Welcome | Synergy Certification

Introduction

This document provides outline the terms and conditions to any organization that is interested in obtaining certification of its management system or used the certification scheme such as Quality Management System to the requirements of ISO 9001. It is based on the requirements specified in International Standards for Conformity Assessment Bodies and related documents issued by the accreditation bodies.

CERTIFICATION PROCESS

The management system certification services provided by Synergy Certification (SC) are carried out in accordance to the policies and procedures established by SC based on the requirements of the accreditation standards. The generic certification process is as follows:

Application

Client shall provided the information required for application as per application for assessment form
Application Review

Upon acceptance of application, client shall sign the contract with SC. In case of rejected application (may due to impartiality), SC will provide the reason for rejection
Stage 1 Audit

Upon receiving the application fees, stage 1 audit is carried out to determine the adequacy of the client’s management system documentation and readiness to proceed to the Stage 2 audit.
Stage 2 Audit

After the findings from the Stage 1 audit have been resolved, the client is to notify SC on the readiness to proceed to the Stage 2 audit. The purpose of the Stage 2 audit is to evaluate the implementation, including effectiveness, of the client’s management system.
Recommendation

On satisfactory completion of the Stage 2 audit and verification of any non-conformity(ies) raised, the Audit Team Leader will prepare arecommendation report to the Certification Manager for approval.
Approval of certification

The Certification Manager reviews and approves the recommendation for certification.
Issue of certificate

The certificate will be issued upon payment of all fees due. The certificate is valid for 3 years from the date of approval.
Surveillance Audit/ Recertification

All certified organizations will be subjected to annual surveillance audit. The first surveillance will be carried out 11 months from the last day of the Stage 2 audit. Renewal of certification is subject to a satisfactory Recertification audit carry out before the expiry of the certificate.

CERTIFICATION FEES AND PAYMENT TERMS

The certification fees as per in the quotation
The quotation only valid for 30 days from the date of issues.
Application fees shall be payable prior to signing of Acceptance of Quotation& Agreement for Certification service.
The outstanding initial assessment fees shall be payable 4 weeks before commencing On-Site Assessment. Crossed cheque shall be made payable to “SYNERGY CERTIFICATION SDN BHD”

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The management system certification services provided by Synergy Certification (SC) are carried out in accordance to the policies and procedures established by SC based on the requirements of the accreditation standards. The generic certification process is as follows:

Eligibility criteria for certification
Client intending to seek certification shall ensure that they meet eligibility criteria for certification specific to each of the schemes. Details of the criteria may be obtained from SC.
Site of audit and multiple site certification

The client shall identify the site(s) to be covered under scope of certification. This site(s) shall generally be permanent location(s) at which the client carries out its operations.

For certain types of activities such as construction, client shall also identify the temporary sites at which activities are carried out. These sites will be subjected to audit on sampling basis. However, the sites will not be included in the certificate.

A multiple site organization is an organization having an identified central function (normally referred as central office) at which certain activities are planned, controlled or managed and a network of local offices or branches (sites) at which such activities are fully or partially carried out. The organization shall identify in advance the sites that it wants to include in the certificate. These sites will be subjected to audit on a sampling basis.
Scope of certification
The client shall clearly define the activities to be included under the scope of certification. The client should ensure that it does not omit important elements of its operations from the scope of certification.
Audit criteria
In order to be certified, an organization has to demonstrate that the relevant management system is functioning and the various control mechanisms are properly implemented. In practice, this means in particular that:
The management system has been operational for a sufficient period of time to be able to demonstrate adequately the effective implementation of the entire system.

The Internal Audit and Management Review have been conducted before the Stage 1 audit. For multiple site organizations, the internal audit shall cover all sites to be included in the certificate.

SCOPE OF ACCREDITATION

Synergy Certification operations are conducted in accordance with ISO17021 requirement and we are comply with competency, impartiality and confidentiality. Therefore, Synergy Certification is going towards Standard Malaysia Accreditation.The management system certification services of Synergy Certification currently under review by Standard Malaysia.

APPEALS PROCEDURE

Client may file an appeal when he does not agree with the decision of the Certification Panel. The appeal shall be in writing and addressed to the Certification Manager within 2 weeks of notification of the decision. Decisions of appeal including the grounds of the decision shall be recorded and the appellant shall be notified in writing. Appeal can be directly email to appeal@synergycert.com or fill in form here.

