• MD/ED has the authority to suspend certification in cases where on reviewing the audit reports and subsequent verification, he concludes that the:-
  • Period Client’s certified management system has persistently or seriously failed to meet certification requirements, including requirements for the effectiveness of the management system in the surveillance audits
  • The certified client does not allow surveillance or recertification audits to be conducted at the required frequencies as mentioned in contract no.
  • The certified client has voluntarily requested a suspension in writing to AQC.
• Under suspension, the client’s management system certification becomes temporarily invalid. MD/ED ensures the enforceable arrangements with its client to ensure that in case of suspension, the client refrains from further promotion of its certifications per the Agreement. AQC specifies the subsequent actions taken by him.
• MD/ED ensures that the suspended status of the certification is publicly accessible on the website and also communicated to the client in writing.
• MD/ED ensures, if within 1 month of suspension or the time limit set by AQC, the issues are not resolved that have resulted in the suspension, then the MD/ED decides on withdrawal or reduction of the scope of the certification and communicates in writing to the client and the list is updated on the website.
• Upon verification of audit reports and subsequent on-site verification, the MD/ED may reduce the client’s scope of certification to exclude the parts not meeting the requirements, when the client has persistently or seriously failed to meet the certification requirements for those parts of the scope of certification. MD/ED ensures the reduction shall be in line with the requirements of the standards used for certification.
• MD/ED ensures that there are enforceable arrangements with the certified client concerning conditions of suspension/withdrawal ensuring upon notice of certification that the client discontinues its use of all advertising matter that contains any reference to a certified status as per contract.
• MD/ED ensures through TC, that it correctly states the status of certification of a client’s management system as being suspended, withdrawn, or reduced on the AQC website. AQC may publish the status of certification in the newspaper as necessary.

REFUSING, RENEWING, RESTORING FOLLOWING SUSPENSION OF CERTIFICATION:

AQC can refuse the certification :
• Period Client organization is not ready to conduct the stage 2 audit within the stipulated time
• Client organization is not closing the NC within the stipulated time frame.
• The client organization has not paid the full amount or any other dues of AQC.
• The client organization has denied the AQC audit team to provide access to the information required to achieve the objective of the audit.

AQC provides 120 days for the restoration to the client organization to resolve the issues of suspension.

AQC can renew the certificate of the client organization due to;
• Standard Requirements
• Client request