Basis of decision authority
Decision authority is not inferred from seniority, technical expertise, participation in drafting, access to an application, correspondence with a client or the ability to operate an information system. A reserved decision requires a current authorisation that identifies the function, scope, conditions and period of authority.
The responsible technical body prepares and controls a standards document; the Governing Council gives the final institutional approval required for publication. Verification personnel determine whether submitted evidence establishes each applicable requirement. A technical reviewer examines the completeness and consistency of the record. An authorised decision-maker, independent of evidence verification for the same case, makes the certification determination.
An eligible appeal is determined by an Appeals Panel or other authorised appeal authority that did not participate in the verification, technical review or original decision. Administrative personnel may issue a notice or update the public register only to implement an authorised decision; publication access does not permit alteration of the substance, reasons, scope, status or effective date of that decision.
ICEQC-GOV-001 · Clause 30
Delegation of authority
An ICEQC body may delegate a function only where the delegating authority possesses that function, the delegation is permitted by the controlling document, and the scope, recipient, duration, conditions and reporting relationship are clear.
Delegation shall not be inferred from access to a system, performance of administrative work, use of a title, prior custom or absence of objection.
A delegated person or body shall act within the stated boundaries and shall not further delegate a reserved function unless expressly authorized.
The delegating body retains institutional accountability and shall remain able to review whether the delegation operates as intended, without reopening an individual independent decision merely because it dislikes the result.
Public records shall identify delegation where knowledge of the decision authority is material to the validity or meaning of a standard, interpretation, publication, certification or appeal outcome.
ICEQC-GOV-001 · Clause 31
Reserved institutional decisions
Approval of the Standards System Charter, authorization of a new normative document family, final approval of a public normative standard, withdrawal of the complete certification system, and alteration of the institutional meaning of ICEQC certification are reserved to the ICEQC Governing Council unless a later public Charter lawfully assigns the function elsewhere.
The Standards Council or responsible technical body may develop, review and recommend such action but shall not represent recommendation as final approval.
Administrative publication authority may confirm identity and release of an already approved text but shall not change its normative content.
A reserved decision shall identify the authority, subject, date, effect and any condition or transition necessary for public understanding.
Emergency delegation shall not be used to make a permanent constitutional change without the later process and approval required for that change.
ICEQC-GOV-001 · Clause 32
Separation from certification assessment
Participation in developing or approving a standard shall not by itself authorize a person to assess an applicant, conduct technical review or make a certification decision under that standard.
Where a standards participant also performs a certification function, competence and impartiality shall be established for the separate role and any interest arising from authorship, consultancy, training or prior involvement shall be managed.
A person shall not use privileged knowledge of unpublished drafting intention to impose a condition absent from the published text.
Questions arising in an assessment shall be determined through the applicable certification and interpretation rules, not through private access to a drafter.
Public certification information shall preserve ICEQC responsibility for the decision and shall not suggest that a named standards contributor personally approved the certified client or guarantees the application of the document.
ICEQC-GOV-001 · Clause 33
Separation of appeal authority
A person or body deciding a procedural appeal or certification appeal shall be independent of the action under challenge and shall have no responsibility to defend the original outcome as an institutional or personal interest.
Prior general participation in adopting a standard does not alone preclude interpretation of that standard on appeal, but direct involvement in the disputed assessment, technical review, decision, complaint handling or procedural act shall preclude determination of the same matter.
Appointment, information access and support arrangements shall preserve the appeal authority's ability to review the complete relevant record without direction from commercial or original decision functions.
The public decision shall identify the appeal authority, jurisdiction, conclusion and sufficient reasons, subject to lawful confidentiality.
An appeal outcome may correct or remit a decision within its scope but shall not privately amend the standard for all other persons.
ICEQC-GOV-001 · Clause 44
Governance record
Each standards project and material governance decision shall have a controlled record capable of showing the authority, applicable procedure, principal evidence, participation opportunity, comments and objections, conflict safeguards, recommendation, reviews, approval, final content identity and publication or other outcome.
The record shall be sufficiently complete for a competent person independent of the original activity to determine whether the published due process was followed, without requiring reconstruction from personal memory or informal correspondence.
Public and protected components may be separated, but their existence, relationship and retention status shall remain controlled.
A record shall distinguish contemporaneous evidence from a later explanation and shall not be rewritten to create an appearance that an omitted action occurred.
Retention shall reflect the continuing life of the document, historical certification reliance, legal obligations and the period in which a procedural challenge may reasonably arise.