COMPLAINT PROCEDURE

Any complaint about SC or about organizations certified by SC shall be directed to complaint@synergycert.com or fill in the form here.

Complaints shall be in writing. All complaints received will be verified and validated by the certification manager or above. The complainant shall be informed of the receipt of the complaint and will be provided progress report and a report on the outcome of the investigation. The client shall agreed or response to the complaint if the complaint directly or indirectly involve the clients’ organization. If the investigation required special visit or short notice visit, the client will be informed in advance in writing and fees will be imposed if the special visit is required.

WITHDRAWAL / SUSPENSION

Withdrawal
The client that wishes to withdraw from certification scheme is required to write to the SC informing of its intention. The Client shall within a reasonable timeframe ensure that all advertising matters that contain any reference to the certificate are discontinued.
Suspension
SC shall suspend the certification of the client under the following circumstances;
1. the certified client’s management system has persistently or seriously failed to meet certification requirements, including requirements for the effectiveness of the managementsystems,
2. the certified client does not allow Surveillance or Recertification audits to be conducted at the required frequencies,
3. the certified client has voluntarily requested suspension of its certification,
4. the certified client fails to take corrective actions for non-conformity(ies) raised within the specified timeframe,
5. the certified client has incorrectly making references to its certification status or misleading use of certificate, marks or audit reports.
6. the certified client infringed the requirements of the certification contract.

The client whose certification is suspended is required to take the necessary corrective action before the end of the suspension period of 90 days. Failure to resolve the issues satisfactorily will result in withdrawal of certification. The client may appeal if it is dissatisfied with the decision to suspend or withdraw the certificate.

INFORMATION ON CERTIFICATION MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC

Upon certification the client’s name, address, contact details and scope of certification will be published in the www.synergycert.com.

Any change in the status of the certification, e.g. suspension or withdrawal of certificate will also be published in the web site.

CHANGES TO THE INFORMATION IN THE CERTIFICATE

The client may seek to make changes to details in the certificate. This may include, name of organization, change of address or scope of certification. Request for such changes shall be made in writing to Synergy Certification

RENEWAL OF CERTIFICATE

Renewal of certificate shall be carried out upon completion of three (3) year. Clients shall be notified by writing 4 weeks ahead to ensure timely renewal.

REAUDIT VISIT

Re-audit is applicable for clients whom FAILED during Document Review, Pre-Assessment, Initial Audit or Surveillance audits and recertification audit. The audit fees shall charge as per current man-day rate and other incidental cost where applicable.

POSTPONEMENT OR CANCELLATION

Postponement or cancellation of confirmed Applications prior to Audits shall be 14 working days ahead in writing to SC and vice-versa. The entire fees is Non-Refundable if exceed 7 working days.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND LIABILITY

Whilst every reasonable care is taken by SC to ensure that the service given to the Client is correct, SC shall not be liable or responsible for any loss damage or claim of whatsoever nature including pure economic loss and any consequential loss however arising, occasioned by the implementation of such service. SC takes reasonable care to ensure confidentiality of clients proprietary. If any incidents outside SC capability, SC cannot be held legally in case of loss of confidentiality. Likewise SC will informed in writing the incident if the incident known to SC.

NOTICE OF CHANGES BY SYNERGY

Synergy shall inform its clients of changes to the certification process including transition plans and time frames for the implementation of such changes and shall subsequently verify that each client complies with this requirement. It shall necessitate a special audit in certain cases.

NOTICE OF CHANGES BY CLIENT

The client must inform Synergy, without delay, of matters that may affect the capability of the management system to continue to fulfill the requirements of the standard used for certification.

These include changes relating to:

legal, commercial, organizational status or ownership.
organization and management
contact address and sites
scope of operations under the certified management system
major changes to the management system and processes

Synergy shall review the changes and accordingly discuss with client for an early verification to ensure that the capability of the management system continues to fulfill the requirements of the applicable standard.

OTHERS

The client cannot refuse an Accreditation Body witness audit of SC,
Access authorization for Accreditation Body representatives or their delegates,
The client only use the logo type related to the certification scheme as displayed on the certificate issued by SC
These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Malaysia.
These Terms and Conditions may not be modified except by an agreement in writing signed by SC and the Client.

