1. Scope

   • These terms and conditions have been determined and replaced by BvA Belgelendirme ve Dış Ticaret Ltd. Şti. (referred to as BvA)., which provides certification services to its customers.
   • These terms and conditions apply as long as the clients have not been notified by BvA whether a change has been made or not, by a letter or request letter or verbally during discussions.
   • None of the personnel acting on behalf of BvA or anyone making this claim is authorized to announce or make amendments to these terms and conditions. Only BvA General Manager is authorized to announce or make changes to these rules and conditions.
   • BvA may change these terms and conditions for any reason, provided that it informs its customers about the issue. These changes may also include changes occurring in the directives determined to be met or implemented by the accreditation body that we have been authorized.
   • With the change of these rules and conditions, the customers have the responsibility to complete and inform the BvA about the issue in a suitable time that they will declare for a possible change in their system.

2. Definitions

“Certificate” is the document printed by BvA for certification records.

“Certification” Verifies that a product, process, or service meets certain requirements and is evaluated in accordance with certification procedures.

“Certification Mark” means the symbol, word or other sign indicating that a product, process or service has been certified by a competent person, meeting certain requirements.

“Certification Procedures” are procedures developed by BvA, used to evaluate a product, process or service to obtain or provide a certificate.

“Certification Services” means the evaluation of a product, process or service according to Certification Procedures.

 “Customer” A company, organization or person seeking certification, or an organization in more than one company, organization, or partnership.

“Contract” Mutual commitment between BvA and Customer as a result of Customer’s certificate and license application.

 “Branch / Site” Where the product is manufactured or where a process or service is provided.

“BvA” BvA Belgelendirme ve Dış Ticaret Ltd. Şti.

3. Fees

   • The customer must pay all fees corresponding to the Certification Services provided by BvA.
   • Payments are done according to the agrement between BvA and Customer.
   • BvA issues an invoice for the payments for all services under this agreement, and Customer must pay the invoice within 30 days at the specified rate.BvA does not refund in any way to Certificates suspended or terminated by Customer or BvA. If Customer does not pay on time, they must pay the interest requested by BvA. Interest is calculated daily with the Default Interest Rate.BvA has the right to change the Fee Table according to the conditions of the day.

4. Evaluation

   • All audits, inspections, sampling, inquiries, etc. related to the scope applied in the customer office and / or facilities (production location / warehouses / branches, etc.) are the assessment of compliance. Bu değerlendirme; This evaluation; can be carried out with document inspection in BvA offices or in the field in question / audit or it can be realized by remote audit techniques in case of force majeure reasons. The relevant audit technique is detailed in BvA’s procedures and has been published on our website. The customer acknowledges that they will provide the necessary cooperation and ease to BVA’s employees and representatives and establish the relevant infrastructure and will comply with Certification Procedures of BVA. When requested by the Accreditation agency; Customer must comply with all reasonable requests of BvA regarding product, process and service, including allowing a representative of the accreditation agency to witness the evaluation activity to be carried out by BvA at a branch / site.

5. 
   

   Use of the Certificate

   • The Management Systems Certification contract period is three (3) years, but the certificate validity period is one (1) year, and is renewed at each surveillance audit. Product Certification contract period is five (5) years, but the certificate validity period is one (1) year, renewed at each surveillance audit.
   • In the scope change, Address change and Title change audits, no changes are made to the certificate duration, the first certificate date is taken as the basis for the validity period of the certificate and a new Certificate Agreement is signed regarding the change made when deemed necessary.The organization signing the contract can only use the certificate for the production / service place (s) mentioned in the certificate.If there is other sites/branches in different places in the organization of the applicant customer, the audit is carried out in accordance with the Certification Procedures by sampling in order to determine the suitability of the entire system. In the certificate issued, the addresses of the organizations that are in the scope of certification are written.The certificate cannot be used outside the scope of the application. Legal proceedings are made about the institutions that continue to use certificates by not complying with these criteria even though otherwise is detected and warned in writing.
   • The certificate is the property of BvA and the organization has the right to use the certificate as long as it complies with the provisions of the Certification Procedure and during the validity of the certificate. The organization cannot in any way transfer the certificate to another institution or legal entity.The cerificate is temporarily invalid during the suspension period. Information about the suspension process can be made available to the public when necessary.
   • The responsibility arising from the unfair use of the certificate lies with the organization.
   • The organization is obliged to stop using and attributing the certificate after the suspension of the certificate it owns or the cancellation of the Certification contract. It must stop any documents, promotional material, advertising activities and related Certification symbol (logo) indicating that it is certified.

