Organisations are inspected against and registered in accordance with the Code of conduct, Regulations for the registration of organisations, the relevant Standards and guidance, and CIfA policies. All these documents can be found here.
Please use the dropdown menus and links below to find out more
Most likely, yes! If you aren't sure from the below, please get in touch.
These panel members are required to be accredited Institute members (at any level of accreditation):
These panel members do not need to be accredited (although it is preferable):
By joining an inspection panel, you acknowledge and agree to treat all information related to the inspection process as strictly confidential. This includes any documents, discussions, observations, or findings shared before, during, or after the inspection. You will ensure that any downloaded or printed materials are securely deleted or disposed of following the conclusion of the inspection.
Here are some introductory documents covering what to expect:
Panel members should read and have an understanding of these Guidance notes and take particular note of guidance on registration process and inspections for applicants:
You can watch our recorded panel training sessions below.
We will be holding panel Q&A sessions throughout the year, but if you have any questions please contact kerry.wiggins@archaeologists.net
The organisation must demonstrate that all its work in the historic environment is in accordance with the Charter, by-laws and regulations of the Institute.
| Assessment area | Criteria |
| Structure of the organisation | The organisation provides a comprehensive overview of the business, demonstrating cohesion and unity across its structure. |
| Conflicts of interest/Ethics | The organisation demonstrates a strong commitment to ethical standards, providing clear examples of how potential or actual conflicts of interest are identified and managed. It consistently upholds the CIfA Code of conduct. |
| Staffing and employment | The organisation is able to recruit and retain suitably qualified and competent staff. |
| Approach to professionalism and professional accreditation | The organisation actively promotes CIfA accreditation and professional standards, embeds them into policy and practice, advocates for CIfA values externally and contributes positively to the wider profession. |
| Training and CPD | The organisation demonstrates a commitment to staff training and CPD, in line with the CIfA policy statement on ‘The use of training posts on archaeological projects’. It identifies both individual and organisational training needs, uses appraisals to support development and provides structured training for new starters and role transitions, ensuring training goes beyond basic requirements. |
| Volunteers, outreach and public benefit | The organisation works in line with the CIfA policy statement on ‘Volunteers and students on archaeological projects’. It actively promotes and secures public benefit by engaging stakeholders throughout its projects, clearly defining public benefit objectives from the outset and regularly evaluating work with findings used to improve future practice. |
| Health and Safety | The organisation maintains access to and actively applies expert Health and Safety guidance and support. See the CIfA policy statement on ‘Health and Safety’. |
| Quality assurance | The organisation demonstrates a robust quality management system, ensuring consistent standards across its operations. This includes clear procedures for planning, monitoring, and reviewing project activities, as well as mechanisms for continuous improvement. See the relevant CIfA Standards and guidance. |
| Policies and Guidelines | The organisation maintains clear, accessible policies and guidelines. These documents support staff in understanding their roles, responsibilities, and procedures, and are regularly reviewed to reflect good practice and regulatory requirements. Where the organisation is part of a larger entity, its policies and guidelines should reflect and take account of the specific functions and responsibilities of the Registered Organisation. |
| Commissioning | The organisation follows the CIfA Standard and guidance for commissioning work or providing consultancy advice on archaeology and the historic environment. Advice is impartial and informed by the significance of heritage assets. Commissioners are briefed on risks, costs, and legal duties. Services are procured from competent providers, and post-excavation work and archive deposition are monitored to ensure compliance and address delays. |
| Reports and publications | The organisation produces reports which comply with the relevant CIfA Standards and guidance and other local and national guidance. |
You will receive Outlook calendar invitations for the inspection day and a pre-inspection planning meeting (usually the Thursday before).
Panel members are asked to review two reports in some detail before the inspection - please see this video for guidance on reviewing reports.
Before the planning meeting, review the application form and note any questions on the benchmarking form. After the meeting, you will receive an updated version with all panel members' questions. This version will be used on inspection day.
Here are some guidance documents to help you on the day of the inspection:
Where relevant, we also schedule a facilities and site visit and/or specialist report reviews.
In some cases we may get in touch with the inspection panel to see if they are available for this. The relevant forms are below for your reference:
Quotes from previous panel members:
“You probably get more out of it as CPD than virtually any other activity”'
“Support for the profession, certainly, but also a valuable opportunity to reflect on your own practice and consider improvements”
“Being on an Inspection Panel is a learning experience. We also have a wealth of experience of our own that can be brought into play to assist other ROs if needed. I always think that we can be of assistance in helping improving standards across the country. Benefits are not just for the RO but also for individual panel members who might pick up tips of how to do things better”.
