Impartiality clause: Copy, customize, and use instantly
Introduction
An impartiality clause ensures that individuals involved in decision-making, arbitration, evaluation, or oversight roles act without bias, favoritism, or personal interest. It helps build trust and maintains the integrity of the process by requiring fairness and neutrality.
Below are templates for impartiality clauses tailored to different scenarios. Copy, customize, and insert them into your agreement.
Impartiality clause with general duty of fairness
This version imposes a broad obligation to remain neutral.
All parties responsible for interpreting, enforcing, or administering this agreement shall act impartially, without favoritism or prejudice toward any party, and shall base all decisions solely on the terms of the agreement and the facts presented.
Impartiality clause for dispute resolution
This version applies to mediators or arbitrators.
Any individual appointed to mediate or arbitrate under this agreement must remain impartial and independent throughout the process and must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest before accepting the role.
Impartiality clause for evaluators or reviewers
This version applies to third-party evaluators.
Any person engaged to evaluate performance, compliance, or deliverables under this agreement shall do so impartially and in accordance with objective criteria agreed upon by the parties.
Impartiality clause for internal committees
This version applies to governance or review panels.
Members of any committee established under this agreement shall exercise their duties in good faith and remain impartial in all deliberations, avoiding preferential treatment of any party or stakeholder.
Impartiality clause with conflict disclosure obligation
This version includes a proactive disclosure requirement.
Any individual in a decision-making role under this agreement shall promptly disclose any personal, professional, or financial interest that may reasonably be seen to affect their impartiality. Failure to disclose may result in removal from the role.
Impartiality clause with third-party advisor independence
This version reinforces advisor neutrality.
Third-party advisors retained by either party shall act independently and impartially and shall not advocate for or align with the interests of one party over the other unless expressly retained in an advocacy capacity.
Impartiality clause with recusal mechanism
This version allows recusal when impartiality is compromised.
If a party or representative believes they cannot remain impartial due to personal involvement or bias, they shall recuse themselves from the matter and notify the other party in writing.
Impartiality clause for hiring or selection panels
This version applies to recruitment processes.
Individuals participating in hiring, nomination, or selection panels under this agreement must conduct all evaluations impartially, using standardized criteria, and must not favor candidates based on personal relationships or prior affiliations.
Impartiality clause for audits and investigations
This version applies to compliance and audit teams.
All audits, investigations, or compliance reviews conducted under this agreement shall be carried out impartially and objectively. Auditors or reviewers shall have no personal or financial stake in the outcomes.
Impartiality clause with enforcement mechanism
This version includes consequences for breach.
Any breach of this impartiality obligation shall be grounds for removal from the assigned role, nullification of affected decisions, or other corrective measures deemed appropriate by the non-breaching party.
Impartiality clause with neutrality in service delivery
This version ensures fairness in how services are provided.
The service provider agrees to deliver all services under this agreement in an impartial manner, without preferential treatment to any party or individual based on status, relationship, or affiliation.
Impartiality clause with board decision-making neutrality
This version applies to board-level decisions.
All board members shall exercise impartial judgment in connection with any decisions or resolutions under this agreement, refraining from allowing personal interest to influence their vote.
Impartiality clause with vendor evaluation safeguards
This version applies to procurement or bidding processes.
Any party involved in vendor selection, evaluation, or scoring shall conduct the process impartially, using objective and pre-defined criteria. Personal relationships shall not influence vendor preference or contract award.
Impartiality clause with rotating panel structure
This version promotes neutrality through panel rotation.
To ensure impartiality, individuals participating in recurring review or disciplinary panels shall rotate regularly and shall not adjudicate matters involving parties with whom they have prior dealings.
Impartiality clause with training requirement
This version mandates training to ensure fairness.
All individuals assigned to oversight roles under this agreement shall complete impartiality training prior to serving, to ensure consistency in evaluating facts without bias or favoritism.
Impartiality clause for supervisory roles
This version targets supervisors managing personnel.
Supervisors must act impartially when managing, assessing, or disciplining employees, and must avoid any appearance of bias related to race, gender, seniority, or other protected attributes.
Impartiality clause with whistleblower protection
This version ensures fairness toward whistleblowers.
Any investigation into whistleblower complaints shall be conducted impartially, with investigators having no prior involvement or conflicts related to the subject matter or individuals involved.
Impartiality clause with delegated authority
This version binds those with delegated power.
Any individual delegated with decision-making authority under this agreement shall exercise such authority impartially and not act in a manner that promotes the interests of one party over another.
Impartiality clause with peer review process
This version governs peer evaluations.
Individuals participating in peer review under this agreement shall act impartially, disclosing any relationships that may create a real or perceived bias and recusing themselves if necessary.
Impartiality clause for appeals procedures
This version governs appeals or grievance reviews.
Any appeal panel formed under this agreement shall be constituted to ensure impartiality, with members having no prior involvement in the original decision or relationship to the appellant.
Impartiality clause with ethics code reference
This version ties impartiality to an ethics policy.
The parties agree to uphold impartiality as defined under the company’s Code of Ethics, including refraining from actions that could undermine fairness or objectivity in decision-making.
Impartiality clause with non-retaliation protection
This version includes safeguards against biased retaliation.
No party shall retaliate against any person for raising concerns about impartiality. Retaliatory actions shall constitute a material breach of this agreement.
Impartiality clause for funding decisions
This version targets grant or financial allocations.
