The BBA is an independent third-party certification body, accredited by UKAS – meaning it has the ability to certify a broad range of organisations and their products (from individual installers to global companies), by working on certification, testing, auditing and inspections.

But why is this important?

No organisation works in isolation, whether they work as part of a supply chain – from raw materials to distribution and installation, or as part of an industry that is heavily regulated, aviation for example. Each organisation will be impacted by the changes to legislation and new regulations, which is why it is so important to know you can rely on an impartial third party to support your organisation and the industry as a whole.

In order to be an independent third-party certification body, the BBA must remain impartial. In doing so the BBA can support organisations within the construction industry regardless of being in the same market or as direct competition, as all clients are treated equally and fairly.

All BBA job types are based on a series of documented procedures and templates, in order to ensure that they are carried out in an impartial, consistent and robust way. The same information is required from all clients, and all data are evaluated against the same criteria. This means that the outcome of testing and certification work is based solely on the testing and assessment conducted rather than favoritism or the size of the client.

There are no ‘shouting the loudest’ or ‘paying the most’ situations.

How is this impartiality maintained?

Firstly, staying impartial isn’t just by way of ‘taking our word for it’. As the BBA is audited by UKAS and accredited to conformity assessment standards ISO 17020, ISO 17021, ISO 17025 and ISO 17065 it is always held accountable and therefore impartiality is not only something the BBA believes in, it is a requirement to continue to do what the BBA does!

  • Impartiality risk register – Monitoring risks to impartiality, and to record mitigating actions
  • Conflicts of interest register – Noting any potential or perceived conflicts of interest and document any mitigating actions
  • Impartiality policy
  • Defines the BBA’s commitment to impartiality
  • Technical Excellence policy
  • The BBA’s Technical Excellence department has overall responsibility for technical integrity and this will always be the deciding factor if there is a perceived conflict between technical and commercial objectives.
  • Technical Excellence policy – The BBA’s Technical Excellence department has overall responsibility for technical integrity and this will always be the deciding factor if there is a perceived conflict between technical and commercial objectives.
  • Stakeholder viewpoint – Regularly and proactively sought. Any feedback suggesting a risk to impartiality is taken seriously, escalated and investigated
  • Induction processes and staff policies – Ensuring that staff understand how crucial it is that impartiality is maintained. Impartiality means the absence of bias in the evaluations and decisions made, in the scope of certificates, and in the speed at which jobs are progressed. This is fundamental to continue the good work that is being done.

What does this ongoing support look like?

There are a number of different ways the BBA is providing impartial support to the construction industry. These are as follows:

Agrément Certification
Any given product type is assessed according to the same methodology, requiring the same data, calculations and other information as any other product of that type. The same pass / fail criteria are applied to any given product type and the presentation of performance data and key factors are applied consistently, using standard wording where possible to support this.

Testing
Tests are carried out in accordance with documented test standards and performed and reported in a consistent manner. Decision rules, where applicable, are determined in advance.

Audits and Inspections
Clients are held against the same set of requirements as each other for each and every audit and inspection.

What does this mean for individual organisations and the construction industry?

As there is no partiality on the basis of size, type, location, sector, length of relationship with the BBA, or any other factor within the decision making processes, not only do individual organisations benefit from the work the BBA does on their behalf, but this work helps maintain consistency, standardization and transparency across the whole industry that the entire supply chain can rely upon.

To find out more about how we keep ourselves in check, and why you reap the rewards of that impartiality, read more about our UKAS accreditation.

Published On: 11 May 2021|Categories: News|

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The BBA is an independent third-party certification body, accredited by UKAS – meaning it has the ability to certify a broad range of organisations and their products (from individual installers to global companies), by working on certification, testing, auditing and inspections.

But why is this important?

No organisation works in isolation, whether they work as part of a supply chain – from raw materials to distribution and installation, or as part of an industry that is heavily regulated, aviation for example. Each organisation will be impacted by the changes to legislation and new regulations, which is why it is so important to know you can rely on an impartial third party to support your organisation and the industry as a whole.

In order to be an independent third-party certification body, the BBA must remain impartial. In doing so the BBA can support organisations within the construction industry regardless of being in the same market or as direct competition, as all clients are treated equally and fairly.

All BBA job types are based on a series of documented procedures and templates, in order to ensure that they are carried out in an impartial, consistent and robust way. The same information is required from all clients, and all data are evaluated against the same criteria. This means that the outcome of testing and certification work is based solely on the testing and assessment conducted rather than favoritism or the size of the client.

There are no ‘shouting the loudest’ or ‘paying the most’ situations.

How is this impartiality maintained?

Firstly, staying impartial isn’t just by way of ‘taking our word for it’. As the BBA is audited by UKAS and accredited to conformity assessment standards ISO 17020, ISO 17021, ISO 17025 and ISO 17065 it is always held accountable and therefore impartiality is not only something the BBA believes in, it is a requirement to continue to do what the BBA does!

  • Impartiality risk register – Monitoring risks to impartiality, and to record mitigating actions
  • Conflicts of interest register – Noting any potential or perceived conflicts of interest and document any mitigating actions
  • Impartiality policy
  • Defines the BBA’s commitment to impartiality
  • Technical Excellence policy
  • The BBA’s Technical Excellence department has overall responsibility for technical integrity and this will always be the deciding factor if there is a perceived conflict between technical and commercial objectives.
  • Technical Excellence policy – The BBA’s Technical Excellence department has overall responsibility for technical integrity and this will always be the deciding factor if there is a perceived conflict between technical and commercial objectives.
  • Stakeholder viewpoint – Regularly and proactively sought. Any feedback suggesting a risk to impartiality is taken seriously, escalated and investigated
  • Induction processes and staff policies – Ensuring that staff understand how crucial it is that impartiality is maintained. Impartiality means the absence of bias in the evaluations and decisions made, in the scope of certificates, and in the speed at which jobs are progressed. This is fundamental to continue the good work that is being done.

What does this ongoing support look like?

There are a number of different ways the BBA is providing impartial support to the construction industry. These are as follows:

Agrément Certification
Any given product type is assessed according to the same methodology, requiring the same data, calculations and other information as any other product of that type. The same pass / fail criteria are applied to any given product type and the presentation of performance data and key factors are applied consistently, using standard wording where possible to support this.

Testing
Tests are carried out in accordance with documented test standards and performed and reported in a consistent manner. Decision rules, where applicable, are determined in advance.

Audits and Inspections
Clients are held against the same set of requirements as each other for each and every audit and inspection.

What does this mean for individual organisations and the construction industry?

As there is no partiality on the basis of size, type, location, sector, length of relationship with the BBA, or any other factor within the decision making processes, not only do individual organisations benefit from the work the BBA does on their behalf, but this work helps maintain consistency, standardization and transparency across the whole industry that the entire supply chain can rely upon.

To find out more about how we keep ourselves in check, and why you reap the rewards of that impartiality, read more about our UKAS accreditation.

Published On: 11 May 2021|Categories: News|

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