ME-001-00
Eff. Date: 01-06-15

TERMS & CONDITIONS FOR USE OF CERTIFICATION MARK

Use of the Synergy Certification Mark is subject to the conditions detailed below:

Use of certificates
1. The use of the certificate is restricted to the scope of certification and the period of validity of the certification.
2. The Certificate and contract are specific to the client to which they have been issued, and the Client shall not transfer any right nor give permission to a third party to use the Certificate.
3. The client may photocopy or scan their current Certificate of Registration for publicity purposes and as evidence of their certification. Photocopies or electronic copies may be in full color, and do not need to be watermarked or otherwise marked as being a copy of the original
4. The certificate and all copies thereof remain at all times the property of Synergy and shall immediately be surrendered to Synergy upon suspension, termination or annulment of the certification.

Use of the certification mark

The certified client may display the certification mark –

on letterheads and stationery;
in advertising or promotional material
on a panel or signpost that identifies client’s premises or the nature of the client’s business;
On a fleet vehicle or delivery vehicle, on condition that it is clear from such display that the certification mark relates to the subject of certification.
The certified client may print the following wording on a fleet vehicle or container packaging provided the name of the organization is included in the wording:

‘XXX: YYY Certified Organization,’ where XXX is the name of the certified client and YYY is full code of the relevant management system standard. E.g. Company Z: ISO 9001:2008 certified organization’

Note: This wording shall be accompanied by the certification mark

The certified client shall not use the Certification mark on a product, product packaging, or in a way that may be interpreted as denoting product conformity. The following table provides guidance on proper use of the certification mark:

	On Product	On larger packaging used for transportation of product	On letterhead, pamphlets, etc. for advertisement
Mark Without Statement	Not allowed	Not allowed	Allowed
Mark With statement	Not allowed	Allowed	Allowed
Statement without the mark (see clause 3.3(b)	Not allowed	Not allowed	Allowed

The use of the Certification Mark on publicity material is subject to the certified client identifying the specific areas for which it is certified, and ensuring that the certification is not implied for non-certified activities.
A certified client may also display the logo of the accreditation body if organization has been accredited for the specific scope. Such display must be according to the requirements of the accreditation body.
The right to use the certification mark by the client cannot be assigned to or acquired by any other person, entity, or corporation (including through a change of ownership of the organization) without organization’s prior written consent.
Upon a reduction of the scope of certification, the client shall amend all advertising material referring to its certification to properly reflect the reduced scope.
Upon suspension and termination of its certification, the client shall discontinue its use of all advertising material that contains a reference to certification, as directed by SC.
The client shall not redesign the certification mark and shall only enlarge or reduce it proportionately

Making Reference to the Certification
1. The certified client shall only claim that he/she is holding a certification in respect of the capability which is the subject of the certification and which relates to the processes in accordance with the certification requirements.
2. Where the certified client wishes to make reference to its organization certification without using the Certification mark, it shall without variation use the following phrase: ‘a SC XXX Certified Organization, No. YYY,’ where XXX is the full code of the relevant management system standard and YYY is the Certificate Number’. E.g. a Synergy Certification Sdn Bhd ISO 9001:2008 certified organization No.A1234.
3. No person may, by claiming certification by organization or by referring to the Management Systems standards in an advertisement or other form of publicity, give the impression that the ‘product has been approved by organization or that the product is ‘SC certified’.
4. Only to claim that they are certified with respect to those activities for which it has been granted certification. Test & calibration laboratory management system certification (ISO/ IEC 17025) is not equivalent to Accreditation Certification Body (ISO 17021) as such Synergy logo shall not applied in testing, inspection or calibration report of client and no such claim shall be made.
Use of the Accreditation Certification Body (Standards Malaysia) Symbol
1. Under no circumstances can a certified supplier use the ACB Symbol in isolation of the Certification mark to which it relates.
2. The ACB Symbol or reference to Standards Malaysia accreditation shall not be misused in such a way to suggest or imply that Standards Malaysia has certified or approved product, process, system, person in any misleading manner.
3. Certified organisations of accredited certification bodies may make reference to Standards Malaysia accreditation by virtue of its certification status granted by a Standards Malaysia accredited certification body subject to the requirements of this document and the following limitations or conditions:
  1. the accredited certification bodies undertake the responsibility to ensure this requirement is an element of the CB’s regulations and an element of their regular surveillance audits or checks.
  2. under no circumstances shall the ACB Symbol be used on a product, or in any way that be interpreted or implied as denoting product conformity within the framework of a system certification program;
4. The ACB Symbol shall not be displayed for the following;
  1. on vehicles, except in publicity material containing the ACB Symbol as part of a larger advertisement;
  2. on buildings and flags
5. The ACB Symbol may be displayed on internal walls and doors; and on exhibition stands

We accept that we have well understood all the above terms and conditions and the above are overridden by the conditions for the use of Synergy Certification mark and we undertake to abide by all for the use of Synergy Certification mark and if violated, Synergy Certification Sdn Bhd (SC) reserves the right to revoke/ suspend/ withdraw the registration certificate without prior written information to us.