6. Obligations of the Certified Organization

   • The organization is obliged to apply the standard or conditions taken as basis in certification.
   • Request for Change in organizational and management (key personnel, decision-makers) changes, title changes, address changes, legal personality changes, field / pitch changes and any changes in any of the information must be informed by the company with the Offer Request and Evaluation Form in one month following.
   • Offer Request and Evaluation Form can be accessed from our website or office staff.
   • In the event that the legal personality of the organization changes, the certificate of the old legal entity is canceled, and the certification process related to the new legal entity is started.
   • The organization applying for certification is obliged to notify all of its activities regarding the evaluation of the relevant system in the audits to be carried out, to provide the information requested by them correctly and in a timely manner, and to provide every convenience in their work.
   • The applicant organization specifies two persons, one of which is the Management Representative. Responsible personnel are present during the audit and assist the Audit Officers with the necessary information and documents.

The customer is responsible for the safety of employees, representatives and subcontractors involved in activities required by BvA’s Certification Procedures. All relevant safety and protective clothing or equipment should be provided, provide safety advice and, if necessary, provide special training.

Where applicable, observers (such as accreditation auditors or candidate auditors) may be present during the audit. In this case, the customer is obliged to take the necessary measures.

Organization can use the certificate to show that its product / service is produced / offered within the scope of the application system, in the works, offers, tenders for advertisement purposes, disputes in terms of product liability.

• The organization is responsible for keeping records of customer complaints about the performance of products, services, processes and services, if any, and notifying BvA when necessary.Organization cannot make or allow any misleading declaration regarding its certification.
• Organization cannot misuse or prevent the certification document and any part of it.
• Upon withdrawing or canceling its certification by BvA, the organization stops all advertising work that includes a reference to the certification.When the scope of the certification is narrowed, organization replaces all advertising materials in accordance with this scope. The organization cannot use its certificate in a way that will compromise BvA or the reputation of the certification system and will lose public trust.The organization is obliged to pay the Certification related fees as specified in the Certification Agreement. In case of failure to comply with the contract, legal regulations may be applied.

7. Logo kullanım kuralları

   • The organization entitled to receive the certificate can use the logo / s provided to it as long as the certificate continues to be valid.
   • They cannot use the Certification symbol (logo) in its activities and advertisements outside the scope of the document.
   • BVA Management System Certification Logo (s) can be used within the scope of the certificate, in its activity areas and advertisements, provided that the certificate is given to the Management System, not the product.
   • It can be used on the outer packaging used for the transportation of products, with a statement stating that the certificate has been given to the relevant Management System that has been audited by BVA certification, not the product.
   • The certified organization cannot apply logos on Laboratory tests, Calibration review reports. Because this type of data replaces the product. The certified organization cannot also use the BVA Management System Certification Logo (s) on company business cards.The organization, which has successfully completed the product certification procedure, can use the conformity mark on the product, on the product packaging or with the documents shipped with the product, as defined in the conformity assessment directive to which the product is subject.If the Certification Agreement is suspended or canceled, the organization must stop using the logo.
   • If the scope of the certificate is narrowed, the points of use should be arranged according to the new scope.The organization can not use the logo as BvA can be harmed and misleading the public.When referring to certification status in communication environments such as the Internet, documents, brochures or advertising, organization must comply with the requirements of this procedure set by BVA.
   • BVA System Certification symbols can be used in the form and dimensions as sent to the organization after certification. In addition, provided that the proportions remain constant, the dimensions can be reduced and enlarged, but their coloring cannot be changed. If necessary, changes in symbols (logos) in terms of shape, dimensions or reduction or enlargement rates are announced to the certified organizations by the Certification Manager and required changes are requested. Suspension or cancellation of the certificate of the organization that does not meet these conditions is applied by BvA.
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8. Additional rules for the use of Logo for product certification
   • The manufacturer cannot transfer the right of use allocated to them and can be used for the approved company and facility only. The approval logo should always be used with the certificate number given to the company.
   • The approval logo must be placed on the labels of all materials covered by the approval certificate.The approval logo and, where necessary, the certificate number should also be applied to the test documents of all materials produced under the approval certificate.The approval logo should not be used on products outside the scope of the certificate.In the event that the approval is withdrawn, the Manufacturer must stop using the approval logo and destroy all documents containing this logo.The certificate logo can be used in the advertisements and communication materials where appropriate. The logo can be in defined color codes or shades of black.The approval logo should not be used without permission and misleading.
   • The approval logo for BVA certification is NB and CAB identification numbers; NB ID No: CE-2344 CAB ID No: G-006