ICEQC-GOV-001 · Clause 45
Transparency of meetings and decisions
Where a meeting materially contributes to technical consensus, approval or resolution of a substantial objection, its date, purpose, participating interest categories, authority and resulting decisions shall be recorded.
Transparency does not require public livestreaming or verbatim disclosure of all deliberation, and protected personal, security, legal or commercially confidential information may be withheld.
The public record shall nevertheless permit readers to understand what institutional body acted, what issue was decided and how that action relates to the published document.
Informal discussions, workshops and bilateral meetings may inform understanding but shall not be used to make an undisclosed decision or give selected interests an exclusive opportunity to change normative text.
A correction to a meeting or decision record shall preserve the original entry, identify the reason and shall not retroactively alter a vote, attendance or authority without due-process review.
ICEQC-GOV-001 · Clause 64
Decision quorum and voting safeguards
Where an authorized body uses a formal vote, the applicable public governance record shall identify the eligible decision membership, quorum rule, voting threshold, treatment of abstention and conflict recusals, and whether the vote determines or only recommends the outcome.
Quorum shall reflect sufficient participation and stakeholder balance for the assigned decision and shall not be manufactured by excluding known dissent or counting persons without authority.
A proxy, written vote or asynchronous decision may be used only where identity, information equality and the controlling rule permit it.
Numerical passage shall not cure a missing mandatory consultation, unmanaged conflict, lack of reserved authority or failure to consider a sustained substantial objection.
The final record shall state the result and any material limitation while protecting individual vote confidentiality where that safeguard was established in advance.
ICEQC-GOV-001 · Clause 65
Recusal and loss of participation in a decision
A person subject to recusal shall not receive restricted decision material beyond what another similarly situated stakeholder may receive, shape the recommendation through informal direction, vote, determine consensus or approve the record of the matter from which recused.
Recusal may be limited to a provision or issue where the remaining participation does not create a reasonable appearance of influence over the affected outcome.
The body shall determine whether it retains competence, balance and quorum after recusal and shall obtain replacement or independent review where necessary.
The record shall identify that a recusal occurred and its effect on authority without publishing unnecessary personal detail.
A later challenge shall examine the substance and management of the conflict, not merely whether a declaration form existed, and a failure capable of materially affecting impartiality shall be addressed under the governance corrective-action rules.
ICEQC-GOV-001 · Clause 66
Evidence used in governance decisions
A governance or technical conclusion shall be based on information whose relevance, source, limitations and relationship to the issue can be understood.
Research reputation, citation count, participant seniority, commercial adoption or a large data volume shall not replace evaluation of method, population, currency, bias, uncertainty and applicability.
Anecdotal and lived-experience evidence may identify harms, barriers or questions even where it does not establish prevalence, while quantitative evidence shall not be interpreted beyond its design.
Conflicting evidence shall be acknowledged and evaluated rather than selected solely to support a preferred text.
Where evidence remains materially uncertain, the responsible body may adopt a proportionate precaution, pilot, monitoring condition or narrower requirement and shall explain the basis.
Protected source material may be considered where lawful, but no conclusion shall depend on a hidden normative premise unavailable to affected readers.
ICEQC-GOV-001 · Clause 69
Coherence with the certification architecture
A governance decision shall consider its effect on the complete ICEQC certification architecture, including core requirements, object-specific schemes, applicability modules, assessment procedures, decisions, certificates, marks, public-register fields, translations and transitions.
A standards body shall not assume that another part of the system will correct ambiguous scope, unavailable evidence or an impossible requirement after publication.
Proposed terminology and identifiers shall be checked against current controlled use, and a necessary consequential change shall be identified before the principal document becomes effective.
Where simultaneous change is impracticable, the transition record shall state which existing rule continues, which later action is required and how contradiction is prevented.
Coherence review shall preserve the binary conformity model and the rule that all applicable requirements must conform before a positive certification decision.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 8
Procedure ownership and authority
The ICEQC Certification Scheme Committee owns this Procedure and controls its interpretation, maintenance and authorized use.
Certification decisions shall be made only by the ICEQC Certification Decision Authority or a person or panel to which that authority has assigned written decision authorization.
Appeals shall be determined only by an Appeals Panel appointed under this Procedure.
Surveillance shall be planned, performed and reviewed only by persons authorized for their assigned certification scheme and function.
