Group

ICMQ Institute for Certification and Quality Mark for Products and Services for Construction is a non-profit association joined by numerous trade associations from across the entire construction supply chain.
Its original mission of spreading a culture of quality in the field of industrial production has, over time, expanded to include services for construction and the building sector in general, inevitably taking into account both regulatory and market trends and developments that are moving towards a better quality of life, environmental protection and lower resource consumption. ICMQ believes in the value of sustainability and in advanced, digitalised methods/tools that can support the construction phases of works and buildings in achieving sustainability goals more easily and effectively.

The Institute was founded in 1988 by several trade associations, initially with the aim of promoting and monitoring compliance with standards and requirements, as well as respect for rules and proper conduct in the industrial production of concrete products, components and structures.

ICMQ Institute
President: Prof. Arch. Enrico Dassori
Honorary President: Eng. Giorgio Sabelli
Vice President: Eng. Lorenzo Orsenigo
General Secretary: Dr Silvia Rusconi

In 2001, the Institute established ICMQ SpA, the operating company providing certification and inspection services. Meet the team.

The Cersa Business Unit operates within ICMQ SpA and retains its own brand, within the scope of specific accreditations, in both voluntary and mandatory certification of management systems, products, services and professional figures, as well as in inspection activities. This business area also includes services related to Risk Management and Security, fields in which Cersa is recognised by the market as a leading and highly qualified brand.

ICMQ Mission

ICMQ aims to pursue the objective of operating in compliance with international, European and national standards governing the activity of bodies providing conformity assessment services (CABs), and to provide a service of such quality and in such a manner as to be appreciated and recognised. To this end, ICMQ implements a policy of high specialisation within its organisation in the sectors in which it operates, by following standardisation activities, actively promoting and collaborating in the development of application guides, specific regulations and checklists in its areas of expertise, enhancing the training of its staff and collaborators, pursuing customer satisfaction and continuously improving its services.

Impartiality
Senior Management is aware that the credibility in the market which has made ICMQ the leading certification body in the construction sector depends on the competence and impartiality it has always demonstrated and must continue to demonstrate in the future. Impartial conduct is also ensured through the analysis and management of conflicts of interest that may arise as a consequence of the activities carried out. For this reason, ICMQ has carried out and keeps updated an analysis of threats to impartiality and has established a Committee responsible for monitoring its conduct.

Quality
We promote a culture of Quality, valuing and protecting diversity and equal opportunities, respecting the Environment from a sustainable development perspective, and Workplace Safety as a right of workers. We carry out assessments of the implementation of quality systems, product control systems, environmental management systems and occupational health and safety systems; we certify professional figures and conduct inspection and certification activities in the field of sustainability.

Collaboration
We are committed to seeking collaborations with other European bodies operating particularly in the construction and sustainability sectors, in order to establish mutual recognition based on effective and homogeneous operating methods.

Protection of diversity and equal opportunities
We are convinced that people should be valued for their intrinsic characteristics. To ensure a balance with family and social life for our female and male employees, internal welfare plans have been in place for several years, and we are committed to the constant monitoring and improvement of specifically developed indicators.

Projects
In order to define, measure and progressively improve the quality level of the service, we intend to implement programmes to:

Extend and maintain accreditation for the various certification / verification and validation / inspection activities;
Achieve and maintain authorisation to operate in mandatory sector certification and participate actively and continuously in the work of the Sector Group(s) for products within the GNB’s scope of competence;
Comply with and maintain the requirements defined by CISQ/IQNET regulations;
Maintain the obligation for auditors to achieve and preserve the level of competence regulated by ICMQ procedures;
Give preference, in the selection or qualification of auditors, to personnel certification issued by accredited bodies;
Promote the professional certification of its auditors through accredited bodies;
Make ICMQ’s experience available to ACCREDIA by collaborating, when requested, in Working Groups;
Develop, together with other Italian and foreign certification bodies, a relationship of mutual exchange of information aimed at improving operational tools;
Monitor at European and international level the availability of new certification tools capable of promoting innovation and the development of quality;
Promote, apply and maintain gender equality within ICMQ S.p.A. in accordance with the principles of UNI/PdR 125;
Ensure fair and equal participation in training and development paths, including leadership courses;
Ensure, as far as possible in relation to available expertise, that genders are equally represented among speakers at round tables, events, conferences or other initiatives, including scientific events.

Benefit Corporation
As a Benefit Corporation, ICMQ intends to pursue several common benefit purposes and operate in a responsible, sustainable and transparent manner towards people, communities, the environment and other stakeholders, such as:

promoting the key elements of its value framework: independence, competence, impartiality, credibility, sharing, integrity, innovation and experience; while committing to raise awareness among future generations of the importance of “Values” as an enabling element for the creation of shared value;
supporting the value of people, relationships and the workplace. We are committed to fostering, in a tangible and measurable way, the well-being and sense of belonging of our collaborators;
sharing the knowledge deriving from its research and development activities. We are committed to investing in the study and creation of open schemes for systems and professional skills that can support the development of new sustainable business models;
contributing to the protection of the Planet through awareness-raising activities, research and project initiatives. We are committed to seeking a balance between the natural and built environment by putting our holistic approach to sustainability at the service of this goal;
leading by example in spreading a new social role for business as an actor contributing to responsible economic development.

We are committed to inspiring the business world on a path that embraces the sustainable transition as the way towards a regenerative and future-proof economy.