Privacy
The GOB receives frequent inquiries. Please find answers given to some of the frequently asked questions (FAQ); however if you require further information please feel free to contact us.
​
Q. What is accreditation?
A. By its definition, to give official authorization to or approval; to provide credentials; to recognize to a given benchmark; maintaining to a standard; to consider and recognize as outstanding - for more specifics to the activities we carry.
​
Q. What is a signatory to the Charter of the GOB?
A. Through a legally binding Charter we provide an instrument to which a legal entity can demonstrate their competence and impartiality in primarily acting in protection of communities and consumers. This is demonstrated through internationally recognized and generally accepted best-in-class benchmarks or practices whether from North America or across the world. To this effect, and applying best-in-class internationally recognized and generally accepted benchmarks, we entrust and grant signatories and bearers a formal recognition by accreditation to carryout specific services to the protection of consumers and communities.
​
Q. Isn’t the GOB Platform part of the Government?
A. We are not a government agency itself, to many we are an NGO (Non Government Organization) or SRO (Self-Regulated Organization). We can collaborate with government agencies in the pursuit to protect consumers through laws and regulations, and while authoritatively entrusted by government entities, we are not a government entity. We operate in the same manner like other accreditation - recognition entities around the world.
Q. What is recognition (as differs from accreditation)?
A. Provides a protocol to recognize the competence of institutions, entities and organizations to conduct advanced training venues courses for professional education through qualified proven instructor(s) adhering to our Charter (for the protection of communities and consumers). The instructional delivery system needs to connects instructors, legal entity and course approval venue such that improvements occurs as a single cohesive unit in alignment with benchmark ISO/IEC 17024 in ways for consumers and communities benefit.
​
Q. What is “RAP”, Regulatory Affair Practices?
A. Is the means by which we carry a role in collaborating with other accreditation entities, authorities and government agencies by aligning our Charter’s primer on the protection of consumers and communities. These responsibilities are entrusted to ensure compliance, collaborate with federal and local agencies, as part of attesting conformity and effectiveness to the Charter.
​
Q. Can the GOB accredit QMS MDD ISO 13485?
Yes, we can accredit within the medical supply chain.
​
Q. Why become an accredited or recognized entity holder through Signatory (of the Charter)?
A. Regulatory affair encompass confidence in competence through a legal protocol of impartiality, which a legal entity voluntarily engages in a program that is administered according to benchmarking international criterion and that these need be globally recognized and generally accepted. These adhere as signatory to the legal Charter of the GOB.
​
Q. Benchmarking and granting RAP recognition and accreditation, the GOB Regulatory Affair?
A. In addition to signatory to the Charter, to gain RAP accreditation, the entity can opt for two alternatives, Schedule “A” or “B”. For Schedule “B”, applicable to accreditation, the entity needs be carrying accreditation other so that the GOB extends or complements. For Schedule “A” the GOB holds an evaluation protocol to grant accreditation as accreditation is entirely with the GOB. And Schedule “A” is the only choice for testing - medical / clinical laboratories.
Recognition (CoR, referring to a Certificate of Recognition) is similar to accreditation, except that the entity need not to be carrying accreditation to obtain the Regulatory Affair Practices recognition status. The GOB holds an evaluation protocol to grant recognition, based on the organization / institution / entity scope of activities. The basis for recognition, in addition to being a legal entity also is to demonstrates that provides the necessary resources to assure that appropriate practices and methods are applied to conduct training venues through qualified competent instructor(s).
​
Q. What is the extend and how Does the GOB Accreditation Works?
It is equal to any other accreditation program, while focusing on the Charter. Through Project Viability and Feasibility we arrange for the results through an evaluation assessment of each entity. This is carryout by field competent delegates in accordance with contractual arrangements based internationally recognized and generally acceptable benchmarks, legal obligations, regulatory compliance and internationally accepted policies and agreement. We emphasis that each project needs be viable and feasible for the GOB to attest and grant accreditation. The extend depends on the entity’s competence within a given scope of activities.