An automated system may organize records, check completeness, identify inconsistency or support workflow control. It shall not independently classify a nonconformity, close corrective action, make a certification decision, determine an appeal or impose a certification status.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 13
Corrective-action reviewer
A corrective-action reviewer shall have competence appropriate to the requirement, certification object, evidence method and consequence of an incorrect closure.
The reviewer shall determine whether correction has been implemented, whether the cause and extent have been adequately evaluated, whether corrective action is proportionate and whether effectiveness has been demonstrated.
The reviewer may be a member of the original assessment team if permitted by the applicable scheme and if no conflict prevents objective verification.
Closure of a nonconformity shall not itself constitute a certification decision.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 14
Certification Decision Authority
The Certification Decision Authority shall retain final responsibility for each certification decision.
A decision maker shall not have participated in the assessment or corrective-action verification for the same case and shall not have provided consultancy, sales advocacy or applicant representation in relation to the certification object.
The decision maker shall have access to all information necessary to determine the application and may require clarification, further verification or correction of the decision package.
The decision maker shall not substitute commercial preference, personal reputation, unsupported expert opinion or automated recommendation for verified evidence.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 15
Appeals Panel
The Appeals Panel shall act independently of the original assessment, corrective-action verification and certification decision.
A panel member shall possess, collectively with other members where a panel is used, the competence needed to understand the applicable requirements, the certification object, the evidence and the procedural issues raised.
The Appeals Panel shall determine the appeal on the record and any additional information properly admitted under Part 6.
The panel shall not communicate with an appellant, original decision maker or other interested person outside the controlled appeal process concerning the merits of the appeal.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 17
Independence and conflicts of interest
Every person assigned under this Procedure shall disclose an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest before receiving restricted case information and whenever a new conflict arises.
ICEQC shall evaluate the conflict and shall exclude, replace, restrict or supervise the person where impartiality could reasonably be questioned.
A person shall not be assigned to make or determine a decision if that person:
Familiarity with a scheme, sector or technical subject does not by itself create a conflict. Prior involvement with the particular certification object shall be evaluated according to its nature, timing and materiality.
Conflict declarations and the disposition of each material conflict shall be retained in the case record.
- performed the activity being reviewed
- advised the applicant how to obtain the disputed result
- has a material financial, employment, family or close personal interest in the outcome
- is subject to a commercial target or instruction linked to the outcome; or
- has expressed a fixed view that prevents fair consideration of the record
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 51
Requirement for an authorized decision
A certification status shall be granted, renewed, extended, reduced, suspended, restored or withdrawn only through an authorized certification decision.
An assessment conclusion, corrective-action closure, recommendation, automated status or commercial approval shall not constitute a certification decision.
The decision shall be based on the applicable controlled requirements, verified evidence and records valid for the certification object, scope and relevant period.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 52
Decision package
The decision package shall contain, as applicable:
The decision package shall be sufficiently complete for a competent person not involved in the assessment to understand and test the proposed outcome.
Information shall not be omitted merely because it is adverse, confidential, commercially inconvenient or inconsistent with the recommendation.
- verified identity of the applicant and certification object
- proposed certification scope and any exclusions or limitations
- applicable ICEQC requirement documents, editions and modules
- application and assessment records
- evidence assessment plan, evidence index and assessment report
- conformity conclusions for every applicable requirement
- objective reasons for each not-applicable conclusion
- all nonconformities and their verified closure records
- complaints, incidents, changes or integrity matters material to the decision
- competence and independence records for assigned persons
- the proposed certificate and public-register data; and
- the assessment recommendation and any material dissenting view
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 53
Completeness gate
Before technical decision review, ICEQC shall confirm that:
An incomplete package shall be returned for completion and shall not be advanced by assuming a favourable conclusion.
Completion of the administrative gate does not determine the technical merits.
- the identity and scope are unambiguous
- all applicable requirements have a recorded conclusion
- not-applicable conclusions are objectively justified
- evidence is traceable to each conclusion
- every nonconformity is closed for a proposed positive decision
- mandatory competence and independence checks are complete
- material complaints, incidents and changes have been addressed; and
- certificate and public-register information are accurate
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 54
Decision-maker competence and independence
The assigned decision maker shall have competence appropriate to the certification scheme, certification object, decision type, evidence methods and material technical or protection issues.
The decision maker shall be independent in accordance with clauses 14 and 17 and shall complete a case-specific conflict declaration.
Where one person does not possess all required competence, ICEQC may appoint a decision panel or obtain controlled technical input. The authorized decision maker retains responsibility for the decision.
