---
sourceDocument: Zurich Governance, Risk, and Compliance
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/governance-risk-compliance

 Release :

    - zurich

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Zurich Governance, Risk, and Compliance

ft:clusterId :

    - grc

bundleId :

    - grc

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Smart Assessment Engine

# Smart assessments with Third-party Risk Management {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Zurich  
Updated September 10, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 5 minutes to read
Summarize  
![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI  
This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.  

## Summary of Smart assessments with Third-party Risk Management

The integration of the Smart Assessment Engine (SAE) with Third-party Risk Management (TPRM) enhances the assessment process by supporting both the Classic and SAE engines.
SAE enables the creation of configurable questionnaire templates within the Vendor Management Workspace, allowing for internal and external assessments focused on third parties and engagements.
To use SAE, the appropriate system property must be enabled, after which only SAE templates can be created and used.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Features

* **Enhanced User Experience:** Improved navigation and a unified interface support assessments for internal and external parties.
* **Template Customization:** TPRM-specific SAE templates include risk area attributes, previous response inclusion, and must be created within the Vendor Management Workspace.
* **Organizational Tools:** Questions can be grouped into sections and subsections, with inline guidance and reference information to assist respondents.
* **Attachments and Comments:** Attach files to individual questions and add question-level comments and worknotes, improving communication during assessments.
* **Automations and Scoring:** Support for auto-saving, filtering unanswered questions, standardized risk rating scales, risk scoring normalization, and defining assessment duration.
* **Portals and Access:** Internal users use the GRC portal, whereas external third parties use the third-party portal to complete assessments.
* **Assessment Management:** Roles such as TPR assessors, managers, and administrators can reassign questionnaires, and risk ratings are properly recorded after submission.

## Limitations

* SAE is mandatory for all new assessments; Classic engine templates are deprecated.
* Third-party assessors cannot manually create issues; issues must be generated automatically via rules.
* Some question types (percentage, ranking, image scale, custom metric) are unsupported and require conversion or redesign.
* Signature feature and automatic questionnaire attachments based on risk responses are not supported.
* Excel export for assessments is not available in the third-party portal for SAE templates.
* Templates with empty sections caused by unsupported questions cannot be published without modification.
* Repeating assessments are unsupported; event-driven management rules can be used instead.
* Duration information does not transfer automatically between instances and must be manually exported/imported.
* Tier-based, provider-based, and event-driven management rules depend on templates being updated for SAE support to function properly.

## Next Steps for Customers

TPRM administrators should configure assessment questionnaires using SAE templates, while TPR managers set up management rules to automate assessment dispatch based on risk tiers and provider criteria. Following assessment completion, customers can identify and implement appropriate risk mitigation actions.

To effectively adopt SAE with TPRM, customers should explore detailed guidance on configuration, migration from Classic to SAE, template creation, adding instructions and reference information, and scoring normalization.  
With the integration of Smart Assessment Engine (SAE), TPRM now supports both the Classic assessment engine and SAE. You can create questionnaire templates and add instructions, questions, and reference information by creating templates using SAE in the Vendor Management Workspace.

## SAE overview {#tprm-sae-using__section_zhk_15s_m1c}

The Smart Assessment Engine in Vendor Management Workspace enables you to create both internal and external questionnaires using configurable templates, logical grouping of questions, inline guidance, and automations.

In the Vendor Management Workspace, you can view the templates available for TPRM. Confirm that the assessment template category is set to one of the supported TPRM template purposes. Also confirm that assessment targets are set to Third party and Engagement, along with any
related components such as subsidiaries or engagement risk assessments that apply to your assessment. Only the assessment templates that are published are available for performing the assessments.
For more information about the Smart Assessment Engine application, refer to [Exploring Smart Assessment Engine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/0uqGD6FwyztBRO~7WmKODw "The ServiceNowSmart Assessment Engine (SAE) helps you reduce the manual burden and costs of your assessment processes through automation.").  
Note:  
To use Smart Assessment Engine, you must enable the Smart Assessment Engine enabled \[sn_vdr_risk_asmt.sae_enabled\] property. After setting this property, you can't create new assessments and questionnaire templates using the Classic assessment engine.

