Impartiality

SSA TIC performs all services offered impartially. The Top Management of SSA TIC is expressly committed to maintaining impartiality and is responsible for ensuring this. Decisions made by SSA TIC are not subject to any financial or economic pressure and are therefore made independently. In order to maintain impartiality, SSA TIC does not provide any consulting services that are the subject of a commissioned certification with subsequent issuance of a certificate or a commissioned verification/validation activity. Furthermore, SSA TIC does not offer validation/verification or certification activities in conjunction with the activities of another organisation that provides consulting services, nor does it promote consultants/consulting organisations in any form. SSA TIC’s services are equally accessible to all interested parties, regardless of whether or through which consultant(s) or consulting organisation services have been used previously.

SSA TIC is financed from its own income and does not receive any subsidies or grants that could compromise its impartiality.

The staff (both internal and external) of SSA TIC are contractually obliged to maintain impartiality and to report any conflicts of interest.

In addition, each order is reviewed prior to acceptance to ensure impartiality and that there are no conflicts of interest. In the event of conflicts of interest at the level of individual persons (verifiers/validators, auditors, etc.), alternative personnel will be selected for the order in question. The relevant rights of customers are set out in SSA TIC’s applicable General Terms and Conditions, which form an integral part of the contract between SSA TIC and the customer for verification/validation or certification activities.

Orders that SSA TIC as an organisation considers to present a conflict of interest will be rejected. This also includes orders relating to claims/management systems for which consultancy has been sought from consultants (organisations) with whom SSA TIC has a close relationship that constitutes an unacceptable threat to impartiality (e.g. co-ownership or personal relationship with SSA TIC).

Consultants (organisations) are expressly prohibited from implying, either explicitly or implicitly, to customers/prospective customers of SSA TIC that verification/validation or certification would be less complicated, easier, faster or cheaper if the relevant conformity assessment activity were carried out by SSA TIC.

SSA TIC’s services are available to all customers/prospective customers on the same terms (impartiality, objectivity, impartiality, professionalism, etc.), regardless of whether consulting services have been used previously.

SSA TIC continuously monitors risks that could compromise impartiality and takes measures to minimise or avoid such risks where necessary.