IMPARTIALITY POLICY STATEMENT

Certa Qualitas Certification Ltd is an independent certification/ validation/verification body that operates on the principle of inviolability, in accordance with the Impartiality policy. It ensures objectivity, transparency and independence in all our activities. The Impartiality policy is a confirmation that Certa Qualitas Certification Ltd.’s decisions and statements are made independently and fairly, thus giving confidence to stakeholders that they can rely on the integrity of Certa Qualitas Certification’s operations. Certa Qualitas Certification Ltd is committed to delivering certification services with complete transparency of our Impartiality at all times.

The purpose of Certa Qualitas Certification is to establish, promote, and maintain a certification/validation/verification process that acknowledges that customer systems, products, activities, services, or personnel comply with applicable national, international, or other standards and requirements.

Impartiality is not only an accreditation requirement for a third-party certification body; it is an absolute necessity to maintain the professionalism and credibility of the Certification process. It is therefore the objective of Certa Qualitas Certification to ensure that Impartiality is maintained as an integral part of the Audit process.

Certa Qualitas Certification will not accept applications for certification, from organisations who report directly to a person, or group, who also have operational responsibility for Certa Qualitas Certification.

DIRECTORS

Certa Qualitas Certification currently has three directors:

Joshua Keen (Managing Director)

Joshua has organisational control of Certa Qualitas Certification and leads the strategy, operations and management of the business.

Governed by the Impartiality Committee and reporting into the Impartiality Process, Joshua continues to ensure that Certa Qualitas Certification Ltd works to 17065 and 17021 adhering to all clauses around impartiality.

Other interests

Joshua currently holds directorship and shareholding in one other company ‘Rosewood Management Services Limited ‘.

Under ISO/IEC 17065:2012 Certa Qualitas Certification have carried out a review around clause 4.2 and confirm that Joshua is not classed as personnel within Rosewood Management Services (4.2.8) due to him having zero operational and management responsibilities, therefore is able to maintain management position within Certa Qualitas Certification. Joshua does not have any involvement in the review or the certification decision making process.

Impartiality is retained.

John Keen (Director)

John does not hold an active operational position in Certa Qualitas Certification Limited and has no organisational control or management responsibilities within the business.

Other interests

John currently holds directorship and shareholding in:

‘Rosewood Management Services Limited‘ as CEO.

Under ISO/IEC 17065:2012 Certa Qualitas Certification have carried out a review around clause 4.2 and confirm that John is not involved in the management of the certification body, the review or the certification decision.

Impartiality is retained.

Rebecca Hoogerwerf (Director)

Rebecca does not hold an active operational position in Certa Qualitas Certification Limited and has no organisational control or management responsibilities within the business.

Governed by the Impartiality Committee and reporting into the Impartiality Process, Rebecca continues to ensure that Certa Qualitas Certification Ltd works to 17065 and 17021 adhering to all clauses around impartiality.

Other interests

Rebecca currently holds directorship and shareholding in:

‘Rosewood Management Services Limited‘ as CEO.

Under ISO/IEC 17065:2012 Certa Qualitas Certification have carried out a review around clause 4.2 and confirm that Rebecca is not involved in the management of the certification body, the review or the certification decision.

Impartiality is retained.

The following controls shall be implemented, maintained and complied with by all audit and certification staff to ensure this impartiality policy is maintained throughout the audit process.

1. Audit staff are prohibited from participating in the Audit of any organisation to which they have given assistance, by consultancy or training (other than professionally registered auditor training), or where they have any financial or commercial interest for a minimum period of 2 years prior to the date of application of the organisation for registration.
2. When allocated to a particular contract, Audit staff shall not disclose or discuss any detail, before or after the Audit, to any member of staff other than their direct Management or other members of the team, as required by the Code of Practice Agreement signed on commencement of employment.
3. All subcontracted Audit staff or sector specialists used to support permanent staff of Certa Qualitas Certification shall sign a Subcontractor Agreement and a Code of Practice Agreement.
4. Certa Qualitas Certification’s direct employees are prohibited from engaging in consultancy activities which involve the active design, generation or implementation of a Management System.
5. All directly employed Management and Staff are required to declare all financial interests or business activities on commencement and during the period of employment.
6. Certa Qualitas Certification staff or subcontractors shall not suggest or imply that certification would be simpler, easier or less expensive if consultancy or training services were used. In addition, subcontracted staff cannot offer consultancy or training services to Certa Qualitas Certification clients that they have been assigned to audit, during or after the assigned task has been completed.
7. Overall, the certification of companies who supply a service to Certa Qualitas Certification is not deemed to be an unacceptable threat to conflict of interest. However, certification of a company in partnership with whom Certa Qualitas Certification provides a direct service, is deemed to be an unacceptable threat to Impartiality. Should such a partnership develop, a new accredited certification body will be sourced to continue the certification.

Certa Qualitas Certification recognises that the source of revenue for a certification body, is the client paying for certification and that this is a potential threat to Impartiality. Therefore, Certa Qualitas Certification is a self-financed independent organisation, with a number of controls to ensure that Impartiality is retained.

To obtain and maintain confidence, it is essential that Certa Qualitas Certifications certification decisions are based on objective evidence of conformity or non-conformity and that any decisions made, are not influenced by other interests or by other parties. Certification decisions are made and signed for by a team of competent Certification Decision Board members, who were neither responsible for the audit, nor were members of the audit team.

Certa Qualitas Certification recognises that threats to impartiality include the following:

• Self-interest threats arising from a person or body acting in their own interest.
• Self-review threats arising from a person reviewing the work that they have conducted themselves.
• Familiarity (or trust) threats arising from a person becoming too familiar with or too trusting of another, instead of seeking objective audit evidence.
• Intimidation threats arising from a person having a perception of being coerced openly or secretively, such as a threat to be replaced or reported to a supervisor.

 Conclusion: 

Maintaining impartiality is crucial for certification bodies to ensure trust, credibility, and fairness in the ISO certification process. By implementing robust impartiality policies, certification bodies can demonstrate their commitment to operating objectively and ethically, thereby strengthening the value of ISO certification in the eyes of organisations and stakeholders.