Management of Impartiality

SC is committed to impartiality in its management system certification activities and ensures the objectivity of its management system certification activities. SC understands the importance of impartiality in carrying out its management system certification activities and manages conflict of interest.

SC identifies, analyze and document the possibilities for conflict of interests arising from provision of certification and resulting relationships. Detailed information hereto shall be made available to the committee for safeguarding impartiality (CSI) for decision.

SC does not provide certification in cases of unacceptable threat to impartiality. There will be no offering of certification when relationships that threaten impartiality cannot be eliminated or minimized.

SC does not certify another certification body's management systems certification activities

SC does not deal with or provide any type of consulting services or management system consultancy. SC does not promote activities of any particular consultancy body or organization. SC does not enter into any type of relationship or agreement with any management system consultancy body or organization.

SC does not provide services related to internal audits to other organizations or its certified clients.

SC does not provide certification to clients who have received management system consultancy or internal audits if the relationship between the consulting organization and SC poses unacceptable threat to impartiality. There will be no offering of certification when relationships that threaten impartiality cannot be eliminated or minimized.

SC does not outsource audits and do not offer linked activities with organizations that provides management system consultancy.

SC does not do joined marketing activities with management system consultancy organizations. SC does not state or imply that certification would be simpler, easier, faster or less expensive if services of specified management system consultancy organization are used. SC will take appropriate legal action against any false or inappropriate claims by any management system consultancy organization stating or implying that certification would be simpler, easier faster or less expensive if SC’s certification services are used. Since SC does not enter into any type of relationship or agreement with any management consultancy body or organization any such claims shall be false and misleading.

SC make sure, that personnel who have provided management system consultancy in previous two years, shall not be used to take part in certification activities, unless more than 2 years passed.

SC takes actions to respond to any threats to its impartiality arising from external actions including that of other persons, bodies or organizations.

SC makes sure that its personnel act impartially and shall not allow commercial, financial or other pressures to compromise impartiality. SC periodically reviews conformance with the impartiality requirements of ISO 17021. The results shall be presented to the CSI for further review and approval.

The personnel of SC are instructed to report any situations regarding conflict of interest that might result in threats to impartiality. SC does not use such personnel for certification activities unless they demonstrate that there is no conflict of interest.

All the activities of the staff are based on employee declaration. SC uses this information as input to identifying threats to impartiality raised by the activities of such personnel or by the organizations that employ them.

SC doesn’t use personnel, either internal or external, that cannot demonstrate that there is no conflict of interests.

For,
Synergy Certification Sdn Bhd,
Managing Director

DC-002-00
Rev: 0
Eff. Date: 02.06.14

Policy on Confidentiality

Introduction

This policy defines how confidentiality of the information obtained or created during the certification activities, is ensured.
Obligations of SC
1. SC commits itself to confidentiality concerning all information available to it in the context of its activities on the Client’s premises, whether this information relates to internal matters of the client or to its business relations. This also applies to verbal or written results of the audit.
2. SC shall not disclose the Client’s confidential information, trade secrets or processing procedures to any third party (unless required to do so by Law).
3. SC shall allow access to both its own documents and Client-related data to Accreditation Authorities as relevant.
4. SC shall inform the Client, in advance, of any proprietary information it intends to place in the public domain. All but information that is publicly accessible by the Client shall be considered confidential.
5. Information about the Client from sources other than the Client (e.g. complainants, regulators) shall be treated as confidential, consistent with this Policy.
6. All personnel, including committee members, technical experts, subcontracted/external bodies or individuals acting on behalf of the SC, shall keep confidential all information obtained or created during the certification activity.
7. For issues at hand, declaration of interest shall be expressed using an appropriately designed form. All involved personnel (i.e. SC auditors, technical experts, subcontracted/external auditors, committee members and other associates as relevant) shall sign an undertaking committing them to comply with the confidentiality and independence requirements
8. SC shall ensure there is adequate equipment and facilities for secure handling of confidential documents and records for the certification activity.
Obligations of the Client

The Client is obliged to maintain strict confidentiality about any information revealed within the terms of the Certification Contract as well as knowledge of matters relating to SC, its employees and auditors. This obligation also applies after termination of the Contract. The Client similarly accepts the obligation on behalf of his auxiliary persons and associates.

