Impartiality and Independence

The verification organization must undertake verification activities impartially.

The verification organization must be responsible for the impartiality of its verification activities (including on-site observations, diagnostic testing, and software analysis for energy performance) and must not allow commercial, financial, or other pressures to compromise impartiality.

The verification organization must identify risks to its impartiality on an on-going basis. It must include those risks that arise from its activities, relationships, and relationships of its personnel. Such relationships do not necessarily present an verification organization with a risk to impartiality, but must be considered and identified.

Risks to the impartiality of the verification organization must be considered whenever events occur which might have a bearing on the impartiality of the verification organization or its personnel.

The verification organization must describe any relationships that could affect its impartiality to the extent relevant, using organizational diagrams or other means.

If a risk to impartiality is identified, the verification organization must demonstrate how it eliminates or minimizes such risk.

The top management of the verification organization must be committed to impartiality. This can be documented by a statement emphasizing its commitment to impartiality in carrying out verification activities, managing conflicts of interest, and ensuring the objectivity of its verification activities. These statements and policies should be made publicly available.

The verification organization must be independent to the extent that is required with regard to the conditions under which it performs its services.

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