IMPARTIALITY POLICY

Impartiality Policy:

FQC agrees and undertakes that:

• It will carry out its certification activities independent of all parties concerned;
• Its personnel and outsourced personnel working for committees and FQC will be free of all kinds of commercial, financial, and other pressures that could affect the outcome of the certification process;
• None of its personnel will take any action that could harm the reputation of organizations wishing to obtain a certificate, or of others that have business relationships with FQC;
• There will be no subjective comment or assessment as part of certification and audit processes; no action that would have a negative effect on organizations will be taken; biased and intolerant behaviors will be avoided; and the organization will act in an impartial and independent manner;
• No organization will be certified concerning the provision of certification services;
• Its personnel and the persons acting on its behalf will not provide consulting services for certified organizations;
• Its personnel will not be involved in any activity that could conflict with certification processes;
• During a certification process, there will be no relationship with competing organizations with regards to the management systems of the organizations to be certified;
• Certification services of all parties concerned will be accessible, no undue financial burdens or other conditions will be imposed, and all standards and documents which are required will be followed without any discrimination;
• There will be strict compliance with the applicable accreditation laws, regulations, and directives in order to ensure the confidentiality of information obtained at any level from its own organizations during certification processes, including from committees and persons acting on its behalf.
• Information about a special product or a certified organization will not be divulged to any third party without the organization’s prior consent in writing;
• If such information has been disclosed to any third party pursuant to laws, regulations, and directives, the certified organization will be informed about such disclosed information as permitted by applicable laws, regulations, and directives;
• The confidentiality and safety of all information and documents related to organization will be ensured;
• There will be no geographical restriction to the provision of certification services;
• It will pay any legal damages arising from any proven loss attributable to it;
• Financial resources necessary for the operation of the certification system will be constantly preserved and maintained by supporting them with the personal assets of the company’s shareholders;
• Any organization in which the owners have an interest or are otherwise involved will not be certified;
• Access to the services will not depend on the size of the applicant, on its affiliation or membership to any association or group, or on the number of certified organizations;
• No preferential treatment will be given to any association, community, or NGO in which its owners have membership status;
• It will not certify another certification organization for the certification of management systems;
• It will not offer or provide consultancy services for management systems;
• It will neither offer internal audit to its certified clients nor conduct any internal audit;
• It will not certify any client who has received internal audit or consultancy on management systems in case there is any situation between the consultant and FQC that would pose a threat to the impartiality of the certification organization;
• It does not and will not have any relationship with any consultancy firm regarding ownership, administration, management, personnel, shared resources, funding, and contracts;
• It will not use management system consultants as an external source for audits;
• Certification services will not be marketed or offered through management system consultants;
• If there is any improper claim that certification will be simpler, easier, faster, and cheaper with a reference to a consulting firm, it will take all kinds of actions in order to rectify such situation, including the use of legal remedies;
• In order to prevent a potential conflict of interest, it will not assign any personnel who is responsible for advising clients on management systems to an audit or other certification activities for a period of two years from the date when such consultancy is discontinued;
• It has provided assurances through agreements to ensure that all internal or external personnel or committees who could affect the certification processes will act in an impartial manner, and that it will not permit any commercial, financial, or other type of pressure that would be prejudicial to impartiality;
• It will require its internal or external personnel to report any event that could create a conflict of interest involving them or FQC, and will use such information as an input when describing threats to impartiality raised by the work of such personnel or organizations.

25.01.2016.

Ali AĞAOĞLU

General Manager