Management commitment
IRICE's management is committed to impartiality. Certification activities are conducted impartially, without commercial, financial, or other pressures compromising this impartiality. This commitment is formalized in IRICE's quality policy, which is reviewed at each annual management review.
Separation of certification and consulting
In accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17065, IRICE formally commits to:
- Do not offer or provide consulting services
- Do not offer internal audit services or mock audits to certified clients
- Do not outsource certification audits
- Do not present certification activities as being related to consulting activities
- Do not state or suggest that certification would be simpler, faster, or less expensive by using a particular consulting firm
- A two-year waiting period must be observed before involving individuals who are also involved in consulting activities with a client in the certification process
Managing the risks of conflicts of interest
IRICE regularly identifies risks that could compromise its impartiality, whether they arise from its activities, relationships, or staff. A risk assessment matrix is maintained and analyzed by the Impartiality Committee, which makes recommendations to improve risk management.
All persons involved in the certification process, both internal and external, sign a charter of impartiality and confidentiality committing them to declare any situation which may create a conflict of interest.
Impartiality Committee
IRICE has an Impartiality Committee that ensures balanced representation of interested parties. This committee is independent of any commercial or financial pressure. It plays a key role in processing appeals and analyzing risks related to impartiality.
IRICE management cannot oppose the committee's opinions without documented justification. The committee has the right to initiate independent action with the competent authorities or accreditation bodies in the event of a threat to its impartiality.
Non-discriminatory access to certification
In accordance with §4.4 of the ISO/IEC 17065 standard, access to IRICE's certification services is open to all applicants whose activities fall within the scope of its accreditations, without discriminatory conditions.
Access to the certification process cannot be conditional on the size of the client, their membership in an association or group, or the number of certifications already issued. There can be no unfair conditions, whether financial or otherwise.
IRICE can refuse an application only for fundamental and proven reasons (illegal activities, history of repeated non-compliance with certification requirements, etc.).
Confidentiality
IRICE is responsible for managing all information obtained or created during its certification activities. Unless otherwise stipulated (public disclosure by the client, legal obligation), all information is considered confidential, in accordance with §4.5 of ISO/IEC 17065.
The following are considered non-confidential and accessible to the public: certification repositories, the evaluation procedure, the procedure for handling complaints and appeals, the list of certified operations, as well as decisions to suspend or withdraw certification.
Information accessible to the public
In accordance with §4.6 of ISO/IEC 17065, IRICE maintains and provides the following information upon request:
- a) Information on certification programs — see
- b) General pricing information — request a quote
- c) Rights and obligations of applicants and clients — consult
- d) Complaints and appeals handling procedure — see