About us
Impartiality & Code of Conduct
A certification body is paid by the organisations it audits. Every control described on this page exists to counteract that.
Impartiality statement
GMSCPL conducts all certification activities independently and impartially, free from commercial, financial or other pressures that could compromise objectivity. Certification decisions are made by personnel who did not conduct the audit. We do not provide management system consultancy to organisations we certify, and we do not offer certification as a package with advisory services. Risks to impartiality are identified, documented, evaluated and treated on an ongoing basis, and are subject to review by an impartiality committee that includes members independent of GMSCPL management.
Safeguards
The six controls that make a finding survivable
Each of these is checkable. Ask any certification body you are considering about all six.
Separated certification decision
The person who decides whether you are certified did not conduct your audit. They review the complete file independently and can require further evidence, reject the recommendation, or refer the matter to the technical function.
No consultancy to certified clients
We do not provide management system consultancy to an organisation we certify. Advisory clients must be certified by a different body for the cooling-off period the accreditation rules define, and we state this in writing before any engagement.
Independent impartiality committee
Impartiality risk is reviewed by a committee that includes members independent of GMSCPL management and represents a balance of interests, including certified clients and users of certification.
Conflict-of-interest screening
Before assignment, every auditor is screened for prior employment, consultancy relationships and financial interest in the organisation being audited. A declared conflict removes them from the assignment.
Rule-based audit duration
Audit days follow IAF MD 5. Duration is not a commercial negotiation and is not reduced to win work. The calculation is published with the quotation so it is checkable.
No sales incentive on findings
Auditor remuneration is not linked to certification outcomes, client retention or the number of findings raised. There is no bonus for a clean audit and no penalty for a difficult one.
Code of conduct for our personnel
Every auditor, technical expert and member of staff involved in certification activity is bound by a written agreement covering the obligations below. These are conditions of engagement, not aspirations.
- Report findings accurately and completely, regardless of commercial consequence to GMSCPL or to the client.
- Base every finding on objective evidence traceable to a specific requirement of the standard.
- Decline any assignment where a conflict of interest exists, and declare any that emerges during an engagement.
- Do not provide consultancy, advice on solutions, or design assistance to an organisation being audited.
- Treat all information obtained during an audit as confidential to the client.
- Do not accept gifts, hospitality or inducements from a client beyond ordinary courtesy, and declare anything offered.
- Maintain and evidence technical competence for every scope audited, and withdraw from scopes where competence has lapsed.
- Conduct audits professionally and respectfully — an audit is an assessment of a system, not an interrogation of people.
How impartiality risks are managed
Threats to impartiality are identified across all relationships — including those of related bodies, contracted auditors and their prior employment. Each identified threat is documented, evaluated for significance, and either eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level by a specific control. The register is reviewed at defined intervals and whenever a new relationship type arises.
- Self-interest — financial dependence on a single large client, or fee pressure influencing findings
- Self-review — auditing a system that GMSCPL personnel helped to design or implement
- Familiarity — long, unbroken auditor relationships with a single client site
- Intimidation — a client threatening to move certification if a finding is raised
- Advocacy — GMSCPL personnel acting in support of a client’s position to a third party
Raise a concern
Complaints about impartiality, auditor conduct or a certification decision are investigated independently of the people involved.
Contact us confidentiallyNext step
Ready to get certified?
Talk to our certification specialists. We will scope it honestly, show you the audit-day calculation, and tell you if the timeline you need is not realistic.