System of International Certification (SIC) – this is the brand name of an "international certification company" operating in Ukraine, offering manufacturers of goods and services flashy "international quality certificates." Customers are being found, and not just at the regional level. Large companies and even state-owned enterprises are constantly tempted by the "international prestige."
Most recently, in January 2016, the System of International Certification "accredited" the State Air Traffic Services Enterprise (UkSATSE) — https://interfax.com.ua/news/economic/320619.html . The legal structure of this arrangement is as follows: a limited liability company handed the state-owned enterprise a document certified by the LLC's seal. The private firm's services were paid for with funds from the state-owned enterprise, which falls within the purview of regulatory authorities. The subject of the transaction in this case is the "right" granted to UkSATSE specialists to investigate incidents in the air traffic services sector, conduct expert assessments, risk assessments, and analyze information."
It's obvious that no LLC can delegate authority to regulate air travel in the country. This is the prerogative of the state. Moreover, in wartime, the security of Ukrainian airspace falls under the purview of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC), and, as the tragedy with the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 demonstrated, it is of concern to the entire world. Until law enforcement officials provide a legal assessment of UkSATSE's actions, potential clients of dubious companies should at least have a general understanding of the compliance assessment system to avoid financial disappointment in the future.
"SIC is a partnership of certification bodies operating in various countries and conducting certification work in accordance with international and national requirements in the legally unregulated sector. All certificates issued by the partnership's members are entered into a single registry https://www.register-sic.com/ru/reestry. Members of the partnership in Ukraine include enterprises of various forms of ownership (state, private, and public organizations). Among the partnership's members are the Classification Society "Register of Shipping of Ukraine," the State Air Traffic Services Enterprise of Ukraine "UkSATSE," the All-Ukrainian Public Organization "Living Planet," a number of certification and metrology centers, and private entities. The bodies bear full responsibility for certification activities and hold various accreditations and designations (NAAU, UkrSEPRO, international, and others)," SIC representatives told Pravda.
To understand the status of this "partnership," Pravda consulted experts, who unanimously assured us: there is no such thing as "international certification" in the Ukrainian legal system; such a term doesn't even exist. According to experts, trust in certification results is based on the reputation of certification bodies that undergo accreditation—a process for confirming their technical competence. Accrediting agencies, in turn, are overseen by international forums governed by international agreements at the level of national governments and state regulatory bodies. Without membership in such a forum, even state bodies lack any recognition outside their own countries.
In Ukraine, the accreditation body is the National Accreditation Agency of Ukraine (https://naau.org.ua/), subordinate to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. NAAU operates on the basis of the Law of Ukraine "On Accreditation of Conformity Assessment Bodies" (https://zakon3.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2407-14). The European Accreditation Forum (EA) is affiliated with the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). In 2015, NAAU was recognized as a full member of the EA, which provides legal grounds for mutual recognition of certificates from Ukraine and EU countries. Thus, the international accreditation and certification vertical, which we will conditionally divide into four groups for better understanding, is as follows:
Group A. International Accreditation Forum (IAF in the world, EA in Europe).
Group B. National accreditation bodies (in Ukraine – NAAU).
Group C. Conformity assessment bodies.
Group D. Certified enterprises.
In Ukraine, SIC certificates are certified by at least two legal entities. One is registered abroad, and the other is the Ukrainian Bureau of International Certification LLC, which may be only one of several private conformity assessment bodies in Group C.
In addition to private bodies, each region of Ukraine has state conformity assessment bodies, also accredited by the NAAU. These are regional centers for standardization, metrology, and certification (for example, Khersonstandartmetrology), which belong to the same Group C. The creators of the SIC appear to even duplicate some of the NAAU's functions. For example, the aforementioned Khersonstandartmetrology recently received "notification" from the System of International Certification, a fact documented on the main page of the official website by officials of the state-owned enterprise itself.
It's gotten to the point where SIC grants Ukrainian certification bodies the right to issue their certificates to others (https://osetalon.com.ua/about.html and https://cci.ua/accred.htm) or conduct product testing (https://ussolar.com.ua/kachestvo/nadezhnost/). As we can see, "certificates" bearing the LLC seal and dubious credentials are in demand on the market. Clients may encounter problems when they attempt to use the legal force of the purchased "certificates." A textbook example is the company "Roma LTD," which was brought under scrutiny by the Antimonopoly Committee due to SIC services.
