Reggie,
Your Process Authority will dictate if BPCS certification is needed by the processor. It depends on the ingredients in the sauce, whether there's high risk items (like dairy, meat) what the pH of the sauce is, etc.
It's best to start your licensing process by contacting your local health district. Licensing will be dependent on where you live, where you process, and where you'll be selling, and every state/county/city is different. Your local health authorities will tell you what's needed.
And just to save time and confusion, your local AHJ is different than the PA.
Step 1-get your recipe dialed in to the gram, make it over and over, GIVE it away (don't sell it), get more feedback. When you are SURE you're happy with the sauce, proceed to Step 2.
Step 2- work in conjunction with your local health authority. Find out what they will require for licensing for your sauce. If it's a 100% vinegar sauce, they may not require a Process Authority review. If it's pH questionable or it has high risk ingredients, they will likely request a review by a Process Authority.
Step 3- Send samples to the PA, they'll review the sauce, etc and either approve or deny the process/ingredients, suggest changes, etc.
Step 4- the local AHJ will enforce what the PA has dictated for processing. The processing can be done by the copacker, or by yourself.
Hope this helps. Good Luck and Have Fun!!!
salsalady