For the full list of prerequisites, including required scoped applications and template migration, see [Migrating from Classic Assessment Engine to Smart Assessment Engine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/KZARGlGpROvuf0ASu0FqcQ "Learn what changes when you migrate from the Classic Assessment Engine to the Smart Assessment Engine, including feature differences, limitations, and setup requirements. This overview can help you and your team evaluate the impact before enabling the new engine.") and [Migrate a template to an SAE template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/fwJrS35nd7SXRJA2YZ79ow "Migrate an existing questionnaire or document request template to a TPRM SAE questionnaire template. You must migrate all classic templates to TPRM SAE templates or create new ones before you can use SAE in TPRM.").

## Benefits of using the Smart Assessment Engine experience {#tprm-sae-using__section_akr_sbl_4fc}

The new assessment experience offers the following benefits.

* Enhanced navigation: Use the improved navigation for a better user experience.
* Assessment support: Conduct assessments for both internal and external parties in one standard UI. TPRM SAE questionnaire templates are extended to include additional attributes such as the risk area and the option to include previous responses, which aren't available in the base SAE templates. TPRM SAE templates must be created directly within the Vendor Management Workspace to ensure that they include the necessary attributes and can be used for TPRM assessments.
* Organize questions: Group questions into subsections and sections for better organization.
* Add attachments: Attach the files directly to the individual questions.
* Add reference information: Add reference information to a questionnaire template to help ensure that assessors and respondents can access the necessary information they need while completing a questionnaire.
* Filter questions: Quickly identify and filter unanswered questions.
* Auto-save for questionnaires: Save your work automatically as you complete each question within a questionnaire.
* Standardized risk rating scale definition: Override the default risk rating scales at the template level for both internal and external assessments.
* Assessment duration: Define the duration of an assessment when creating a questionnaire template.
* Combine assessments: Respond to questionnaires by using the same SAE template in a single, streamlined view.
* Risk scoring and score normalization: Standardize the risk scores for a consistent evaluation using the more flexible scoring settings available in SAE.
* Support for the GRC and third-party portals: Internal assessment responders can use the GRC portal to access and complete internal assessments and external assessment responders can use third-party portal to complete external assessments.
* Question-level comments, worknotes, and flags are available in SAE assessments. Any user with read access to an assessment instance can add and view question-level comments. Worknotes and question flags require a role assigned at the template category level. TPRM reviewers, assessors, and managers have this access in all out-of-the-box TPRM template categories. Third party and engagement contacts can view and respond to question-level comments but cannot access worknotes or set question flags.
* When a question triggers a skip, downstream conditional questions are hidden and sections containing only skipped questions are visually de-emphasized. Assessments render in a continuous scroll layout, making it easier to focus on relevant questions without scrolling past hidden content.
* TPR assessors \[sn_vdr_risk_asmt.vendor_assessor\], TPR managers \[sn_vdr_risk_asmt.vendor_risk_manager\] roles, and Third-party risk (TPR) administrators \[sn_vdr_risk_asmt.vendor_risk_admin\], can reassign SAE questionnaires to another user.
* Risk rating after submission: The risk rating for an assessment is now correctly written to the assessment record after the third party submits their response.
{#tprm-sae-using__ul_hx1_p5r_4fc}

## Smart Assessment Engine limitations {#tprm-sae-using__section_k41_ch5_rfc}

SAE with TPRM has the following limitations.

* All new assessments must use SAE questionnaire templates.
* Third-party risk assessors can no longer create issues from the View responses page. Issues generation rules can be used to create issues automatically.
* The signature feature isn't supported.
* Automatic attachment of questionnaires to external assessments based on inherent risk questionnaire (IRQ) responses or IRQ-calculated risk tiers is currently not supported in Smart Assessment Engine.
* The following question types aren't supported: Percentage, ranking, image scale, and custom metric aren't supported. You must either convert these question types to supported formats before migration or create new questions in the template designer after migration.  
  Note:  
  For the percentage and image scale question types, customers can use the Number type and Radio button type, respectively. Ranking and custom metric question types aren't supported.
* In the Third-party portal, the Excel export option available for Classic assessments is not supported for SAE assessments.
* If a section in the classic template contains only unsupported questions, an empty section is created in the TPRM SAE template. TPRM SAE templates with empty sections can't be published; therefore, you must either add replacement questions to these sections or delete the empty sections before publishing.