DC-003-00
Rev: 0
Eff. Date: 02.06.14

Policy on Suspension, Withdrawal or Reduction of Scope

Certifications granted by Synergy Certification Sdn Bhd may be suspended or withdrawn or the scope of certification may be reduced.

Suspension: Temporary invalidation of a certificate (not more than 6 month).
Withdrawal: Permanent invalidation of a certificate.

Suspension of Certification - SC shall suspend the certification of the client under the following circumstances;

the certified client’s management system has persistently or seriously failed to meet certification requirements, including requirements for the effectiveness of the management systems,
the certified client does not allow Surveillance or Recertification audits to be conducted at the required frequencies,
the certified client has voluntarily requested suspension of its certification,
the certified client fails to take corrective actions for non-conformity(ies) raised within the specified timeframe,
the certified client has incorrectly making references to its certification status or misleading use of certificate, marks or audit reports.
the certified client infringed the requirements of the certification contract.

The management of Synergy Certification who issued the certificate shall decide on the action to be taken, based on review of the evidence. If suspension of the Client’s certification is decided, the Client will be formally notified as described in the procedure Maintenance, Suspension, Withdrawal & Reduction of Scope (CT-005-01)

Withdrawal of Certification - A Client’s certification may be withdrawn as a consequence of:

The suspension period of the certificate has expired
The continued use of the certificate for promotion following the suspension of the certificate
The client fails to pay agreed fees
The client uses the certification in such a way as to undermine the reputation of organization
The client terminates the contractual relationship with the organization

The management of Synergy Certification who issued the certificate shall decide on the action to be taken, based on review of the evidence. If withdrawal of the Client’s certification is decided, the Client will be formally notified as described in the procedure Maintenance, Suspension, Withdrawal & Reduction of Scope (CT-005-00).

The decision to withdraw a certificate shall be formally communicated to the customer including the requirements to:

Terminate use of the certification mark and any reference to certification
Return certificate(s) and copies to Synergy Certification Sdn Bhd

Reduction of Scope - Where the failure of the quality system is related to a specific part of the Client’s organization (physical locations, organizational units, or activities), the Client’s scope of certification shall be reduced to exclude the part of the business that does not meet requirements. Only design, service, and/or special processes that are outsourced may be excluded or reduced from the Client’s scope of certification.

The Client has the right to appeal any certification decision made by Synergy Certification. An appeal may be filed according to the appeals handling procedure (CT-006-01)

Synergy Certification requires that the certified client conforms to the following requirements when making reference to its certification status in communication media:

Will discontinue using all advertising, stationery, and literature with references to certification upon suspension or withdrawal of certification;
Will amend all advertising matter when the scope of certification has been reduced;
Will not imply that the certification applies to activities outside the scope of certification;
Will not use certification in such a manner that would cause Synergy, Standard Malaysia or the certification system to fall into disrepute and to lose public trust.

DC-004-R0
Rev: 0
Eff. Date: 02.05.15

PURPOSE

To outline the activities carried out by the Synergy Certification (SC) to ensure that appeal brought by customers or other parties are appropriately addressed.
SCOPE

This procedure applies to all appeals received by SC.
TERMINOLOGY
1. Appeal
  A request by client of the SC for further consideration or change in the decision of the CB on any issue concerning certification
2. Appellant
  Client of the SC making an appeal
3. SC
  Synergy Certification Sdn Bhd
4. MD
  The Managing Director of Synergy Certification
5. CM
  Certification Manager
6. REFERENCES
  ISO/IEC 17021 Conformity assessment – requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems
RESPONSIBILITIES
1. The MD / CM shall be responsible for ensuring that this procedure is effectively implemented in their area
PROCEDURE
1. Dealing with Appeal
  MD ensures that all interested parties are made aware through appropriate means such as contract, meeting etc, of the existence of appeal procedure. This procedure is publicly accessible on SC website www.synergycert.com
  MD ensures that the investigation and decision on appeal does not result in any discriminatory action against appellant.
  
