Purpose
This procedure describes the measures that RIES Ltd and its employees, agents and Impartiality Committee undertake to manages conflict
of interest to ensure the objectivity and impartiality of our management system certification activities
Scope
This procedure is applicable to all personnel involved in RIES Ltd management, as well as subcontractors and impartiality board members.
This procedure for the management of impartiality activities for RIES Ltd in relation to BSEN 17020 activities
Management of Impartiality
RIES top management is committed to safeguard and protect impartiality in all management system certification activities.
This commitment is posted publicly to let it be known that RIES Ltd understands the importance of impartiality in carrying out management system inspection activities.
RIES Ltd manages conflict of interest to ensure the objectivity of its management system certification activities.
Responsibilities
The Managing Director has overall responsibility for hiring and providing appropriate resources
and controls to aid in the avoidance of conflict of interest and assuring impartiality.
The Managing Director / Quality Manager is responsible for training, and developing certification personnel. Lead auditors are responsible
for assuring that no potential for conflict exists upon the selection of audit team members for the client’s certification program.
Procedure
Identification of potential conflicts of interest
RIES Ltd and inspection personnel are committed to the avoidance of potential situations regarding conflict of interest.
These efforts covers all potential sources of conflict of interests.
Threats to impartiality can be based on ownership, governance, management, personnel, shared resources, finances, contracts,
marketing and payment of a sales commission or other inducement for the referral of new clients.
RIES Ltd prevention solutions may include:
Ensuring that all certification personnel aware of the potential of conflict of interest.
Implementing procedural avoidance measures.
Clear and specific contract information.
Using only trained and experienced auditors with Recovery Industry expertise.
Open and transparent investigation of potential conflict.
Elimination or minimizing potential threats
Applications from clients should show where they received external consulting to verify that they did not and have not used RIES Ltd.
RIES Ltd will not proceed where a perceived conflict may occur
Subcontractors will not be used.
During the Management Review, the impartiality committee will take a random sample as verification.
Employees may be subject to disciplinary actions, up to and including termination if impartiality requirements are not met.
Impartiality Committee
A committee of 3 independent professional people will carry out review and oversight of quality management certification activities.
Their role is to verify that certification activities are performed in an impartial manner.
Responsibilities include:
Giving assistance in the development of impartial policies relating the consistent provision of certification activities.
Promote open and transparent service provision leading to customer confidence.
Conduct an annual review of impartiality during audit, certification and decision making.
Ensuring impartiality is its main role. It may however be called upon for other relevant advice, providing it does not interfere with their primary role.
It is the role of RIES Ltd top management to respect the findings and decisions of the Impartiality Committee.
Rules for Operation
The committee will be afforded unrestricted access to all information necessary for them to fulfil its functions. These meetings will consider
and review the impartiality of the audit, certification and decision making processes.
RIES Ltd Managing Director or his deputy, the Quality Manager will chair the meeting and record minutes.
Activities reviewed may include:
Risk assessment and potential threat information
Any known conflicts of interests
Review of the role, purpose and responsibility of Impartiality board
Changes at RIES
Review of threats to Impartiality of the RIES certification programme
Customer feedback
Financial standing of RIES
Composition, terms of reference, duties, authorities, competence
The committee will have of a minimum of three external and independent members, engaged on a 3 year basis, with further extensions as required.
Meetings will be chaired by a RIES Ltd official as aforesaid, who will provide all required information.
The committee may make recommendations to develop new and existing policies to ensure compliance.
The persons comprising the committee are highly skilled individuals from different organisations. All have a proven record in their field and are considered competent to perform reviews and offer advice.
Each review will be fully minuted and documented.
Review findings will be presented at the annual RIES Management Review.
Members
Chosen for their independence, expertise and experience of a wide variety of life.
UKAS have full details of the above personnel.