  For more information on migration results, migration limitations, and creating TPRM
  SAE questionnaires, see [Results of migrating a template to a TPRM SAE template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/wqlk8lB~aSv1Cx892Fthzg "You can view the templates that were migrated to Smart Assessment format.") and [Create a TPRM SAE questionnaire or document request template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Hw0~Y9dZYwVT31q~woWR6g "Create a TPRM SAE questionnaire or document request template that supports SAE for risk identification. After integrating SAE, new users must create SAE templates, and existing users can create additional templates after migrating their existing ones.").
* Repeating assessments aren't supported. You can use Event-driven management rules.
* When transferring TPRM SAE questionnaire templates between instances, the update set won't include the duration information. Users must export the duration information manually from the `sn_smart_asmt_duration` table and import it into the target instances.
* If an assessment template isn't updated to support SAE assessments, the related tier-based, provider-based, and event-driven management rules won't run as expected.
* The TPRM scoring migration proceeds only if there were no errors during the template migration. If there were errors, the TPRM scoring migration doesn't occur.

{#tprm-sae-using__ul_shv_kfg_wfc}  
Note:  
For more information on migration results and migration limitations, see [Results of migrating a template to a TPRM SAE template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/wqlk8lB~aSv1Cx892Fthzg "You can view the templates that were migrated to Smart Assessment format.").

## What to explore next {#tprm-sae-using__section_gxd_mvh_ldc}

To get started, the TPR admin configures the assessment questionnaire and the TPR manager configures the tier-based, provider-based, or event-driven management rules that determine when an assessment is
sent to a third party or engagement. Based on the assessment results, appropriate risk mitigation measures are identified and implemented.

To learn more about configuring and using SAE with Third-party Risk Management, see:

* [Smart assessment configuration](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/fn6pXU3PSDGCovwcxSPeHQ "The TPR manager and TPR admin roles involve a broad variety of responsibilities. After the TPRM base system is set up, you configure Smart Assessment Engine specific settings as well as other assessment settings that enable and enhance everyday risk-assessment tasks. TPRM admins can enable SAE and work with SAE templates.")
* [Migrating from Classic Assessment Engine to Smart Assessment Engine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/KZARGlGpROvuf0ASu0FqcQ "Learn what changes when you migrate from the Classic Assessment Engine to the Smart Assessment Engine, including feature differences, limitations, and setup requirements. This overview can help you and your team evaluate the impact before enabling the new engine.")
* [Migrate a template to an SAE template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/fwJrS35nd7SXRJA2YZ79ow "Migrate an existing questionnaire or document request template to a TPRM SAE questionnaire template. You must migrate all classic templates to TPRM SAE templates or create new ones before you can use SAE in TPRM.")
* [Results of migrating a template to a TPRM SAE template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/wqlk8lB~aSv1Cx892Fthzg "You can view the templates that were migrated to Smart Assessment format.")
* [How legacy metric types are migrated to sections in templates](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/76wLMazYHA_nOKUyblfN4Q "Legacy metric types are migrated to specific sections in the assessment templates in the Smart Assessment Engine application.")
* [Create a TPRM SAE questionnaire or document request template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Hw0~Y9dZYwVT31q~woWR6g "Create a TPRM SAE questionnaire or document request template that supports SAE for risk identification. After integrating SAE, new users must create SAE templates, and existing users can create additional templates after migrating their existing ones.")
* [Add instructions and questions to an assessment template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/EIrUc3dhmWsBPN6VIYX_nw "Add instructions and questions to an assessment template by using the Smart Assessment Engine application. You can use instructions and questions to help gather precise and relevant information from designated responders.")
* [Add reference information to an assessment template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/q_D2evbgx_HGv8kQEj2LTQ "Add reference information to an assessment template to help ensure that assessors can access to the information they need while responding to assessments by using the Smart Assessment Engine. With an assessment template, you can minimize the need for external references and can improve the efficiency of the assessment process.")
* [Scoring assessments](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/rHynI2XckWmT5grjIP1tew "Scoring in Smart Assessment Engine is a systematic way to evaluate responses to various questions within an assessment. By attributing scores to answers, you can translate qualitative responses into quantitative data, offering a measurable and comparable outcome for each assessment.")
* [Normalization in assessment](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/f8hizfAiqcKioTyLVN1oLQ "Normalization in Smart Assessment Engine refers to adjusting assessment question scores to a common scale to promote fair comparison and prioritization.")
{#tprm-sae-using__ul_szq_5vh_ldc}