1. Purpose and Status
1.1 These QSBS Expert Compliance Standards (the “Standards”) apply to every Applicant and Network Member participating in the QSBS Expert Network. They form part of the membership compliance framework referenced in the QSBS Expert Network Membership Terms and Conditions and are a condition of Active membership and participation in each Engagement.
1.2 These Standards are designed to protect QSBS, Clients, Network Members, employers and third parties by preventing misuse of confidential or restricted information, undisclosed conflicts, unlawful conduct, inaccurate representation, and participation in work a Network Member is not permitted or qualified to perform.
1.3 Where an Engagement Confirmation, SOW, Client requirement, professional rule, employer obligation, or applicable law imposes a stricter requirement, the stricter lawful requirement applies.
2. Core Compliance Principles
- Use only information you are lawfully and ethically permitted to share or use.
- Do not disclose, request, obtain, transmit, or misuse Confidential Information, Restricted Information, trade secrets, privileged information, or Material Non-Public Information (MNPI).
- Identify and disclose actual, potential, or reasonably perceived conflicts before participation.
- Respect employer, client, fiduciary, professional, contractual, regulatory, and government obligations.
- Represent your identity, experience, qualifications, employment, affiliations, availability, and work accurately.
- Accept only work within your permitted scope and actual expertise.
- Stop, pause, or decline work whenever participation would create a genuine legal, ethical, confidentiality, conflict, or professional restriction.
- Report material compliance concerns promptly to QSBS.
3. Onboarding, Training, Assessment and Certification
3.1 Before Active membership, an Applicant must complete the current QSBS compliance training, pass the required assessment, accept the current Membership Terms and Code of Conduct, and complete the Compliance Certification.
3.2 The standard passing score for the compliance assessment is 80%, unless QSBS publishes a different passing score for a specific assessment version or risk category.
3.3 QSBS records the applicable training version, completion date, assessment version, score, result, attempts, document versions accepted, certification date, and renewal date against the member account.
3.4 Active Network Members must complete refresher training and re-certification at least annually, or sooner when required because of a material policy change, Client requirement, sector-specific risk, compliance event, or change in the member’s circumstances.
4. Confidentiality and Restricted Information
4.1 Never disclose to QSBS or a Client information that belongs to a current or former employer, consulting client, customer, supplier, government body, board company, business partner, or other third party if you are not permitted to disclose it.
4.2 Treat the existence, topic, Client identity, questions, documents, recordings, data, pricing, commercial information, and outputs of an Engagement as confidential whenever they are marked confidential or a reasonable person would understand them to be non-public or sensitive.
4.3 Use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards. Do not forward Project information to personal accounts, unauthorized persons, or unapproved systems. Report suspected loss, unauthorized access, mistaken transmission, or disclosure promptly.
4.4 Return or securely destroy Restricted Information when required by QSBS, the Client, an Engagement document, or law, subject to any legal retention obligation.
5. Material Non-Public Information and Securities Compliance
5.1 You must not disclose, request, transmit, trade on, recommend trading on, or otherwise misuse MNPI or other securities-restricted information.
5.2 If an Engagement moves toward a topic that may require disclosure of MNPI, stop discussing that topic immediately and notify QSBS.
5.3 QSBS may impose additional screening, topic restrictions, or controls for public-company, transaction, investor, capital-markets, due-diligence, or other heightened-risk Engagements.
6. Employment, Fiduciary and Third-Party Obligations
6.1 Before joining the Network and before accepting each Engagement, review your employment agreement, NDA, consulting agreements, professional rules, fiduciary duties, employer policies, academic or institutional rules, and any other obligation that may restrict participation.
6.2 Obtain any employer, ethics, institutional, regulatory, or other consent required before participating. QSBS may request evidence of permission.
6.3 Do not participate in an Engagement substantially focused on your current employer or an organization you currently serve as an officer or director where your duties make participation inappropriate, unless QSBS expressly approves participation after any required permission is obtained.
7. Conflicts of Interest and Engagement Screening
7.1 Disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably perceived conflict that could affect independence, objectivity, eligibility, or compliance.
7.2 Conflicts may arise from employment, directorships, significant investments, advisory relationships, family or personal interests, litigation, government responsibilities, competitive relationships, professional duties, or other circumstances relevant to the Engagement.
7.3 Complete every project-specific screening honestly and based on current circumstances. Prior general disclosures do not replace project-level screening.
7.4 QSBS may decline or limit participation, require Client approval or consent, narrow the topic, impose an information barrier or compliance observer, or apply other reasonable safeguards.
8. Government, Public-Sector, Anti-Corruption and Sanctions
8.1 Disclose current government, regulatory, judicial, military, public-procurement, Crown corporation, state-owned enterprise, or similar public-sector roles that may create legal or ethical restrictions.
8.2 Do not participate in a matter over which you exercise governmental, regulatory, procurement, enforcement, supervisory, budgetary, or similar influence, or where participation is prohibited by law, policy, ethics rule, or public-service obligation.
8.3 Do not offer, promise, authorize, request, receive, or facilitate a bribe, kickback, secret commission, improper benefit, or thing of value to obtain business, influence an official act, or improperly obtain information.
8.4 Comply with applicable sanctions, export controls, trade restrictions, and anti-corruption laws. Promptly notify QSBS of any restriction that may affect participation or payment.
9. Regulated and Professional Services
9.1 Membership does not authorize legal, medical, investment, accounting, engineering, tax, immigration, regulated financial, or other licensed professional services.
9.2 Unless an Engagement expressly authorizes regulated professional services, provide only general education, industry insight, professional experience, and analysis that you are legally and professionally permitted to provide.
9.3 Comply with licensing body rules, professional standards, scope-of-practice requirements, and any additional sector-specific controls imposed by QSBS or the Client.
