Responsibilities for Verification, Decisions and Reconsideration
GSQA-GOV-002
Authority and competence
Intake, review, decisions, reconsideration and publication are performed under separate authorisations. Allocation considers the competence, time, responsibilities and interests relevant to the product and market. A role title or system permission does not substitute for competence, and a conclusion must not be issued first and authorised afterwards.
Separation of case responsibilities
A verifier may not decide a case that they verified. Neither the original verifier nor the original decision-maker may conduct reconsideration of that case. Reconsideration is not omitted because of seniority or commercial relationships; the case is reassigned where necessary.
Findings and decision records
Review findings identify requirements, reports and measured results item by item, including omissions, disagreements and reasons. A decision identifies the authorised person, date, scope, review version and reasons. Publication checks the decision, public files, permissions and licence conditions; it must not add models, markets or performance claims unsupported by the decision.
Maintaining competence and assignments
Records of participants’ professional scope, training or work-based competence and recusals are retained internally. Task allocation does not substitute for actual competence where the required ability is absent or a conflict remains unresolved.
Acceptance and allocation
The submitted scope and documents are checked. Tasks are allocated according to product, market and professional competence, with checks on authority and interests. Acceptance of documents does not constitute a technical finding.
Verifiers
Verifiers check standards, methods, institutional qualifications, report pages, measured values and reliable margins item by item. They record missing material, additional-document requests and reasons. They do not independently issue the award decision for their own case.
Decision-makers
Decision-makers examine the complete verification findings and relevant evidence, confirm that all conditions and impartiality requirements are satisfied, and issue an independent, reasoned decision. They must not have verified that case.
Reconsideration officers
Personnel conducting reconsideration must not have participated in the original verification or decision. Within the scope of the dispute, they re-examine evidence, procedures and rules, and determine whether to uphold, amend or return the case for further verification.
Records and publication
Only material for which the decision, publication authorisation and licence checks are complete may be published. Permissions follow responsibilities. Amendments, notices and status changes are recorded. Publicity requirements must not override the underlying facts.
Changes of responsibility and handover
Changes to personnel, assignments or access require renewed checks of interests and separation of duties. The time, reason, outstanding work and receiving person are recorded. Earlier material and opinions remain in the case rather than being overwritten by reassignment. A person whose case access has ended must not continue accessing or handling its non-public material.
Publication and reconsideration
Publication implements an effective decision and confirmed disclosure scope; it does not replace independent judgement. When reconsideration upholds, changes or returns a case, the decision, record, certificate and permission are updated accordingly. Concerns about allocation or independence may be raised through complaints; a party challenging its own decision follows the reconsideration procedure.
Complete handover before decision
The handover must identify the case scope, all applicable requirements, core indicators, reports and pages, laboratory qualifications, additional information, unresolved issues and conflict records. The decision-maker requests clarification where key support is missing; a reviewer’s recommendation or checkbox does not constitute independent examination.