Impartiality Policy

Impartiality is one of the most important ways to build trust. iQASB also understands that impartiality is crucial to safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders when providing accreditation services. iQASB provides accreditation services on a non-profit basis, structured and organized in such a way as to maintain impartiality and is not influenced by commercial, financial, or other pressures.

iQASB strives to comply with all requirements of ISO 17011 thereby iQASB is committed to and fully responsible for the performance of all its accreditation activities impartially and objectively.

iQASB ensures impartiality and objectivity of its services thereof all personnel (including externally contracted assessors/ experts, all committee members) involved in the accreditation process are required to be free from any undue pressures which may compromise their ability to act impartially and objectively. All personnel are required to declare any potential conflict of interest whenever it may arise.

iQASB does not compromise, offer or provide any service that affects its impartiality. iQASB evaluates the potential risks to impartiality on an ongoing basis to safeguarding impartiality through Risk Analysis, internal audit, management review and impartiality committee meeting. When an unacceptable risk to impartiality is identified and which cannot be mitigated to an acceptable level, then accreditation is not awarded.

iQASB ensures that its policies, processes, and procedures are non-discriminatory and are applied in a non-discriminatory manner. iQASB makes its services accessible to all Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), whose application for accreditation falls within the scope of its accreditation activities as defined within its policies and rules. Access is not conditional upon the size of the applicant conformity assessment body or capital, nor accreditation is conditional upon the number of conformity assessment bodies already accredited.

iQASB refuses services to a conformity assessment body because of proven evidence of fraudulent behavior, falsification of information or deliberate violation of accreditation requirements.

In the event that any customer or other stakeholder has concerns regarding impartiality or objectivity of iQASB, iQASB has a procedure for handling complaints and appeals publicly available on its official website.