The brief gist of the incident involving Roma LTD is as follows. The company supplied equipment to social services under a tender, which was later declared invalid. The reason was that the certificate issued by Bureau of International Certification (BIC) did not comply with documentation requirements. Furthermore, on the NAAU website, Bureau of International Certification was not listed at all among the accredited organizations authorized to perform the certification required by Roma LTD.
Incidentally, another participant in the cancelled tender (Diavest and Complex Solutions) also purchased BMS certificates. A notable detail is that the Bureau of International Certification explained its authority as a "certification body" to the Antimonopoly Committee by stating that this LLC is "accredited by the international organization SIC Globall LLP" (details here - https://www.amc.gov.ua/amku/doccatalog/document?id=92272&schema=main). Let us remind you once again that only a national accreditation body is authorized to accredit a conformity assessment body (what BMS called a "certification body" in its explanation to the AMCU). In Ukraine, there is only one such body – NAAU. And no international accreditation bodies simply exist. SIC Globall LLP is nothing more than another high-sounding name, backed by the same people behind the Bureau of International Certification LLC and the System of International Certification. Let's get to know them.
The founder of Bureau of International Certification LLC (ID 33056579) is Nina Kolesnikova. Publicly available information indicates that the company was previously headed by Natalia Kolesnikova.
The owner of the domain name of the "international" website System of International Certification register-sic.com is Viktor Kolesnikov and SIC Global LLP.
SIC documents in Ukraine, as already mentioned, are sealed with the seals of BMS LLC (for example, the Khortytsia Organic certificate) and SIC Global LLP. Viktor Kolesnikov is a public spokesman for SIC, both on the system's Ukrainian website (https://sic.com.ua/2013/09/pozdravlenie_dnepravia/) and in the media (https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/v-ukraine-poyavilas-pervaya-organicheskaya-vodka-11072012133000). Thus, the "International Certification System" is a family business of the Ukrainian Kolesnikov family.
As for their "international activities," they can be considered formal. For example, the "English-language" website register-sic.com, in addition to the "main" language, only has a Russian version. The "Contacts" section only offers email and a feedback form. The domain owner's contact information also includes a Kyiv phone number: +380445692403. However, there is also a London address for the aforementioned SIC Global LLP—Suite 2, 23-24 Great James Street. This address is indeed used to register a multitude of offshore companies for a nominal fee of a few hundred pounds.
You can read more about SIC Global LLP here: https://www.ukragroforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=308&f=9.
SIC has indeed already gained international notoriety, but of a completely different kind. For example, the International Center for Quality Certification (ICQC), a company specializing in conformity assessment in the European Union, listed the Kolesnikovs' Ukrainian "project" among unscrupulous operators on its official website. "Companies such as the System of International Certification (SIC) are widely advertised in the CIS. Companies belonging to this association have no connection with CE marking or product conformity assessment procedures on the domestic market of EU countries," states the ICQC blacklist (https://www.icqc.eu/ru/blacklist_EU.php).
"The information that 'the SIC certificate serves as a global passport for all stakeholders worldwide' and that 'SIC is a partnership of organizations operating in the field of certification and standardization, independent and highly professional certification bodies and laboratories' is for those who don't understand the procedures, for amateurs to lure in clients. They have no connection to standardization. They don't have laboratories," Vladimir Ginglatt, ICQC Technical Director, told Pravda.
"On the official website of the National Accreditation Agency of Ukraine, certification bodies SIG Global LLP and Bureau of International Certification LLC are not listed as accredited organizations authorized to certify products, management systems, and environmental management systems," Ukrmetrteststandart explained to Pravda. They are also not listed on the official website of the Ministry of Economic Development (https://www.me.gov.ua/Documents/List?lang=uk-UA&tag=Otsinka-pidtverdzhenniaVidpovidnosti). Therefore, the conformity assessment and certification activities of these business entities in Ukraine are contrary to current legislation.
In response to Pravda's request for information, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine also confirmed that "the Ministry of Economic Development has no information on the System of International Certification." Whether or not to purchase SIC "certificates" is a consumer choice. But this choice must be conscious, the customer informed, and the price market-based.
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