Clause 4.4 of ISO/IEC 17065 reads:
4.4.1 The policies and procedures under which the certification body operates, and the administration of them, shall be non-discriminatory. Procedures shall not be used to impede or inhibit access by applicants, other than as provided for in this International Standard.[…] 4.4.3 Access to the certification process shall not be conditional upon the size of the client or membership of any association or group, nor shall certification be conditional upon the number of certifications already issued. There shall not be undue financial or other conditions.
During a recent assessment an assessor raised following NC against 4.4:
Within „certification case XYZ“, the fee was reduced without reason (compared to the fee schedule). The rules and procedures of the CB foresee such reductions but without reasoning. (The CB is internationally active and subject to assessments of several AB. Furthermore, the reduction of the fee was decided on by a “non CL” office, not the accredited office itself.)
1) Does the EA CC support the interpretation that individual, “freeform” discounts of certification fees without reasoning and general applicability are not in line with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17065 and constitute a discrimination especially looking at equal treatment of clients?
2) More generally, what is the stance of the EA CC toward discounts and application of fee schedules? Are discounts acceptable? Under which circumstances?
3) Does the EA CC support a submission of this query to the ISO/CASCO?
March 2017
A certification body does not have to charge all clients that are in the same condition the same fee. Offering discounts does not ‘impede or inhibit’ access by applicants, neither does it impose ‘undue financial or other conditions’.
The fees charged by a certification body are a purely commercial decision for the certification body and it is perfectly acceptable for a CB to charge different clients different fees, providing the certification process is applied equally to all clients. Certification bodies operate in a competitive environment. Most clients obtain multiple quotations for certification and cost will be one of the factors taken into account. Certification bodies need the flexibility to vary their fees in order to attract clients. There is no requirement in ISO/IEC 17065 for the CB to justify the reasons for the fees it charges or for applying a discount.