9. BvA’s Obligations

   • BvA is obliged to keep all information and documents related to the organization (including information about the organization provided from sources other than the organization) in accordance with the procedures, to sign the Service Commitment, which includes the confidentiality provisions, to its employees, committee members, audit officers, experts.
   • BvA reserves the right to change the Certification Procedure. However, the acquired rights before the amendment are valid and the effective date in the documents is taken as basis in the implementation of the amendments. Reference for BVA Certification; Certification Procedure, Remote Audit Procedure, General Rules and Conditions, Product Certification Program TS 708, TS EN ISO 3834 Certification Program, Evaluation of Complaints and Objections Instruction is provided on the official website.The organization can objection against Certification Manager decisions. If the Evaluation of Complaints and Objections Committee decides that an error caused by BvA causes an objection, the costs of the work to be carried out are not requested from the organization.TSE, ISO and EN standards used within the body of BvA are defined as outsourced documents and current monitoring is performed by the Management Representative. In case there is a change in the standard based on certification activities or a new standard is published, it is notified to certified organizations on the web page, by mail or in writing, based on the standard in which the change is in question.Names of the organization certified by BvA, the relevant system from which they received the certificate, certificate statuses, scopes, cities of certified organizations can be forwarded to the requesting companies if the reason for the request is found reasonable.
   • Certification Manager determines how long the certified organizations need to adapt to these changes by taking into account the provisions of the legislation and the recommendations of the main institution where the standard is published. The transition period is also notified to the organizations in the information letter about the standard change and the validity of the certificate continues until the end of the transition period. If the organization wants to continue the Certification Agreement according to the scope of the standard change, a full audit is carried out at the latest specified transition period or in the audit made on the date of normal surveillance audit to see whether the organization has adapted to the amendment.
   • In case the organization that has been notified does not or does not comply with the reported change within the specified compliance period, the provisions regarding the return of the certificate and cancellation of the Certification Agreement are applied.The appropriate use of the Logo in the audits carried out by BvA is controlled by the Auditors.BvA’s responsibility is to determine the audit findings based on objective evidence based on the sampling method for the application status in the organization applying for conformity assessment and to make an assessment to make decisions based on the findings.
   • The service provided does not guarantee that the organizations certified by BvA 100% comply with the relevant management system standard, and it is the organization’s responsibility to meet the relevant eligibility requirements. With its professional liability insurance, BvA will be able to cover losses arising from its services to its customers. In accordance with the insurance company criteria in the insurance policy, this amount will be covered by BvA, if exempted. BvA takes all necessary measures to ensure that the information provided to the customer or the market, including advertisements, is accurate and not misleading. The reports prepared regarding the certification activities and the certificate arranged according to the relevant standard are the property of BvA and distribution and reproduction of these documents belong to BvA.
   • The certified organization has the right to organize special audits for customers to investigate complaints received from customers or the market or to respond to changes (scope change, address change, document hanger, etc.). The re-certification audit is notified 4 months before the certificate validity date of the certified organization.

10. Objections to BVA and their evaluation

    • An organization that requests certification or has been previously certified may object to any decision of the Certification Manager. The organization can make this objection within 15 days at the latest following the receipt of this decision notification.
    • The organization transmits its objection to BvA in writing, and the BvA convenes the Objection and Complaints Evaluation Committee regarding the objection and the action is taken according to the Evaluation of Complaints and Objections Instruction. The Objections and Complaints Evaluation Committee may call the representatives of the organization and the Audit Team to the meeting if deemed necessary. With the justification of the decision made by the Objections and Complaints Evaluation Committee, the Certification Manager notifies the organization in writing within 30 days following the objection.

11. Cancellation Of The Contract And Withdrawal Of The Certificate

According to the decision of the Certification Manager, the contract of the organization regarding the use of certificates can be canceled in the following cases.

