Impartiality, transparency, and accountability
Governance policies ensure independence, decision integrity, and public trust. All policies are versioned and carry an effective date. IAC's governance framework satisfies ISO/IEC 17011 § 4–5 and is reviewed annually by the Impartiality Committee.
Governance bodies
Three independent bodies provide checks and balances across the accreditation lifecycle.
Governing Board
5 members · Meets quarterly
Sets strategic direction, approves budgets, and oversees executive leadership. Board members may not hold operational roles.
Accreditation Committee
7 members · Meets monthly
Makes all grant, deny, suspend, and withdraw decisions independently of assessment teams. Quorum requires 5 of 7 members.
Impartiality Committee
4 external members · Meets biannually
Reviews policies and practices for impartiality threats. Provides binding recommendations when risks are identified.
Policy library
Each policy below addresses a specific governance requirement under ISO/IEC 17011. Click through for the full text.
Impartiality Policy
Defines how IAC identifies and mitigates threats to impartiality across all activities — from assessor selection to decision-making.
Read policy →Conflicts of Interest
Disclosure obligations, recusal procedures, and mitigation controls for all staff, assessors, and committee members.
Read policy →Decision Process
Separation of evaluation and decision functions, quorum and voting rules, outcome types, and appeal pathways.
View process →Use of Symbol and Claims
Rules governing use of the IAC mark, permitted claims language, and consequences of misuse.
View policy →Complaints & Appeals
Formal processes for filing complaints about conduct/process or appealing accreditation decisions, with defined timelines.
File or review →Annual governance report
Each calendar year, IAC publishes a governance summary covering:
- Number of accreditation decisions (grants, denials, suspensions, withdrawals).
- Complaints and appeals received, resolved, and average resolution time.
- Impartiality Committee findings and actions taken.
- Policy revisions and their effective dates.
- Board and Committee meeting attendance rates.
The first annual report will cover calendar year 2026 and is expected to be published by March 2027.
Policy change log
| Date | Policy | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-20 | All policies | Initial publication v1.0 |
Future revisions will be logged here with effective date and summary of changes.