  MD ensures any individual or team involved in the resolution of appeal shall be in odd numbers and satisfy the following criteria
  
  (a) not be person named in the subject of the said appeal
  
  (b) be independent of the audit and/or certification process of the said appeal
2. Appeal
  1. Clients may appeal any decision of the SC. These decisions may include:
    - Decisions not to award certification,
    - decisions to suspend or to withdraw certification,
    - decisions to reduce the scope of certification
  2. All appellant shall be advised to file a written appeal to MD. This may be in the form of a letter or by completing the appeal form in www.synergycert.com.
  3. Upon receipt of the appeal, the MD and or CM will inform the company within 7 working days that SC is investigating into the case and will report on the progress and outcome of the case.
  4. The written appeal shall be forwarded to the Committee Safeguarding Impartiality to investigate and decide on the outcome of the appeal. The committee will validate and investigate the appeal, and for deciding what correction & corrective action are to be taken in response to it, taking into account the results of previous similar appeals. The appellant will be given a chance to response to CSI committee in order to be fair for both parties. The decision of the Appeal will be based on consensus and the committee’s decision will be final and binding on both parties.
  5. Upon completion of the investigation, the Committee will inform the MD in writing of the decision taken. SC will consider the decision of the Committee and will take any appropriate correction and corrective action as required.
  6. The MD and or CM shall then communicate the decision of the appellant, in writing, and give formal notice of the end of the appeal handling process.Timeframe from receipt of appeal to final decision shall be within 1 month.

PURPOSE

To outline the activities carried out by the Synergy Certification (SC) to ensure that complaint brought by customers or other parties are appropriately addressed.
SCOPE

This procedure applies to all complaints received by SC.
TERMINOLOGY
1. Complaint
  Any expressed dissatisfaction, written or verbal, with any service offered by the SC or by a certified client of the SC
2. Complainant
  The originator of the complaint
3. SC
  Synergy Certification SdnBhd
4. MD
  The Managing Director of Synergy Certification
5. CM
  Certification Manager
REFERENCES

ISO/IEC 17021 Conformity assessment – requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems
RESPONSIBILITIES
1. The respective certification officer, shall be responsible for ensuring that this procedure is effectively implemented in their area
2. The MD shall be responsible for verifying corrective and preventive action
PROCEDURE
1. Dealing with Complaint
  MD ensures that all interested parties are made aware through appropriate means such as contract, meeting etc, of the existence of complaint procedure. This procedure is publicly accessible on SC website www.synergycert.com.
  MD ensures any individual or team involved in the resolution of complaint shall:
  
  (a) not be person named in the subject of the said complaint
  
  (b) be independent of the audit and/or certification process of the said complaint
2. Complaint against the conduct of Auditors and members of staff
  1. The MD will examine any complaint against the conduct of auditors or members of staff.
  2. The Auditor or member of staff will be given a chance to respond in writing to the complaint. This response will be made available to the complainant.
  3. Where necessary, the MD will hold a meeting with the auditor or member of staff in order to discuss the issue in full.
  4. Where the complaint is justified, the MD will decide on the corrective action required. If necessary, the MD will make a recommendation to the Certification Manager in relation to the suitability of an auditor to conduct audits in relation to some or all of the scopes listed on their auditor competence matrix.
  5. Complaint against auditors and members of staff will be discussed in general terms at the meetings. The identity of the auditor and staff will remain confidential.
  6. Complaint against the conduct of the MD will be forwarded to the CSI Committee for investigation.
3. Complaints against the activity of Clients
  1. The MD will examine any complaint against the activity of clients which could jeopardize their certified status or bring the reputation of SC into disrepute.
  2. The client will be given a chance to respond in writing to the complaint. The complainant is given a copy of the response.
  3. Where the complaint is upheld, the client will be asked to take corrective action to deal with the complaint.
  4. If the MD decides that a special audit is required to confirm that effective corrective action has been taken, this will be agreed with the client. The Certification Manager will then arrange a date for the audit with the client.
  5. If the client is unable or unwilling to have a special audit or if the client is not in a position to take corrective action, the MD may recommend to the assessment committee that the client be withdrawn or suspended.
  6. Details of the complaint in general terms may be discussed at the meeting. The confidentiality of the complainant and the client will be respected at all times.
  7. Timeframe from receipt of complaint to final decision shall be made within 3 months and notification to complaint shall be within 1 month after the final decision has been made.

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