​
Q. One of my suppliers has ISO 22000 certificate from an entity different than the GOB - is it acceptable?
A. The GOB is aware of the existence of many accreditation programs, and many of these claiming to be the only, legal, official, mandatory and likewise language. Organizations granting certification and other similar activities is not an obligation to sustain accreditation, thus need not seek GOB accreditation or recognition, thereof all is equal and permitted. However, only GOB accredited Certification, Inspection, Validation and Laboratories are allowed to bear the relevant GOB or GCC mark incorporating the four rings surrounding the founding countries with unique serialization, also signatories and accredited businesses may use our “Powered” logos.
Q. ISO 15189 vs. ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation?
A. To gain the regulatory affair for ISO 15189 medical - clinical laboratory accreditation the entity is a laboratory specifically within the medical - clinical fields; nuclear, medical laboratory -- particular requirements for quality and competence). General laboratories ISO/IEC 17025 focus on consumer - centric specialty testing laboratories. The GOB provides ISO 15189 and limited ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation to laboratories. The GOB does not carryout accreditation for metrology, please contact a local accreditation entity, in adhering to the constitution of the GOB and laws. The GOB service specialty laboratories such as the nuclear sector.
Q. Does The GOB recommends certification body to organizations?
A. No we do not, as much as certification is a voluntary commercial arrangement between two parties, the selection of a certification body is entirely a decision for individuals and entities, based on each need of organizations, considering nature of activities, and objectives of the certification and purpose. Once this is stated, some world regions have decided to exercise as to whom certifies as regulatory mandate.
Q. Does The GOB recommends entities carrying a CoR (Certificate of Registration) to participants?
A. No, this decision is personal and is entirely to each individual organization to decide [There are dozens of training venues and organizations and bodies granting approval, recognition, and other status to program venues and courses, it is for this reason that we need to recognize that these are individual choices and decisions]. Equally for accredited entities we do not recommend specifics.
Q. Does The GOB maintain records of the entities to which it grants regulatory affairs?
A. Yes, the GOB maintains a base of information of entities, universities, government and others carrying valid activities in sustaining the Charter. The information is available upon request on a right to know basis and in this way we maintain the privacy and confidentiality of organizations, entities and governments, while abiding to legal obligations.
Q. The GOB considers other accreditation entities equally worldwide?
A. Valuable to a consumer-centric focus, yes, we are an entity of public trust. Acceptance of the accreditation and recognition is respectable by most reputable organizations, entities and institutions as well as brands within specific supply chains worldwide. And the GOB signatories and bearers is most effective for organizations and institutions that are not required to carry a specific compulsory program and bear self - protection special interests. Further, we are prohibited to enter lobbying activities or to acquire special interest status and thus not discriminating. However, we provide partnering program-arrangement with other accreditation bodies operating within a realm outside of public trust.
Legally, we meet and and objectively and categorically exceed the precise same internationally recognized and generally accepted benchmarks as other accreditation and recognition entities, we carry the appropriate competence with impartiality and definitely within the legally binding consumer-centric Charter. For these we have a program-arrangements with accreditation entities that adhere to internationally recognized and generally accepted benchmarks.
Q. Then, is accreditation mandatory?
A. GOB accreditation is a mutual agreement between a body that certifies in matters of processes or products / services. To this effect, the GOB accreditation requires fulfillment to our primary purpose requiring that members bodies adhere to free-market anti-fraud, anti-corruption and antitrust. This provides fundamentals of credibility, integrity in ethics, thus trust.
Q. Not GOB Accredited?
A. The GOB exists along with many other accreditation entities across the world. We are deemed to equivalencies by stringent based government agencies scrutiny including the impartiality to operate in the consumer’s best interest. We provide Schedule “A” accreditation for certification entities seeking sole accreditation. For certification bodies bearing other accreditation we incorporate the Schedule “B” program.
For inquiry on GOB-accredited third parties certification body (CB) please contact us or visit our registry and list page.