A CCS Applicant or Registrant may appeal against any CCS audit or certification decision.

Notification of intent to appeal must be made in writing and received by the CFO CCS within seven days of receipt of:

• Notification of Certificate suspension or withdrawal.
• Receipt of audit report with adverse findings and/or recommendations.

An Appeals Form will be sent to the company for completion and must be returned to the CFO, CCS within 14 days of receipt, supported by relevant facts and data for consideration during the Appeals Procedure.

The CFO will, unless involved directly, try to resolve the appeal in a fair and just manner.

Unresolved appeals shall be put before the Appeals Panel, which is a sub-committee of the CCS Advisory Council.

All appeals shall be held in private.

The CFO, CCS shall be required to submit evidence to support the decision to suspend or withdraw the certificate.

The decision of the sub-committee shall be final and binding on both the company and CCS providing such decision does not conflict with current Accreditation requirements/regulations.

The appellant will receive a written statement of the appeal findings including the reasons for the decision(s) reached.

In instances where the appeal has been successful and the Certificate reinstated, no claim can be made against CCS for reimbursement of costs or any losses incurred as a result of the initial withdrawal notification.

In the event that the appeal was unsuccessful a further appeal path is available through the accreditation body involved in the certificate concerned.

CCS will maintain complete confidentiality regarding all information with which it becomes acquainted as a result of contact with the company. CCS recognizes the importance of impartiality in certification decisions and will take all necessary steps to ensure this is maintained throughout the certification process.