With the help and expertise of our team at NQA, you needn’t be confused by the processes that go into obtaining verification. Verification adds independent and impartial weight to a claim or statement. It is a widely used practice in sustainability and often features on company annual reportsand for contracts and tenders.

Application

You will need to fill in an application form (also known at NQA as a Quote Request Form) in order for NQA to understand your company, the complexity and requirements. You can do this by completing our online quote request form or contacting sales@nqa.com. We will use this information to provide you with a proposal for verification.

Further Support  

NQA can support you before taking the next step of beginning the verification. Whether this is through our external training courses, consultancy recommendations, taking a look at our blogs and online content, signing up for relevant webinars – we have got you covered.

Stage 1 (Pre-Verification)

The purpose of this assessment is to confirm that the client is ready for the full verification and for the most part  will be a documentation review. This will include:

• Client site visit (if required)

• Confirm scope of verification and boundaries of GHG inventory

• Review methodology for data capture and reporting (infrastructure for GHG inventory)

• Identify focus points

• Create verification plan

• Create verification risk assessment

• For PAS 2060 also: Review client Qualifying Explanatory Statement (QES) and discuss carbon offset and reporting approach

Stage 2 (Verification)

The purpose of this assessment is to carry out the full review on your claim or statement. This will include:

• Client site visit (if required)

• Detailed verification of data sets, calculations, assumptions, and reporting methods

• Review client Qualifying Explanatory Statement (QES)

• Review customer documentation and reports

• Drafting of verification reports

• Clarifications requested, NCs raised

• ​For PAS 2060 also: audit client's carbon management plan, offset approach and for future years audit improvements in carbon efficiency

Independent review (Post-Verification)

The purpose of this assessment is to do a secondary review on the workings from all parties at the verification stage, and to provide further assurance and integrity. This will include:

• Independent review by independent Lead Verifier

• Finalisation of Verification Opinion Statement (VOS)

• Issuance of VOS

• Guidelines on use of claims and logos

• Client promotion

What comes after the Independent review?

NQA will contact you annually to renew your verification and to continue your claims and statements.

We will ask you to fill out a pre-verification checklist to check the verification duration. NQA shall only conduct a follow up verification if the original verifications have been provided by NQA or another verification body that is accredited by an IAF MLA co-signatory.

For PAS 2060, entities who have made a declaration of achievement, a one year forward claim of carbon neutrality can be made from the date of the verification taking place. NQA will state this detail within the VOS. The one year forward claim will be capped at 6 months from the data period being verified ending.

What Is NQA's Involvement? Why Hire A Consultant?

Whilst it’s true that you can successfully achieve verification of your GHG assertion independently, there are many situations in which having an experienced consultant can reduce confusion and lengthy delays that you might not want to deal with.
 
NQA can support you by recommending relevant independent consultancies through our Approved Partner Programme.

For further information and help finding the right consultant for your purposes, simply fill out our Looking For A Consultant form now. You can view our impartiality statement here.

Do You Have Any Questions? Are You Ready to Take The Next Step?

If you have any questions about the verification process or are ready to move forward, call us at 0800 0522424 or fill out our brief contact form, and we'll be happy to explain the process further.