Certification
Certification is a formal Scheme decision about a bounded conformity claim. It is distinct from ordinary verification, a specialist or Guardian assessment, an HVC credential, and a Registry entry.
The assurance layers
| Layer | Function | What it does not establish by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary verification | Tests a requirement against evidence using a competent rule and method. | Formal Scheme certification. |
| Specialist or Guardian assessment | Supplies competent findings where technical or irreducible professional judgment is needed. | The certification decision or universal authority. |
| Conformity Assessment Scheme | Governs application, evaluation, review, decision, surveillance, complaints, appeals, suspension, and withdrawal. | A claim outside the approved scope. |
| HVC | Carries a bounded credential claim under its issuing authority and status controls. | Truth of every underlying fact, legal compliance, or current Registry status. |
| Registry | Publishes current authority, status, scope, issuer, and lineage information. | Competence or conformity beyond the recorded scope. |
A formal Scheme path
- Define the applicant, object, system boundary, use, population, jurisdiction, Profile composition, and exact claim.
- Establish applicable authority and resolve conflicts among Source, constitutional, Profile, and Deployment requirements.
- Build the five-field verification plan: Requirement, Verifiable Condition, Evidence, Verification Rule, and Determination.
- Select minimum-sufficient competent methods and assessors, with conflicts and independence controlled.
- Record requirement-level findings and unresolved uncertainty.
- Keep evaluation, technical review, and certification decision independent as required by the Scheme.
- Issue only the bounded decision and credential authorized by the record.
- Maintain surveillance, change review, complaints, appeals, correction, suspension, withdrawal, and Registry status.
No universal stack or tier shortcut
MAP-States, Behavioral Oracle, GTE, RCTA/BGF, a Guardian, or another Foundation method may be selected when fit for the claim. None is a universal checkpoint. The legacy Gold, Silver, and Bronze thresholds are not current HEART certification rules.
Current operating boundary
The Conformity Assessment Scheme specification is current. This website does not represent public application intake, a production certification body, production HVC issuance, or a production Registry as live without a current operational authority record.
Questions about the specifications may be sent through Contact. An inquiry does not create applicant, assessment, certification, credential, or Registry status.