During discussions with the individual(s) managing the audit programme of a certification body, the Management...

According to ISO/IEC 17021-1, which specifies the requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems, a certification body should ensure that its auditors are competent, impartial, and independent from the auditee organization2. Therefore, if a Management System Representative of a client organization asks for a specific auditor for the certification audit, the individual(s) managing the audit programme should respond in a way that does not compromise these principles or create any conflict of interest or undue influence2. Two possible ways to respond are to state that his request will be considered but may not be taken up, as there may be other factors that affect the auditor selection process; or to advise him that the audit team selection is a decision that the audit programme manager needs to make based on the resources available, such as auditor availability, competence, location, etc2. The other options are not suitable ways to respond in this situation. For example, advising him that his request can be accepted may raise doubts about the objectivity and credibility of the auditor and the certification body; suggesting that he chooses another certification body may imply that his request is unreasonable or unethical; and suggesting asking the certification body management to permit his request may suggest that there is room for negotiation or manipulation in auditor selection2. References: ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 - Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems – Part 1: Requirements