive Module builds on Basic and adds the topics that a large CSRD-obligated customer needs for its own ESRS reporting.

Additional content on top of Basic:

Climate-related risks and opportunities
Transition plan for limiting climate change
Human rights policies and due diligence process
Diversity and equality in leadership and workforce
Strategic sustainability targets and their monitoring
Stakeholder consultations and their outcomes

When Comprehensive is necessary:

The customer is a large CSRD-obligated company that needs more detailed supplier data for its ESRS report
The company is seeking significant financing from investors who require climate risk assessment
The report is subject to voluntary external assurance
The company is close to the Omnibus I threshold (1,000 employees, €450 million turnover) and is preparing for a potential CSRD obligation

A practical rule of thumb: if the customer’s questionnaire mentions climate risks, a transition plan, human rights, or diversity, you need the Comprehensive module.

Comprehensive also requires a more significant investment in internal policy documentation. If, for example, a human rights policy has not been documented, it must be drafted as part of the project. This typically means working with the HR manager or CEO, not just collecting data from finance.

Comparison table: workload, data requirements, cost

Item	Basic	Comprehensive
Number of data points	~30	~70+
Typical project duration	4–6 weeks	6–10 weeks
Data requirements	Primarily quantitative (accounts, energy invoices)	Quantitative + policy documents + stakeholder consultations
Policy documents	Not necessarily required	Recommended (e.g. human rights policy)
Double materiality assessment	Light or none	Light assessment recommended
Price estimate (NGS)	typically €8,000–15,000	typically €15,000–25,000
Sufficient for most customer requests?	Yes, with the value chain cap rule	Yes, including more extensive requests

The figures reflect NGS’s own experience from SME projects. The exact price depends on company size, emissions profile complexity, and data availability.

How to choose the right module: three questions

The decision is usually straightforward once you work through these questions.

1. What is the customer or financier requesting?

Check the source reference in the request. If the questions cite ESRS standards (e.g. E1 Climate Change, S1 Own Workforce) or the request concerns a transition plan or human rights, you need the Comprehensive module. If the request is more general (“provide Scope 1–3 emissions, energy use, and workforce data”), Basic is sufficient.

2. Do policy documents already exist?

Comprehensive requires the company to either already have, or intend to create, human rights, diversity, and transition plan documents. If these do not exist and there is no plan to create them now, Basic is the more sensible starting point.

3. Does the report need external assurance?

If the answer is yes, go with Comprehensive. Limited assurance is more appropriate for a more extensive report, and in investors’ eyes, Comprehensive + assurance is a considerably more credible combination than Basic + assurance.

If the answer to all three is no, choose Basic. You can always expand later.

Typical profiles in Finland

Based on NGS’s experience, a few typical profiles recur among Finnish SMEs.

Basic profile. A manufacturing company with 30–150 employees and a handful of large customers in the industrial or retail sector. The customer requests Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, energy data, core workforce metrics, and a governance description. This is a clear Basic case. The project takes 4–6 weeks and typically costs €8,000–15,000. More than half of NGS’s VSME projects fall into this category.

Comprehensive profile. A company with 150–500 employees selling to large international industrial customers (e.g. Stora Enso, Wärtsilä, Nokia) or seeking significant green financing. The customer’s questions reference climate risks and a transition plan. The project takes 6–10 weeks, costing €15,000–25,000. The management team typically needs to participate in two workshops.

Hybrid profile. An SME that completes Basic but adds one or two Comprehensive sections to it, most often a climate risk assessment. This works when one large customer has a Comprehensive-level request for climate risks, but other customers are satisfied with Basic.

The choice should be made based on the overall picture of customer requests, not a single request. If two of your five largest customers are asking for Comprehensive-level reporting, it is worth building Comprehensive from the outset. Doing Basic first and upgrading later costs more than completing Comprehensive in one go.

Frequently asked questions

Can you move from Basic to Comprehensive after the first report?

Yes. The Basic data points are fully included in Comprehensive, so the transition happens by adding the new sections. In practice, expanding for the next reporting period is lighter work than starting from scratch.

Is Basic sufficient for a customer information request?

In most cases, yes. Because of the value chain cap rule, a CSRD-obligated customer may not request more from a supplier with fewer than 1,000 employees than what is defined in the VSME standard. Basic covers the mandatory sections of the standard.

How much more does Comprehensive cost compared to Basic?

Based on NGS’s experience, Comprehensive costs approximately 50–80% more than an equivalent Basic project. The difference comes from the broader data collection, review of policy documents, and documentation of stakeholder consultations.

Must Comprehensive always include Basic?

Yes. The structure of the VSME standard requires that a Comprehensive report covers all Basic module data points as well as the requirements of the Comprehensive sections.

Can you select only some Comprehensive sections for a VSME report?

The standard permits selective coverage: you can complete Basic and add only those Comprehensive sections that are relevant. This hybrid approach is used when, for example, a customer specifically requests a climate risk assessment but not the other Comprehensive sections.

Why not look together at which fits you?

Send us your customer’s information request and we will let you know within 1–2 days whether Basic is sufficient or whether you need Comprehensive.

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