QFS understands the importance of impartiality in carrying out its management system certification activities manages any conflict of interests and ensures the objectivity of its management system certification activities.

QFS

• o Does not pursue or plan to pursue business activities, which could jeopardize impartiality
• o Does not advertise certification/auditing services, which could affect impartiality
• o Does not employ personnel that may affect impartiality
• o Does not cater to clients where there would be a breach of impartiality
• O Has an Impartiality Committee, an independent committee made up of members representing

    QFS key interests that will advise on matters of impartiality and act on the findings of reviews.

• o Prohibits its external auditors from participating in the audit of any organization to which they have
• done consultancy or training(other than professionally registered auditor training), or they had any
• financial or commercial interest for a minimum period of 2 years prior to the date of application of
• the organization for registration
• o Ensures that when allocated a particular contract, Audit staff shall not disclose or discuss any
• detail; before or after the audit; to any member of staff other than their direct Management or other
• members of the team, as required by the “Code of conduct, confidentiality, conflict of interests and
• intellectual property agreement” and “Secrecy and non disclosure agreement” signed on the
• commencement of employment.
• o Ensures that all subcontracted audit staff or technical experts used by QFS shall sign a
• Subcontractor Agreement” along with “Code of conduct, confidentiality, conflict of interests and
• intellectual property agreement” and “Secrecy and non disclosure agreement”.
• o Prohibits its own employees from engaging in consultancy, which may involve the active design,
• generation or implementation of a Management System.
• o Ensures that all directly employed Management and Staff are required to declare all financial
• interests or business activities on commencement and during the period of employment.
• o Ensures that its staff or subcontractors shall not imply that certification would be simpler, easier or
• less expensive if their consultancy or training services were used. In addition to this, subcontract
• staff cannot offer consultancy or training services to QFS’s clients that they have been assigned to
• audit, during or after the assigned task has been completed
• o Will take action to correct inappropriate claims by any consultancy organization stating or implying
• that certification would be simpler, easier, faster or less expensive if QFS Management Systems LLP were used.
• o Will not state or imply that certification would be simpler, easier, faster or less expensive if a
• specified consultancy organization were used.
• o Is responsible for, and retains absolute authority for decisions relating to certification, including the
• granting, maintaining, renewing, extending, reducing, suspending and withdrawal of certification.
• o Is willing to give the liberty to any outsider to notify QFS about any issue related to conflict of
• interests or impartiality observed during QFS’s certification activities.

  o  Addresses Conflict of interests and objectivity further through annual training sessions and contractually binding agreements to ensure that all activities undertaken throughout the certification process are conducted in an independent and impartial manner.

o  conducts an assessment, at least once in a year, on both virtual and potential risks to QFS impartiality which is reviewed by the impartiality committee.