Certification Documents & Support

UCSL Policy

UCSL Operation Principles:

Impartiality – UCSL' operation shall fully conform to the impartiality principle;
Responsibility – UCSL shall hold responsibility for the quality of the issued certificates;
Openness to cooperation — UCSL's readiness to cooperate with the partners regardless of geographic, social, economic and other conditions;
Independence — avoidance of any impact on UCSL which may question objectiveness of evidence and conclusions during the certification activities of the controlling bodies;
Reliability — use of information only from verified sources;
Transparency — information about all UCSL's projects shall be always available to all partners and stakeholders;
Competency — UCSL staff and non-staff personnel involved in the implementation of the certification programs shall fully conform to the competency, experience and skill criteria set by the certification systems and the Company;
Response to complaints – UCSL shall follow the procedure of handling of appeals and complaints about the certification quality on the part of its clients as well as any other stakeholders.

Impartiality Management Procedure

UCSL maintains records of possible conflicts of interest and actions that have been taken to eliminate or avoid these potential conflicts.

Conflicts of interest may arise, for example, in the conducting of audits of the relevant industry enterprises, in case if the auditor previously either provided consultancy services to the enterprise, or interested in its successful financial activities.

In order to avoid such cases while planning an audit, all experts of the company guarantee their impartiality with the object of audit and disinterest in its activities by signing additional agreements to contracts for the provision of expert services. Alongside with that, such a check is carried out by the company's management.

In addition, the company's management system excludes the possibility of combining the same functions by the same experts while implementing the full range of certification activities (participation in audits, reviewing reports, making certification decisions).

In case if a possible conflict of interest is identified and a corresponding action is taken during the preparation or conduct of the assessment, information on these facts will be placed in this section.

If you would like to receive additional information about the procedure for handling complaints and appeals, as well as the potential conflicts of interest identified by us or by you, you can get it by sending a request. Contact details can be found on the main page.

You can send a request for information about the actions we have taken to prevent potential conflicts of interest.

All employees including personnel of subcontractors, experts and members of the Committees, founded for providing certification program, have to support cohesion of UCSL accredited certification program and unconditionally fulfill the principles and requirements, developed in this Code.

1. General principles
1.1 Always to act professionally, accurately, straight and impartially.
1.2 To follow requirements of applicable legislation at the place of residence and temporary residence, certification system, certification body and to disclose any information, which can be important for supporting high credibility level to certification by the site of the wide range of concerned parties.

2. Independence and Impartiality
2.1 Not to participate at any activities or not to make relationships, which may have influence or is expected to have influence on impartial estimation at any operation or mutual relationship issues or other nonobjective behavior or solutions to applicants, clients and other concerned parties, involved in certification process.
2.2 To inform about any betrayals or facts of breaching the conflict of interests with organization, which is pretending for or holding the certificate, an audit or assessment of which is being issuing, before implementing any function and/or making any decision.
2.3 Not to take any presents, reveniews, promises, which may have influence on, take a toll on or jeopardise the ability of independent, impartial and objective operation whilst fulfilling the functions by the name of certification body or in the frame of certification body program, which certification body is responsible for (fully or partly).

3. Privacy
To provide all rational steps to guarantee confidentiality of any information, not required to be open in accordance with legislation, procedures of certification scheme and/or certification body, in relation to:

• information and documents, received from aplicants at the stage of application for certification;
• information and documents, received within certification from applicant/ holder of certificate himself as well as from certification body or any other category of concerned parties, who are considered as members of certification process;
• Information on the conclusion of certification measures and other mutual relationships during any stage of certification

4. Competence
4.1 To act in accordance with regulatory documents of certification system and internal procedures of certification body, including policies, guidelines, standards, procedures, instructions and other required for implementation documents.
4.2 To be responsible for communicate honestly, qualitatively and open within conducting any measures, which are the part of certification process or the process of certification itself of certification body.
4.3 To be consistent and accurate in estimation of information and documents, receives within certification measures, taking part in which is contractual or other duty of an employee, a subcontractor, an expert, Committee member or other concerned party.
4.4 To prevent all measures for certification actions, basing on the requirements of realization of all planned and required for implementation measures, avoiding any omissions and following all known requirements.
4.5 Clearly and intelligibly to separate facts from opinions, making a decision, having all available and objective evidence for defending this decision.
4.6 To avoid nonobjective decisions, recommendations and actions, which may cast discredit on business and professional reputation of UCS, bring its personnel, clients and other concerned parties into discredit.
4.7 To act conscientiously, heartily, respectfully and effectively in any situation and into respect of any concerned parties.

