A certification carries value only to the extent that the certifying institution is independent of the market it audits. The Global Institute for Biomedical Quality (GIBQ) maintains strict separation between its certification function and any commercial interest in the research compound supply chain.
The provisions below govern every GIBQ audit. They are published in full so that they can be checked against the public record, and they restate Section 7 of the GIBQ 7-Point Standard.
No commercial interest in the compounds certified
GIBQ does not manufacture, distribute, or resell the compounds it certifies. It holds no ownership interest in any vendor it audits and takes no share of any vendor's sales. GIBQ's only activity is the audit of submitted documentation and the issuance or refusal of certification on the basis of that audit.
GIBQ also performs no laboratory testing, and so has no interest in which laboratory an applicant engages. Testing is conducted by an accredited independent laboratory of the applicant's choosing; GIBQ reviews the results.
Certification fees do not vary with the outcome
Fees are set before the audit begins and do not vary with the determination. A failed audit costs the applicant the same as a passed one. GIBQ derives no additional revenue from issuing a certificate rather than refusing one.
No payment, additional fee, or commercial arrangement changes a determination, and none is accepted for that purpose. A finding that a product lot does not conform cannot be reversed by payment. It can be revisited only by a fresh submission that meets the published criteria, or by reconsideration of the documentary record.
Disclosure and recusal
Any person conducting a GIBQ audit must disclose any conflict of interest and must recuse from any audit in which a conflict exists. For this purpose a conflict includes:
- any financial or ownership interest in the applicant;
- any employment, consulting, or advisory relationship with the applicant, or with the testing laboratory named in the submission;
- any personal relationship that would compromise an impartial review of the documentation.
Where a conflict is disclosed, the audit is not conducted by that person. The application is held until it can be reviewed without the conflict, and the applicant is notified that the review is held and why.
Certification decisions cannot be purchased
A GIBQ certification is issued only where the submitted documentation meets every published criterion of the GIBQ 7-Point Standard. There is no other route to certification, and no commercial tier, membership, or sponsorship that alters the criteria applied.
The public registry is the check on this. Every certification is listed at no cost and without login. Certifications that are revoked remain listed permanently, together with the reason for revocation. GIBQ does not delete registry records: an institution able to quietly remove an adverse record could not be relied on to publish one.
These provisions appear in Section 7 of GIBQ-001, the Peptide Verification Standard, which is published in full and versioned permanently. The criteria applied in an audit, the audit process itself, and the limits of what a certificate attests are published alongside it.
Concerns about the independence of a GIBQ audit may be raised in writing at any time under the appeals and complaints process.