Quality Assurance Process
A robust audit of your end-to end consultation process, that provides you with a public endorsement and certificate.
Introduction
tCI’s Quality Assurance (QA) process is an independent review designed to strengthen public consultations at every stage. It provides confidence that your consultation is fair, transparent, and defensible—reducing legal, political, and reputational risk.
At tCI, our QA process is structured and flexible. It can begin before consultation plans are finalised (Intervention Zero), continue with a Mid-Point Review while engagement is live, and conclude with a Final or Closing Review once responses have been gathered. Each step is tested against the Gunning Principles and statutory requirements, ensuring that your consultation meets the highest standards.
By following this process, organisations gain clear, external assurance that their consultation is robust, trusted by stakeholders, and capable of withstanding scrutiny.
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What is Quality Assurance in Public Consultations
Quality Assurance (QA) is an independent review of public consultations to check that they meet recognised legal and best-practice standards. It goes beyond basic compliance, providing confidence that your consultation is fair, transparent, and defensible if challenged.
At tCI, our QA process is mapped against key frameworks, including the Gunning Principles, statutory duties such as NHS 13Q/14Z2, and our own Consultation Charter. Each review is delivered by trained assessors who test your consultation plans, documents, and processes at every stage.
The goal is simple: to give decision-makers, scrutiny bodies, and stakeholders reassurance that the consultation process has been designed and delivered properly. By identifying risks early, QA reduces the chance of delay, legal challenge, or reputational damage—and helps organisations make stronger, more trusted decisions.
Why Quality Assurance Matters
Quality Assurance protects public consultations from legal challenge, political scrutiny, and reputational risk. By testing processes against the Gunning Principles and statutory duties, QA gives decision-makers confidence that consultations are fair, defensible, and trusted by stakeholders.
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QA Review Process
The QA Review Process is an independent review designed to strengthen public consultations at every stage. It provides confidence that your consultation is fair, transparent, and defensible—reducing legal, political, and reputational risk.
At tCI, our QA process is structured and flexible. It can begin before consultation plans are finalised (Intervention Zero), continue with a Mid-Point Review while engagement is live, and conclude with a Final or Closing Review once responses have been gathered. Each step is tested against the Gunning Principles and statutory requirements, ensuring that your consultation meets the highest standards.
By following this process, organisations gain clear, external assurance that their consultation is robust, trusted by stakeholders, and capable of withstanding scrutiny.
Quality Assurance Stages
There are seven stages within the Quality Assurance Process
Intervention Zero is the earliest stage of Quality Assurance carried out before consultation plans are finalised or even whilst the option are still in a formative stage. It reviews engagement history, option development, and initial decision-making processes to identify risks while there is still time to address them.
This early assurance step helps organisations test whether their approach is transparent, proportionate, and consistent with the Gunning Principles. By spotting political, legal, or reputational risks upfront, Intervention Zero strengthens the foundations of the consultation and reduces the likelihood of challenge or delay later on.
It provides leaders with independent feedback at a critical moment ensuring that consultations begin on solid ground, with credible options and a process that can withstand scrutiny.
Defining the scope of a consultation is the first step in delivering a credible process. Poorly defined scope can lead to unclear objectives, weak options, and increased risk of challenge. Quality Assurance reviews test whether your scope is realistic, evidence-based, and aligned with statutory or policy requirements.
Strong governance ensures that decisions are made transparently and stand up to scrutiny. Our reviews assess whether the right checks and balances are in place, from internal boards to external committees, so that your consultation process is defensible and trusted.
By examining scope and governance together, QA helps organisations reduce risk, avoid delays, and build confidence with decision-makers, stakeholders, and the public.
A clear project plan is central to running a credible consultation. It sets out timelines, responsibilities, engagement methods, and decision points ensuring everyone understands what needs to happen and when.
Our Quality Assurance reviews test whether your project plan is realistic, proportionate, and aligned with governance requirements. We look at whether milestones allow adequate time for stakeholders to respond, whether risks have been factored in, and whether reporting arrangements support transparency.
By strengthening the project plan, QA helps organisations stay on track, avoid last-minute pressures, and deliver a consultation process that is both efficient and defensible.
The consultation document is often the most visible part of the process and the one most likely to face public and political scrutiny. A strong document must be clear, accessible, and transparent, giving people the information they need to respond meaningfully.
Our Quality Assurance reviews assess whether consultation materials are accurate, balanced, and aligned with recognised standards such as the Gunning Principles. We test for clarity of language, fairness in presenting options, and adequacy of supporting evidence.
By reviewing documents before publication, QA helps organisations avoid legal risk, reduce reputational damage, and ensure participants feel informed and respected.
A Mid-Point Review provides independent assurance while your consultation is still in progress. It is designed to check whether the process is running as planned, identify emerging risks, and give you time to make adjustments before it closes.
Our reviewers assess response levels, the clarity of materials, and the effectiveness of engagement activities against the Gunning Principles. We also examine whether stakeholder concerns are being managed fairly and whether sufficient time and information have been provided.
By addressing issues at this stage, the Mid-Point Review helps organisations strengthen credibility, reduce the risk of challenge, and ensure that final outcomes are built on a sound, defensible process.
A Closing Review provides independent assurance at the end of the consultation process. It examines how responses have been handled, whether reporting is balanced, and whether decision-makers have been given a fair and accurate account of the evidence.
Our reviewers assess final outputs against the Gunning Principles and relevant statutory duties, checking that feedback has been considered properly and that conclusions are defensible. This step helps organisations demonstrate that the consultation has been carried out with transparency and integrity.
The Closing Review gives leaders confidence that the process can withstand political, legal, or public scrutiny—reducing the risk of challenge and reinforcing trust in the final decision.
A Final Review delivers independent assurance once your consultation has closed and before decisions are made. It provides a clear assessment of whether the process met recognised standards and whether the results can be relied upon with confidence.
Our reviewers test consultation records, reports, and decision-making trails against the Gunning Principles and statutory requirements. We check that responses have been analysed fairly, key issues have been addressed, and the consultation outcomes are presented transparently.
The Final Review gives decision-makers assurance that the process is defensible and capable of withstanding political or legal scrutiny supporting stronger, more trusted decisions.
Why Choose tCI for Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance is more than a box-ticking exercise it is the safeguard that protects your consultation from challenge and builds trust in the outcome. At tCI, we combine proven frameworks, including the Gunning Principles, with the expertise of experienced assessors to deliver clear, independent assurance.
Whether you need a light-touch review or full end-to-end oversight, our QA services give decision-makers confidence, reduce risk, and ensure your consultation stands up to scrutiny.
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