10. Research Integrity, Third Parties and Accurate Representation
10.1 Do not fabricate data, quotations, sources, citations, interviews, market observations, credentials, or project work. Distinguish fact, professional opinion, assumption, estimate, and third-party information when the distinction is material.
10.2 Contact or interview third parties only when the SOW or QSBS expressly authorizes that activity. Accurately represent your role, avoid false pretenses, respect confidentiality obligations, and do not seek information a third party is not permitted to disclose.
10.3 Do not hire, pay, engage, or use a third party, subcontractor, external researcher, or other person for Project work without prior QSBS authorization.
11. Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Technology
11.1 You remain responsible for every statement, analysis, deliverable, and source submitted under your name.
11.2 Do not enter Client Confidential Information, QSBS Confidential Information, personal information, Restricted Information, or non-public Project materials into a public or unapproved AI system, model, chatbot, transcription service, storage platform, or other third-party technology.
11.3 When AI-assisted work is expressly permitted, verify material outputs, confirm sources, correct errors, avoid fabricated citations, respect intellectual property rights, and disclose material AI use when required by QSBS, the Client, the Code, or an Engagement document.
11.4 Use only tools approved for the Engagement where QSBS or the Client specifies approved technology.
12. Recording, Transcription and Monitoring
12.1 Do not record, transcribe, or cause an Engagement to be recorded or transcribed unless the applicable Engagement terms and law permit it.
12.2 Where QSBS or a Client intends to record, transcribe, summarize by automated tools, or use a compliance observer, the applicable Engagement materials will disclose the practice before participation where required.
13. Stop-Work and Compliance Escalation
13.1 You have both the right and the obligation to decline, pause, or immediately stop an Engagement when continuing would require or reasonably risk a breach of law, Membership Terms, the Code, these Standards, an employer obligation, confidentiality duty, professional duty, or other binding restriction.
13.2 Do not attempt to answer a restricted topic indirectly through hints, coded language, assumptions, anonymous sourcing, or another person.
13.3 Notify QSBS promptly of a material compliance concern so QSBS can determine whether the Engagement may continue, be narrowed, rescheduled, or terminated. QSBS prohibits retaliation for a genuine compliance concern raised in good faith.
14. Post-Engagement Attestation
14.1 QSBS may require a post-Engagement attestation before payment or closure. The attestation may require confirmation that you completed the authorized scope, did not knowingly disclose Restricted Information or MNPI, complied with employer and third-party obligations, disclosed material conflicts, complied with approved AI and data-handling rules, reported compliance concerns, and submitted accurate time and expenses.
15. Non-Compliance, Remediation and Membership Status
15.1 A compliance concern may result in additional information requests, remedial training, project restrictions, temporary hold, suspension, removal from an Engagement, Inactive status, rejection, or termination, depending on the circumstances and applicable law.
15.2 Material misrepresentation, misuse of Restricted Information or MNPI, fraud, bribery, serious confidentiality breach, harassment, unlawful conduct, or deliberate circumvention of compliance controls may result in immediate suspension or termination and other lawful action.
16. Version Control and Re-Certification
16.1 QSBS may update these Standards to reflect legal, regulatory, operational, Client, or business requirements. The portal will identify the version and effective date applicable to the Network Member.
16.2 Material changes require affirmative re-certification before continued Active membership or further Engagement participation, except where immediate legal or security requirements justify temporary protective measures pending re-certification.
16.3 QSBS will retain an auditable record of the version certified, certification date and time, method, related training and assessment records, and renewal status.
Schedule A - Project-Level Compliance Screen
1. Does this Engagement concern your current employer, an organization you currently serve as an officer/director, or another organization to which you owe a duty that may restrict participation?
2. Do you have any employment agreement, NDA, consulting agreement, professional rule, employer policy, fiduciary duty, or other obligation that may restrict this Engagement?
3. Would participating require you to disclose confidential information, trade secrets, privileged information, or information you are not permitted to share?
4. Do you possess Material Non-Public Information relevant to the Engagement topic or a company, security, transaction, or market likely to be discussed?
5. Do you have a material financial, business, professional, governmental, family, or personal interest that could reasonably affect your objectivity?
6. Are you currently a government official, regulator, public employee, procurement participant, or employee of a state-owned enterprise whose role relates to the Engagement?
7. Does the Engagement require any regulated professional advice or service that you are not authorized to provide?
8. Do you require employer, institutional, ethics, or other third-party approval before participating?
9. Will you use any third party, subcontractor, external researcher, AI tool, transcription service, or other technology not already approved for the Engagement?
10. Is your Expert profile accurate and current for the facts relevant to this Engagement?
Required engagement certification
“I have considered the questions above and confirm that I may lawfully and ethically participate in this Engagement. I will stop and notify QSBS if a compliance issue arises or the discussion moves into a topic I am not permitted to address.”
Schedule B - Membership Compliance Certification
- I have completed the required QSBS compliance training and assessment for the version identified by the portal.
- I understand my obligations concerning confidentiality, Restricted Information, MNPI, conflicts, employer and third-party duties, anti-corruption, sanctions, regulated services, data handling, AI/technology use, and stop-work requirements.
- The information in my Expert profile and material screening responses is accurate and current to the best of my knowledge.
- I will promptly update QSBS when relevant circumstances change and will complete project-specific screening before each Engagement.
- I will decline, pause, or stop an Engagement and notify QSBS if a legal, ethical, confidentiality, conflict, professional, or other compliance restriction arises.
By selecting the designated certification control in the QSBS Expert Network portal, the Applicant or Network Member certifies the statements above and agrees to comply with QSBS Expert Compliance Standards Version 0.1.0.