Governance
What separates a standards body from a badge
An organisation that intends to certify other people's products has to be able to explain its own structure, funding and conflicts first. This page is where that lives, and it will grow as the organisation formalises.
What will be published here
- Constitution and founding documents — legal form, objects and powers
- Governance structure — board or advisory council, how members are appointed and removed
- Funding principles — where money comes from, what it may and may not be attached to, and disclosure thresholds
- Membership principles — categories, obligations and grounds for removal
- Conflict-of-interest policy — declaration, recusal and publication
- Certification methodology — how assessments are conducted, by whom, and how decisions may be appealed
- Complaints process — including complaints against SASFA itself
- Annual reports — activity, finances and standards progress
The principles already settled
- No single operator, supplier or industry association controls SASFA or its standards.
- Funding sources above a published threshold are disclosed, and funding never attaches to an assessment outcome.
- Anyone with an interest in a matter declares it and stands out of the decision.
- Draft standards are published for comment before adoption, and the comments are published too.
- Where SASFA cannot establish something, it says so rather than implying it.
Status: being formalised. SASFA is early. The documents listed above are in preparation and this page will carry them as they are completed, with dates. Until then the principles above are the standing commitments, and we would rather publish that plainly than leave the page looking more finished than the organisation is.