A technical adviser shall disclose limitations and shall not decide a matter outside the adviser's authorization.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 55
Decision review
The decision maker shall determine whether:
The decision maker may request clarification, further evidence, expanded verification, correction of a finding, reconsideration of scope or a new assessment conclusion.
The decision maker shall not personally perform missing assessment work and then decide that same work. Material additional evaluation shall be assigned and returned through the decision package.
- the assessment was planned and performed under applicable ICEQC procedures
- the evidence is sufficient, reliable and current for the proposed scope
- assessment conclusions follow logically from the evidence
- classifications and corrective-action closures are consistent and justified
- all applicable requirements conform
- no open matter invalidates the proposed status
- the scope can be stated accurately and understood publicly; and
- the proposed validity and surveillance arrangements are appropriate
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 56
Available decisions
The Certification Decision Authority may decide to:
ICEQC may defer a decision where defined information or verification remains outstanding. Deferral is not a positive certification decision and does not authorize a certification claim for an uncertified or changed scope.
ICEQC shall not grant conditional certification where an applicable requirement remains nonconforming.
- grant certification
- refuse certification
- maintain certification following surveillance or change review
- renew certification
- extend certification scope
- reduce certification scope
- suspend certification in whole or in part
- restore certification in whole or in part; or
- withdraw certification in whole or in part
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 57
Criteria for a positive decision
Certification may be granted, renewed, extended or restored only where:
An administrative condition may be attached only where it concerns implementation of the certification arrangement and does not substitute for conformity or permit an open nonconformity.
Certification shall not be accelerated by reducing required evidence, bypassing review or treating planned action as completed action.
- the applicant and certification object are eligible under the applicable scheme
- the certification scope is precise and supported by verified evidence
- every applicable requirement is conforming
- every nonconformity affecting the proposed scope is closed
- evidence limitations do not prevent a reliable conclusion
- material complaints, incidents and changes have been resolved sufficiently for decision
- the applicant has accepted applicable continuing obligations; and
- the proposed certificate and register entry can be issued accurately
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 58
Refusal and deferral
Certification shall be refused where the applicant does not fulfil all applicable requirements for the proposed scope, evidence necessary for a reliable conclusion cannot be obtained after reasonable opportunity, a material integrity concern remains unresolved, or the applicant refuses an applicable certification obligation.
A refusal shall identify the principal reasons and shall not be described as a lower grade of certification.
A decision may be deferred where the remaining matter is capable of resolution within a defined period and deferral does not create a misleading public status or material risk.
A deferred application shall be closed without certification where the applicant does not complete the required action within the authorized period and no justified extension is granted.
Refusal does not prevent a later new application, subject to the applicable scheme and resolution of the reasons for refusal.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 63
Suspension
ICEQC may suspend certification in whole or in part where:
Suspension may be immediate where delay would expose learners or the public to material harm or misrepresentation.
The suspension decision shall state the affected scope, reasons, effective date, required action, verification conditions and restoration deadline.
- a major nonconformity impairs confidence in continuing conformity
- a required nonconformity is not closed within the authorized period
- a serious incident or major change requires verification before active status can continue
- necessary surveillance, access or evidence is refused or materially obstructed
- evidence fabrication, concealment or material misrepresentation is established or credibly indicated
- certification or mark misuse continues after direction to stop
- the certified client requests temporary suspension; or
- another condition makes active certification inaccurate or unreliable
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 65
Restoration
Certification may be restored only after ICEQC verifies that:
The extent of restoration verification shall reflect the duration and cause of suspension, changes during suspension and the reliability of earlier evidence.
Restoration shall be recorded as a new certification decision and shall identify the effective date and any revised surveillance schedule.
- the cause of suspension has been removed
- all applicable nonconformities are closed
- continuing conformity is established for the affected scope
- misleading claims and records have been corrected; and
- any additional surveillance condition is in place
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 66
Withdrawal
ICEQC may withdraw certification in whole or in part where:
Withdrawal is final for the affected certificate unless changed through an appeal or a later new certification decision following a new application.
The decision shall specify cessation of claims, certificate disposition, register status, treatment of marks and any continuing obligations.
- the cause of suspension is not resolved within the authorized period
- a serious or systemic failure makes restoration inappropriate
- the certified client ceases the certified activity or no longer exists in a form capable of holding certification
- evidence misconduct or deliberate misrepresentation materially destroys confidence in certification
- the entity persistently refuses certification obligations; or
- the entity requests withdrawal
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 67
Decision reasons and record
Every certification decision shall be recorded in controlled form and shall contain:
Reasons shall be sufficient to explain the outcome without disclosing protected information unnecessarily.