Financing (in compliance with MSC GCR v2.6 and ISO 17065:2012)

UCSL’s certification services are financed primarily through client payments for various assessment activities, including initial certifications, surveillance audits, re-certifications, and unscheduled evaluations. These evaluations may be triggered by changes in certification scope or the resolution of nonconformities. The costs for each type of assessment are calculated based on specific factors, such as the complexity and scale of the client’s operations, ensuring transparent and fair pricing.

GSTC Certification Program

UCSL provides GSTC certification through a clear, step-by-step process. The first stage is a Preliminary Assessment (optional), which checks readiness and compliance with the standard. This is followed by the Initial Assessment, which is a comprehensive audit. Annual Surveillance Audits are conducted to ensure continued certification, and Re-certification occurs to ensure the entity remains compliant with GSTC standards.
The certification process is based on the GSTC Industry Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators and follows a transparent, objective pricing structure. The costs for GSTC certification are calculated based on the audit duration, modality (online, onsite, or hybrid), complexity, and geography.
The total cost for certification comprises two main components:

1. UCSL Services: This includes the audit days and the associated complexity of the certification process. UCSL calculates fees based on the audit modality (online, onsite, or hybrid) and duration, which is determined by the size, scope, and complexity of the client’s operations, as well as the audit type (initial, surveillance, or re-certification). These fees cover all assessment services provided by UCSL and its subcontractors.
2. GSTC Logo Fee: This fee is separate from UCSL services and is paid to the GSTC by UCSL on behalf of the certified client annually. The fee is based on the specific parameters of the certified business:

• For Hotels: The fee is determined by the number of rooms and the geographical location of the property.
• For Tour Operators: The fee is based on the operator's annual turnover.

This GSTC Logo Fee is outlined in the GSTC Accreditation Fee Schedule, which is updated annually and available publicly on the GSTC website.
Commercial offers for GSTC certification are prepared after an initial review of the application, including a risk-based determination of the scope of certification and the audit duration. This process ensures alignment with ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and GSTC requirements. A detailed breakdown of the costs is provided.
Additional fees may apply in cases of changes in scope, additional audits needed, or other factors. Travel and accommodation costs for auditors during onsite assessments are agreed upon in advance and are not included in the certification fees.

Fisheries Certification

For fisheries seeking MSC certification, the process entails a rigorous assessment against MSC standards. This includes an initial full assessment followed by four mandatory surveillance audits over the five-year certification period. UCSL’s team of experts conducts these evaluations, which include site visits, stakeholder consultations, and reviews of sustainability practices. The outcome is a detailed report outlining any conditions for improvement and deadlines for compliance.
Surveillance audits are conducted annually to ensure the fishery remains in adherence to MSC standards, and UCSL may also carry out unscheduled audits if significant operational changes occur or if new, critical information becomes available.
For fisheries assessments, costs are calculated based on: i. An indicative average personnel day rate for the assessment. ii. Specific criteria such as fishery size, complexity, number of Units of Certification, target species, and geographical location. iii. Additional predictable costs, such as report production and peer review. iv. Travel and subsistence expenses, which are calculated per project, along with assessor rates.

Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification

UCSL provides Chain of Custody (CoC) certification for businesses handling certified products, ensuring traceability and integrity throughout the supply chain. This certification guarantees that certified products remain properly segregated and labeled, avoiding mix-ups with non-certified products. Regular assessments are conducted to confirm continued compliance with CoC standards.
Costs for CoC audits, costs are calculated based on: i. An audit fee for single-site audits. ii. Additional fees for auditor time if the audit exceeds one day. iii. A certificate fee for issuing any new certificates. iv. Travel time to and from the audit site. v. Travel expenses for the audit. vi. Group and CFO audits are quoted on an individual basis, depending on the specific needs.

Cost Calculation

UCSL’s pricing model is based on a transparent, automated system that accounts for objective factors like the size, complexity, and scope of the required certification. This ensures a fair approach for all clients. Additional costs—such as travel and accommodation for site visits—are agreed upon with clients in advance, maintaining cost-effectiveness.
E.g. cost considerations for travel or daily rates may include:

• Using the most economical travel methods available.
• Daily assessment fees that reflect regional differences in the rates charged by subcontracted assessors or auditors, with efforts made to use local assessors where possible to reduce travel expenses.

Non-Discriminatory Policy

UCSL follows a strict non-discriminatory policy. All interested parties are encouraged to apply for certification, and applications are evaluated impartially, in full compliance with international certification standards. Further details can be found in UCSL's Non-Discriminatory Policy Statement.

UCSL Non-discriminatory Policy Statement