A certificate is worth exactly as much as the independence behind it. This is our public commitment to impartiality, how we manage conflicts of interest, and the declaration of our top management — as required by ISO/IEC 17021-1.
Skyeblanc Certification is committed to impartiality in all its certification activities. We understand the importance of impartiality, we identify and manage conflicts of interest arising from our activities and relationships, and we ensure that no commercial, financial or other pressure compromises our objectivity. Certification decisions are made only on the basis of audit evidence, by people independent of the audit — and we will not provide, or be seen to provide, management-system consultancy to those we certify.
Impartiality means acting, and being seen to act, without bias. Under ISO/IEC 17021-1 it is not a slogan but an operating requirement, and it shapes how we are owned, funded, staffed and governed.
We continually identify relationships and situations that could threaten our objectivity — across ownership, management, personnel, shared resources, marketing and finance — and we evaluate the risk each one poses. Where a threat cannot be eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level, we do not take on the work.
Our income does not depend on the outcome of any audit. Auditors and decision-makers are never rewarded for granting certification, and no part of a fee is contingent on a certificate being issued. The audit finds what it finds; the decision follows the evidence.
Above all, we do not audit what we have built. Skyeblanc Certification provides no consultancy — no design, documentation, implementation, internal auditing or training that would amount to advising a client on the very system we later assess.
ISO/IEC 17021-1 names the ways impartiality can be threatened. For each, we hold a defined safeguard.
The risk that financial or commercial interest could sway a decision — for example, fear of losing a paying client.
The risk of auditing your own prior work — the reason a CB may never consult for a client it certifies.
The risk that long or close relationships with a client erode professional scepticism.
The risk of pressure — commercial or personal — to reach a particular conclusion.
Our impartiality is overseen by a committee that is independent of Skyeblanc Certification's commercial management. It reviews our impartiality analysis, monitors for emerging threats, and has real authority — including the ability to require action if it believes our independence is at risk.
Its membership is balanced so that no single interest dominates, giving a voice to the parties that certification is meant to serve.
The committee safeguards the impartiality of Skyeblanc's certification activities. It advises on the policies and practices governing impartiality, reviews the risk analysis and the effectiveness of the safeguards applied, and provides an independent check on the certification-decision function.
The committee operates independently of Skyeblanc's commercial and operational management. It has access to the information it needs to discharge its role, including impartiality risk records, complaints and appeals data, and the outcome of internal audits. Where the committee concludes that impartiality is threatened, it may require corrective action. If management fails to act, the committee may escalate the matter — including to the accreditation body — and that escalation right cannot be overridden by Skyeblanc management.
Members are appointed for their competence and their ability to represent an interest without being dominated by it. Appointment requires a declaration of interests; anyone whose interests would prevent balanced participation is not appointed. Members serve a defined term, may be reappointed, and may be removed for non-participation or for an undisclosed conflict of interest.
Interests are declared on appointment and re-declared at each meeting. A member with an interest in a matter under discussion takes no part in the discussion or in any related recommendation, and this is recorded. No member may take part in a matter concerning an organisation to which they have provided consultancy, or in which they hold a financial or governance interest.
The committee meets at least annually, and additionally where an impartiality matter requires it. Meetings are minuted; decisions, recommendations, declared interests and the resulting actions are recorded and retained as part of the management system, and are available to the accreditation body on request.
Individual members' names and personal details are not published. They are disclosed to the accreditation body, and to others where formally approved for publication.
Anyone can raise a concern about our impartiality or a certified client. Appeals against a certification decision are handled by people not involved in it.