Until the end of the suspension period given, the organization does not allow the audit to be carried out. In the activities carried out to lift the suspension, the organization does not close its non-conformities within the prescribed periods.

The certified client voluntarily requests for suspension (Requests for suspension, withdrawal or scope reduction must be notified to BvA in writing by the organization. The written request will be signed by the authority of the organization and the person signing in the attachment will be asked to submit the authorization document (signature circular, etc.) to BvA.)

• The bankruptcy of the organization or the organization stops its activities within the scope of the certificate,
• Using the Management System Certificate in different areas than the product or service specified in the scope of the organization,
• Providing incomplete and misleading information during the audit.
• Misleading and unfair use of the certificat,
• The fees accrued by BVA are not paid within 1 month of invoicing.
• In the validity period of the certificate, to determine that the organization’s management system has completely lost its compliance. The organization is not located at the facility address specified in the certificate.
• Change of the legal entity of the organization.
• Acting of the organization in violation of the provisions of the Certification Procedure.
• Falsification of the organization’s certificate and attachments. For any reason, the organization requests to postpone the date of the surveillance audit reported by BvA, without a deadline, or to request the cancellation of the surveillance audit.
• In case of organization request, if it requests the cancellation of the Certification Agreement, in writing to BvA. In cases that require the withdrawal of the certificate and the cancellation of the Certification Agreement, the Certification Manager is placed on the agenda of the issue. With the decision of the Certification Manager, the organization whose contract has been canceled is notified in writing to the relevant organization that the certificate has been suspended by the Certification Manager (Warning letter is sent to the organization with BvA letterhead form), and it is stated that the certificate should not be used and returned from the date of cancellation. BVA has the right to publish decisions regarding the withdrawal of the certificate and the cancellation of the contract. All information and documents of this organization are archived for at least 10 years.
• The organization stops the use of the document and the logo since the document’s withdrawal and the cancellation of the contract is notified in writing. The organization must return any documents submitted to them to BvA within 15 days from the date of notification. If it is not returned, legal action is applied. In the re-application of the institution whose contract has been canceled, the audit procedures are applied as in the first application and the new application is not processed before 30 days have expired.
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12. Misleading and Unfair Use of Certificate

    • When it is determined that the organizations that are entitled to use certificates by making a contract with BVA are followed up in written and visual media, in case of any complaints or during the inspections carried out, on-site observations, using the document in the promotional documents / materials misleadingly or using the organization for different addresses / products / services not covered by the certificate. If detected, the organization is warned in writing and in case of any dispute, the certified organization submits all promotional publications referring to the document to BvA.
    • BVA Management evaluates whether the certificate is misleading in these references. If it is used, BVA asks the organization to correct the nonconformity in the publication in question and present a new one. If the organization refuses to make the necessary changes, the certificate will be suspended in relation to the problem, according to the decision of the BvA Certification Manager. If the related matter is not corrected within the given period, the contract is canceled, the certificate is taken back and legal action is initiated. Companies who use the benefits provided by the certificate without having a Certification Agreement with BVA, have a Certification Agreement but use the certificate while suspended or destroy it, are legally requested by taking into consideration the size of the Organization and the BvA-Certification Fee on the date of the relevant lawsuit. Organizations applying to BvA to obtain a certificate are deemed to have agreed to comply fully with this procedure and the provisions of the Certification Agreement.
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13. Additional obligations for product certification

    • When the Certification Mark is physically applied to the goods; must comply with the certificate and License number. The document should be applied to goods produced in the approved production area. When the Certification Mark is manufactured by a subcontractor or applied to a part by the Customer’s representative based on future processes, the Customer must provide written notice to cover the area where the production takes place. The organization should provide inspection samples in the quantity and frequency requested to demonstrate continuity of product compliance. Or it should allow sample selection by BvA according to the application procedure. The manufacturer must take all necessary precautions to not alter and distort the appearance of the Certification Mark in any way. The organization must report to BVA when the Licensed Certification Mark has been used by suspects or unauthorized persons.
    • The Customer may not use a commercial mark similar to the approved Certification Mark or bearing the same logo or apply for a company name attached to it without the permission of BvA. The customer must report any changes in the manufacturing processes of the certified product and quality system and any other changes it is obliged to report within 1 month at the latest.
    • No brand, sign or any expression of product suitability can be used without proper approval.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              DD.15           Issue Date: 30.06.2008       Rev.No/Date: 12/27.03.2020