A standardized decision record may be used, but a preselected outcome or automated rationale shall not replace case-specific judgment.
- the decision type and outcome
- the applicant or certified client and certification object
- the affected scope
- the applicable requirement documents and editions
- the material evidence and reasoning
- confirmation of nonconformity status
- any effective date, validity period, condition or required action
- the decision maker's identity, authorization, independence confirmation and date; and
- the available appeal route and deadline
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 68
Notification, implementation and correction
ICEQC shall notify the applicant or certified client of the decision in controlled written form without undue delay and ordinarily within five business days after the decision date.
A positive decision shall not be publicly represented before its effective date and completion of required certificate and register controls.
ICEQC shall implement the decision consistently across the certificate, public register, mark permissions and internal case status.
A clerical or administrative error may be corrected without reopening the merits where the correction does not change the certification object, scope, substantive outcome or effective date. The correction shall remain traceable.
A substantive error or new material fact shall be referred to an authorized decision maker. If immediate protection is necessary, ICEQC may impose a temporary status control pending the new decision.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 111
Consistency of findings and decisions
ICEQC shall maintain controls to promote materially consistent interpretation, classification, corrective-action verification, decision and status action across schemes and cases.
Controls may include competence calibration, anonymized case review, controlled decision criteria, technical consultation, periodic sampling and review of overturned decisions.
Consistency does not require identical treatment where scope, evidence, consequence, operating history or other material facts differ. The reason for a material departure from usual treatment shall be recorded.
An earlier error shall not be repeated solely for consistency. ICEQC shall correct the current case and consider whether earlier cases require review.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 112
Technical consultation
A person performing an activity under this Procedure may seek technical consultation where an issue exceeds assigned competence or presents novel interpretation, technology or consequence.
Consultation shall identify the question, facts, applicable requirements, adviser, advice and use made of the advice.
The adviser shall meet competence, confidentiality and conflict requirements.
Advice does not transfer responsibility from the authorized assessor, reviewer, decision maker or Appeals Panel.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 113
Case sampling and quality review
ICEQC shall periodically sample completed and active cases to verify procedural conformity, evidence sufficiency, decision consistency, timeliness and record integrity.
Sampling shall include a reasonable mix of positive and adverse decisions, schemes, decision makers, major and general nonconformities, appeals and certification status actions.
A quality reviewer shall be independent of the activity reviewed where the review could change a case outcome or evaluate personal performance.
A detected error shall be evaluated for case correction, affected certificates, similar cases, cause and ICEQC corrective action.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 114
ICEQC nonconformity and corrective action
ICEQC shall identify and control nonconformity in its own certification processes, including a failure arising from a case review, complaint, appeal, data incident or performance trend.
ICEQC corrective action shall include correction, cause and extent evaluation, action, responsibility, time frame and effectiveness verification proportionate to the consequence.
Where an ICEQC process failure may have affected a certification decision or party, ICEQC shall review the case and provide appropriate correction without requiring the affected party to submit an appeal.
Commercial sensitivity, reputational concern or personnel seniority shall not prevent internal nonconformity from being recorded and corrected.
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 115
Performance monitoring
ICEQC shall monitor the performance of this Procedure using measures capable of identifying delay, inconsistency, recurrence and control weakness.
Measures may include:
Performance measures shall not reward higher certification approval rates, lower finding rates or commercial retention at the expense of reliable conformity decisions.
- time to issue findings and decisions
- corrective-action response and closure time
- overdue and recurrent nonconformity
- surveillance completed within cycle windows
- appeal timeliness and outcomes
- decisions corrected through quality review
- certificate and register implementation accuracy; and
- confidentiality, accessibility and conflict-control performance
ICEQC-CER-003 · Clause 116
Controlled records
Records created under this Procedure shall be identifiable, complete, current, protected, retrievable and traceable to authority and date.
A material change to a finding, action, decision, appeal or status record shall preserve the prior version or an equivalent audit history.
Access shall be based on assigned function and information sensitivity. Export, download, sharing and local storage shall be restricted accordingly.
Records shall not be stored in an unapproved personal account, device, messaging channel or location.
Where a system is replaced or data are migrated, ICEQC shall verify completeness, integrity, links, permissions and continuing retrieval.