Impartiality Policy Statement

GTICS is the legal entity responsible for certification activities of businesses, organizations, and clients seeking independent third-party certification. GTICS, its directors, staff, and subcontractors fully understand the importance of impartiality in undertaking its certification activities. GTICS ensures that all its dealings with clients or potential clients, as well as all employees or other personnel, are and shall remain impartial. To ensure that impartiality is maintained and can be demonstrated, GTICS shall carry out its activities honestly, objectively and exercise good faith in all our auditing activities, certification and other business.

Risks may be associated and not limited to, undue pressure, impartiality and confidentiality and is reviewed on an ongoing basis. GTICS makes use of the risk-based approach which identifies, analyses, evaluates and controls potential risks to impartiality. Other mechanisms which are used include the internal audit and management review on an ongoing basis.

GTICS has established the following commitments to address impartiality:

1. GTICS requires internal and external personnel to objectively reveal any situation known to them that may present a potential or actual conflict of interest.
2. GTICS and its personnel understand the importance of impartiality and are committed to identifying, assessing, evaluating, controlling and monitoring threats and risks to impartiality in its certification processes. GTICS shall initiate actions to address risks and threats to impartiality.
3. GTICS certificates are only issued following a review by an independent member of the management team who has not been involved in the audit to ensure that no conflict of interest shall predominate.
4. GTICS does not offer and has never offered and does not intend on providing management system consultancy to companies or individuals. GTICS does not offer internal audit service to its certified clients. GTICS does not own or have any interest financial or otherwise in any other company that offers certification or management system consultancy services. GTICS does not have any relationships with companies who offer consultancy or other services that can be construed as having an impact on the certification services provided.
5. GTICS staff or subcontractors does not suggest or imply that certification would be simpler, easier or less expensive if a particular consulting business or organisation is used.
6. GTICS requires all individuals employed or subcontracted to sign conflict of interest declarations. GTICS shall not use any of its personnel or external auditors for two (2) years, where they have been involved in management system consultancy or internal audits, towards the applying client.
7. GTICS will ensure that it is not linked or marketed in any way which links it with the activities of a management system consultancy and will take appropriate action should any such link be identified.
8. Auditors and others involved in the certification process are not and will not be put under any pressure and will not be influenced in any way to come to a particular conclusion regarding the result of an audit.
9. GTICS does not outsource audits to consultancy organisations.
10. GTICS retains the full control of the decision-making processes regarding granting, maintaining, renewing, extending, reducing, suspending or withdrawing certification.
11. GTICS does not provide certification services to other certification bodies management system.