Supervision and Advice

Want to know more about the details of an administrative body or advisory board? Choose the appropriate section below.

The Supervisory Board ensures that the Executive Board of the IDCAB achieves the aims of the IDCAB. Members are selected on the basis of expertise and competencies. The following areas of competency are preferably represented within the Supervisory Board: business, government, research/technology, healthcare/ medical, food and goods, quality.

It is important that the members of the Supervisory Board:

  • have broad knowledge of and experience with professional organisations;
  • are able to properly advice and stimulate;
  • maintain an objective, hands-off approach;
  • are ethical and have a sense of responsibility;
  • have an independent and critical approach;
  • are able to formulate a balanced opinion.

The members of the Supervisory Board are appointed for a term of three years. They can be reappointed twice for the same term.

The Accreditation Committee consists of four members who are appointed by the Supervisory Board on the basis of their expertise in the field of accreditations, their integrity and their independence.

The Accreditation Committee meets once per month. Its task is to advise the Executive Board about the award of accreditations. In addition, it is authorised to provide advice about suspensions or withdrawals of accreditations. The Committee is informed about the measures taken by the Executive Board and of the sanctions imposed on organisations.

The Executive Board has ultimate responsibility for decisions. If the Executive Board deviates from the advice of the Committee the Supervisory Board shall be heard. The Committee issues and annual report to the Supervisory Board about the Committee’s activities.

It is possible that there is an objection to a decision taken by the IDCAB. In that case the Objection Chairmen Committee will be engaged. This Committee consists of at least one and a maximum of five legally-educated members.

If an objection is submitted, the Executive Board shall appoint a member of the Committee to form an Advisory Committee to deal with that objection. The members of the Committee are strictly independent. The members shall never be part of the Executive Board of the IDCAB and shall not perform any activities under the responsibility of the Executive Board. The members shall be appointed by the Supervisory Board. This guarantees an impartial handling of objections.

The User Council is an advisory panel established under the Articles of Association and consists of representatives of direct IDCAB clients. The User Council meets twice per year in order to advise the IDCAB about the budget and fees and about the level of service of the IDCAB. The Supervisory Board receives the minutes of these meetings so that it can take into account the opinions of users in its considerations.

The stakeholders of the IDCAB are represented in the Stakeholder Advisory Panel in the broadest sense: government departments, direct clients of the IDCAB and direct clients of the conformity-assessment bodies and scientific institutions.

The Advisory Panel operates at strategic and tactical level. The purpose of the panel is two-fold:

  • to provide the Executive Board with requested and unsolicited advice about general policy matters;
  • to guarantee the impartiality of the IDCAB in policy matters.

The Advisory Panel meets twice per year to discuss (amongst other things) relevant developments, the added value of the IDCAB and the long-term vision. The Supervisory Board receives the minutes of the meetings.

The Executive Board is responsible for achieving the objectives of the IDCAB, for the strategy and policy and for the developments arising from that. The Executive Board reports to the Supervisory Board on these matters.