Policies
Confidence
Accreditation provides confidence that certification processes are consistently and impartially maintained by competent organizations and personnel.
Impartiality
Impartiality encompasses both the actual and perceived presence of objectivity. It is essential to providing reliable certification services that promote confidence among stakeholders including ACG’s clients and customers of clients.
ACG has appointed an executive committee to monitor certification processes, finances, relationships, and other potential conflicts of interest that might diminish actual or perceived impartiality. This Board safeguards ACG, our clients, and other stakeholders by ensuring objectivity.
Openness (Requests for Information, Complaints, and Appeals)
ACG values input from certified clients, their customers, and other stakeholder groups. By maintaining principles of confidence, impartiality, and openness coupled with accessibility to our top management, ACG encourages communication with interested parties.
To maintain confidence in certifications, ACG provides appropriate access to, or disclosure of, non-confidential information to specific interested stakeholders. Access includes information about audit and certification processes and about the certification status of client organizations.
ACG maintains (through publications, electronic media or other means), and can make public, upon request, information about processes for granting, refusing, maintaining, renewing, suspending, restoring or withdrawing certification or expanding or reducing the scope of certification.
Should any certification client or other interested stakeholder disagree with ACG’s certification decisions or have any complaint regarding processes or personnel, we want to be contacted. Appeals or complaints should be submitted in writing to ACG’s Director of Operations or President. Contact information is included on this website.
All communications will be held in confidence and investigated by personnel independent of the expressed concern. After investigation and evaluation, a written conclusion and resolution will be issued.
Public Information
ACG maintains and makes public through this website, information about audit processes; processes for granting, refusing, maintaining, renewing, suspending, restoring or withdrawing certification or expanding or reducing the scope of certification; types of management systems and certification schemes in which it operates; the use of the certification body’s name and certification mark or logo; processes for handling requests for information, complaints and appeals; policy on impartiality.
Gathering or Refusing a Certificate or Registration
Following a complete assessment of your conformance with requirements, and your lead auditor’s recommendation, an authorized ACG staff member shall review the recommendation for registration and supporting documentation. Upon successful completion of the review and a positive certification decision a Certificate of Registration shall be prepared. A copy of the Certificate of Registration shall be forwarded to you and an electronic copy shall be maintained in ACG’s files. If the recommendation and/or review of the assessment determines you are not in conformance with requirements, a negative certification decision will be documented, and you will be notified.
Modification of Scope
Modifications (expanding or reducing) of scope must be submitted to ACG in writing explaining the nature of the proposed modification for evaluation. The request shall be reviewed and a determination made as to what assessment activities might be warranted. The requested modification may require a full reassessment, a limited special assessment, or may be assessed during normal surveillance activities. When satisfactory evidence supporting the scope modification is documented and compliance with all requirements is verified, a new Certificate may be issued. When a modified Certificate is issued, it shall include the date of the original Certificate and the date of the modified Certificate.
Suspension; Withdrawal or Reinstatement of a Certificate of Registration
ACG retains the right to suspend, withdraw, or reduce a Certificate of Registration any time during the registration period. Conditions that might lead to suspension or withdrawal of a certificate include the following among others:
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A written request from the registrant
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Registrants failure to maintain compliance with the requirements of the International Standard
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Registrants failure to implement timely corrective actions
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Registrants failure to meet its financial obligations with ACG
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Registrants misuse of ACG’s or ACG’s accreditation body Registration Marks
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Other acts which might discredit the registrants or ACG’s reputation
Prior to suspending, withdrawing, or reducing the scope of a certification, the registrant shall be given written notice and ample opportunity to remedy any negative conditions.
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Registrants failure to implement timely corrective actions
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Registrants failure to meet its financial obligations with ACG
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Registrants misuse of ACG’s or ACG’s accreditation body Registration Marks
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Other acts which might discredit the registrants or ACG’s reputation
Reinstatements following withdrawal of a Certification will require a complete reassessment subject to all requirements of an initial registration.
Upon reinstatement of a Certification, a new Certificate of Registration will be issued and include in addition the date of the suspension or withdrawal and the reinstatement date, to clearly indicate the period of time during which the client was not certified.
Appeals
When parties filing complaints or disputing ACG’s decisions are notified of disposition, the notification will include affirmation of their right to appeal any decision, corrective action, and/or disposition.
Use of Marks
Issuance of a Certificate of Registration authorizes you to use ACG's Registration Mark and the accreditation body symbols in advertising and promotional materials subject to the following conditions.
1. The client recognizes it cannot imply on any marketing materials or web-sites that any location not included on the initial or updated quote is ISO 9001 certified.
2. American Certification Group's (ACG) Registration Mark shall not be used in such a manner as to damage ACG's reputation. The client can put a copy of the registration certificate on marketing materials, however, IAF and/or IAS marks cannot be used be used separately by the client in marketing materials.
3. The client shall not make any statements regarding registration or use any document, report, or Mark in a manner that may be considered inaccurate, misleading, unauthorized or gives the impression in any context that ISO 9001:2015 is a product, service or process guarantee. Marks may only be used in reference to your quality management system.
4. The client will not display ISO 9001:2015 certification marks on products, product labels or product packaging, or in any way that may be interpreted as denoting product conformity. If product, packing material or transportation containers include the Mark (s) or a statement indicating ISO registration/certification, an additional statement must be included that indicates the quality management system is certified to ISO 9001-2015.
5. Reference to ISO 9001:2015 certification must include the current date of the standard. Statements indicating "ISO certified" or "ISO 9001" certified are not permitted.
6. The client is not permitted to utilize ACG marks or accreditation body marks on laboratory test,
calibration or inspection reports or certificates.
7. Upon withdrawal of a registration, the client shall discontinue its use of all advertising material containing reference to certification, to ACG's registration mark and accreditation body name or accreditation mark.
Complaints
Customer complaints involving certification activities shall automatically be authorized, initiated, and subject to the tracking, implementation, and verification of ACG corrective action procedures. The ACG Director of Operations will make available to the client the actions taken to resolve the complaint.
Requests
All legitimate requests for information can be sent through the contact us section of the site. ACG will provide information concerning:
a) geographical areas in which ACG operates;
b) the status of a given certification;
c) the name, related normative document, scope and geographical location (city and country) for a specific certified client.