Independence and disclosure
Independence and disclosure
A DSI 001 result is only worth relying on if the way it was produced is independent. The credibility rests on the same principle as an independent audit: the auditor does not prepare the accounts. Attestra assesses; it never prepares the evidence it assesses, advises on how to obtain a result, or assesses a system it helped prepare. Where a relationship could matter to a reader, it is disclosed rather than hidden, so a result can be weighed with the relationship in view.
The prepare or assess wall
Attestra assesses. It does not prepare. The assessment is formed independently of preparation. The body that assesses cannot be the body that prepared.
That is an operating rule, not a marketing preference. The wall stays in place on every engagement.
Relationship disclosure
Attestra is the assessor authorised by Decision Standards Institute under the DSI 001 scheme, and is currently the only authorised assessor. Attestra is under common control with the operator of the Custara evidence product. That relationship is disclosed on every report Attestra issues. The Institute that publishes and governs the standard sits outside that ownership group. Attestra assesses; it does not prepare the evidence it assesses.
Disclosing a relationship is not the same as a conflict. The wall means the same party never both prepares and assesses a system; the disclosure means a reader never discovers the relationship later.
Governance controls
An independent chair or advisory board with authority over conflict decisions is part of the control model.
A second authorised assessor is a forward objective for the scheme. It is stated as an objective, not claimed.