Baldrige Process Integrity

Multiple safeguards ensure the integrity of the Baldrige process.

• Only Baldrige Examiners review applications and only Baldrige Judges recommend Award recipients. All Baldrige Judges and Examiners are volunteers.  Each Examiner and Judge signs a pledge to avoid both real and perceived conflicts of interest.
  
  
• In assigning Examiners and Judges to applicants, the Baldrige Program carefully avoids real and perceived conflicts of interest.
  
  
• All information about Award applicants is held in strictest confidence. Only the names of recipients are released to the public.
  
  
• Before recommending organizations to the Secretary of Commerce as Baldrige Award recipients, the Program performs background checks on all potential recipients and verifies that they can serve as role models for other organizations. Applicants selected to receive the Award ultimately receive about 1,000 hours of scrutiny from Baldrige Examiners and Judges.
  
  
• Members of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award do not evaluate or select recipients. During the evaluation process, neither the Baldrige Program, nor Examiners, nor Judges inform board members of applicants for the Award. Board members receive the names of the Award recipients only through the general press release to the public after selection. Although applicants may disclose that they have applied for the Award, financial contributions to the Foundation have no impact on the Award evaluation process. Furthermore, the Foundation board plays no programmatic oversight role for the Baldrige Program.
  
  
• The Baldrige Board of Overseers, the policy advisory group for the Baldrige Program, meets in a public session each June and December and reviews the Program’s process and performance. After careful review, the Overseers have continuously reaffirmed the integrity and efficacy of the Program.