The definition of impartiality is “not prejudiced towards or against any particular side or party.”

On the basis of that definition, GCS seeks to attain the highest degree of public confidence and trust in rendering unbiased services. GCS fully acknowledges the importance of impartiality in carrying out its certification body activities.

GCS, and every member of its certification body team, employees, volunteers, and contractors commits to adhere to the following policies:

  1. GCS shall act impartially, and its policies and procedures for certification of persons shall be fair among all its applicants, candidates and certified persons;
  2. GCS shall not restrict certification on the grounds of undue financial or other limiting conditions, such as membership of an association or group;
  3. GCS shall be responsible for the impartiality of its certification activities and shall not allow commercial, financial or other pressures to compromise impartiality;
  4. GCS staff shall not suggest or imply to imply that certification would be simpler, easier or less expensive if consultancy or training services were used;
  5. GCS does not offer training as part of the certification. Candidates must attend an approved training course offered by manufacturers in the program;
  6. GCS shall only disclose reports and documentations with the name of certified installer or registered contractor to clients, end users, parties involved with the completion of the project and authorities having jurisdiction for the purpose of reporting compliance or in cases of conflicts or non-conformances. All documentation or records showing certified installer’s name or contractor’s name which are intended for any other purpose and viewed by any other party than mentioned above can only be disclosed with a written consent;
  7. GCS shall ensure, through internal procedures, the objectivity of the certification activities and manage potential conflict of interest according to the standards of the applicable projects;
  8. GCS shall base all of its decisions on objective evidence obtained through an effective process based on objective evidence of conformity or nonconformity, and that any decisions made are not influenced by other interests or by other parties. Certification decisions are made and approved by a competent person who is free from influence by other interests or parties, including those of its clients;
  9. GCS corporate policies and practices ensure that the highest standards of integrity are applied to all certification body activities;
  10. GCS personnel will not be influenced by financial, commercial, or other pressures when conducting certification activities, and will take action to address any situation that would affect impartiality. Personnel are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest in the Declaration Form;
  11. GCS shall not use personnel with an actual or potential conflict of interest and shall ensure that its personnel are free from commercial, financial or other pressures that might affect their judgement;
  12. GCS personnel taking part in certification activities, both internal and external, shall act impartially when executing their responsibilities;
  13. GCS shall identify threats to its impartiality on an ongoing basis. This includes threats that arise from its activities, its related bodies, its relationships, or the relationships of its personnel;
  14. GCS shall enter into legally-enforceable agreements with its clients and retain all authority and responsibility for certification activities, decisions and statements;
  15. GCS management system has the necessary procedures, safeguards and tools to ensure that these policies are strictly upheld and enforced;

GCS recognizes that threats to impartiality include the following:

  • Self-interest threats – threats that arise from a person or body acting in its own interest to benefit itself;
  • Self-review threats – threats arising from a person reviewing the work that they have conducted themselves.
  • Familiarity threats – threats that arise from a person being familiar with or trusting of another person, e.g. an examiner or certification body personnel developing a relationship with a candidate that affects the ability to reach an objective judgment
  • Intimidation threats – threats that prevent a certification body or its personnel from acting objectively due to fear of a candidate or other interested party;
  • Financial threats – the source of revenue for a certification body can be a threat to impartiality.

GCS shall identify threats to its impartiality on an ongoing basis. This shall include those threats that arise from its activities, from its related bodies, from its relationships, or from the relationships of its personnel. The management team conducts an annual risk assessment on impartiality and conflict of interest and is responsible for ensuring that threats to impartiality and conflict of interest are reviewed regularly.

Conflict of interest and objectivity is addressed further through binding agreements to ensure that all activities undertaken throughout the certification process are conducted in an independent and impartial manner.