All funding decisions made under this agreement shall be impartial, based solely on merit and eligibility, without regard to political influence, personal connections, or external pressure.
Impartiality clause for quality control personnel
This version applies to inspections and testing.
Personnel responsible for product quality assurance or inspection shall operate independently and impartially, free from influence by production or sales departments.
Impartiality clause for selection of consultants
This version applies to expert hiring.
Consultants shall be selected based on qualifications and experience through an impartial evaluation process. Personal affiliations with selection committee members must be disclosed.
Impartiality clause with dual-role conflict protection
This version restricts serving in conflicting roles.
No person shall serve in more than one role under this agreement where doing so would impair impartiality, such as serving as both a party representative and decision-maker.
Impartiality clause with anonymous review protocol
This version promotes impartiality through anonymity.
Where feasible, evaluations or reviews shall be conducted anonymously to protect impartiality and eliminate the influence of personal biases.
Impartiality clause with automatic disqualification criteria
This version predefines conflict thresholds.
Any individual with a direct financial, familial, or supervisory connection to a party shall be automatically disqualified from participating in a decision affecting that party.
Impartiality clause for evaluation scoring
This version applies to scoring-based selection processes.
All scoring or rating decisions under this agreement must be made based on published criteria. Scoring sheets and rationales must be retained to ensure impartial justification.
Impartiality clause for government contracts
This version reflects compliance in public-sector work.
Contractor agrees to abide by all applicable impartiality and conflict of interest laws governing public contracts and procurement under [jurisdiction].
Impartiality clause with complaint escalation rights
This version allows escalation of perceived bias.
If a party reasonably believes a decision was made without impartiality, they may request escalation to a neutral third party for review.
Impartiality clause for employee promotions
This version applies to internal promotions.
All decisions regarding employee promotions must be based on documented performance, skills, and qualifications. Bias related to tenure, background, or personal views shall be avoided.
Impartiality clause with annual disclosure requirement
This version mandates yearly disclosure.
Individuals in roles requiring impartiality shall submit annual conflict-of-interest disclosures and attest to the absence of any relationships that could affect their neutrality.
Impartiality clause with prohibition on ex parte communication
This version blocks one-sided communication.
Individuals serving in a decision-making capacity under this agreement may not engage in ex parte communications with any party unless all parties are notified and present.
Impartiality clause with recertification condition
This version links role eligibility to neutrality.
Continued eligibility for participation in evaluations, decisions, or audits is conditioned upon recertification of impartiality and updated conflict disclosures every [X] months.
Impartiality clause for compliance monitors
This version binds monitoring personnel.
Compliance monitors assigned under this agreement must act impartially and report findings based solely on observed facts, irrespective of pressures from either party.
Impartiality clause with oversight committee jurisdiction
This version assigns an oversight body.
An impartiality oversight committee shall review all disputes related to perceived bias and may recommend corrective action, including replacement of involved individuals.
Impartiality clause for tender review panels
This version applies to RFP or tender panels.
Members of tender review panels shall declare any affiliations with submitting parties and may not participate in scoring if a conflict is present.
Impartiality clause for investor disclosures
This version protects against insider influence.
Any shareholder who holds 5% or more of voting stock may not serve in a role that evaluates or approves transactions involving related entities, to ensure impartial governance.
Impartiality clause with reference to best practices
This version ties neutrality to industry norms.
Impartiality shall be upheld in accordance with internationally recognized standards and best practices applicable to [industry/profession].
Impartiality clause with binding neutrality affirmation
This version requires formal acknowledgment.
Before participating in any evaluative or decision-making role, individuals must sign an impartiality declaration confirming understanding of their obligations.
Impartiality clause for scholarship or award committees
This version applies to selection panels.
Award or scholarship committees shall use blind review processes where possible and evaluate applicants based solely on the merit criteria outlined in the program rules.
Impartiality clause for board observer roles
This version applies to observers without voting rights.
Even in a non-voting capacity, board observers must maintain impartiality and shall not act to promote the interests of any shareholder or stakeholder group over another.
Impartiality clause for code of conduct enforcement
This version applies to disciplinary committees.
All decisions regarding violations of the code of conduct shall be rendered by an impartial body composed of individuals with no involvement in the underlying complaint.
Impartiality clause with third-party facilitator duty
This version binds facilitators.
Any facilitator or moderator engaged to lead discussions under this agreement must act impartially and avoid taking any position favoring one party over another.
Impartiality clause with oversight audit option
This version allows review of decision quality.
The impartiality of decisions may be subject to periodic audit by an independent third party to ensure compliance with this clause and relevant conflict-of-interest policies.
Impartiality clause with breach notification process
This version includes a breach protocol.
Any concerns regarding a breach of impartiality must be submitted in writing within [X] days of discovery. The alleged breach will be investigated promptly and fairly.
Impartiality clause for training program assessments
This version applies to course evaluations.
Evaluators of training outcomes shall act impartially and apply assessment criteria consistently across all trainees, regardless of background or prior performance.
Impartiality clause for community board appointments
This version targets community or nonprofit boards.
Community board members must recuse themselves from decisions involving organizations or individuals with whom they have a financial or governance relationship.
Impartiality clause for ethics investigations
This version governs investigative processes.
Investigators assigned to ethics-related matters must remain impartial throughout the process and must not have any personal or professional ties to the parties involved.
This article contains general legal information and does not contain legal advice. Cobrief is not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. The law is complex and changes often. For legal advice, please ask a lawyer.