Section 1 Principles for certification

1.1.1 The intellectual property of a technology developer, particularly in the case of novel concepts, is often regarded as being sensitive. Therefore, prior to sharing any technical documentation, LR recommends that a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) be established between the parties involved, where applicable.

1.1.2 If any information is intended to be placed in the public domain, LR shall inform the technology developer in advance and in keeping with the terms of the signed NDA.

1.2.1 As the cost and effort for certification can form a considerable part of a technology’s development budget, it is important that the assessment is based upon objective analysis, so technology developers (and their stakeholders) have confidence in the process. LR will base any decision on objective evidence of conformity (or non-conformity) and will not be influenced by other interests or parties involved with the development of the technology.

1.2.2 Decisions made during the assessment process will be based upon agreed acceptance criteria between the technology developer and LR prior to the commencement of the assessment. Details of objective evidence collected during the assessment process along with their underlying sources (e.g. test results) will be retained for audit purposes.

1.3.1 In order to maintain independence, impartiality and integrity throughout the certification process, LR shall strictly follow its Conflict of Interest policy (available upon request). Where appropriate, organisational separation shall be observed. This is to ensure that the respective service delivery teams work independently and with separate lines of management. The policy requires that no member from LR Group provides independent assurance on assets or systems for which any other member of the Group has provided consultancy services, without appropriate controls being applied.

1.3.2 With respect to certification through technology qualification, LR will not include anyone as a technology assessor, if they have been involved in providing any aspect of advisory services for the same technology.

1.4.1 LR is familiar with the use of the opinions of experts, based upon their knowledge or experience, being referenced during the technology qualification certification process. While such opinions can be beneficial to a technology developer in providing them with support and guidance, from the point of view of the certification process, these will only be considered in relation to objective evidence collected during the certification process (e.g. testing).

1.5.1 Technology developers often describe the process of technology development as an iterative one, wherein the technology may undergo several design revisions. For the certification process, LR recommends that the version of the technology submitted is not modified throughout its assessment period.

1.5.2 As with any other certification process, if a design is modified during an assessment, the certification process may need to be repeated from the beginning, to ensure any uncertainties introduced as a consequence of modifications to the original design are fully understood by the assessment team..

1.6.1 As the certification process evolves through the three stages, at the end of each, the technology developer is issued with a stage deliverable (see Figure 1.1.1 Overview of Certification through Technology Qualification). This structure offers a high degree of flexibility, especially if the developer wishes to pause or exit the certification process at the end of a particular stage.

1.7.1 The certification process is a modular one, wherein it is possible to initially certify the MVP of a technology before embarking on a wider certification for added features, functionalities, or interfaces. This route to certification is particularly beneficial for technology developers in demonstrating confidence in their MVP, especially if they are reliant upon external funding sources to bring their product to market or wish their core technology to be adopted for multiple applications.