Impartiality and conflicts
Trust depends on clear conflict control.
Where a provider offers both support and certification, the governance wrapper matters. A buyer should be able to understand how conflicts are identified, recorded and managed.
What should be controlled
- Who performed any support activity before audit
- Who conducted the audit and who made the certification decision
- Whether the provider has any commercial incentive to issue certification regardless of evidence
- How complaints and challenges are reviewed
Draft commitments
Any live operation should maintain a conflict-of-interest register, defined decision-review arrangements and a written statement explaining how impartiality is preserved.