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About
Who runs Westmark Assurance, and how it is governed
Westmark Assurance is a trading name of Ross Macdonald Consultancy Ltd, with its own identity, governance and assessment methodology. It runs two assurance schemes and issues outcomes under both. Assessments open in October 2026.
What an outcome is
An outcome is an opinion formed on evidence examined within a defined scope, on a sample, at a point in time. It is reached by an assessor authorised for the scheme, reviewed by a second person independent of the assessment, and recorded on a public register. The legal wording at the foot of every page sets out its standing in full.
Where the schemes stand today
- The Defence Supplier standard and control set are published
- The Protected Premises control set is published, and its standard is issued for use at version 0.9 with four items held open, as set out on the scheme page
- All four documents can be downloaded from the scheme pages
- The register goes live with the first outcomes, so an empty result before then means what it says
What Westmark reports, and to whom
- Westmark is an independent scheme owner, separate from any regulator, and holds no reporting duty into the defence security system or to the Security Industry Authority
- Findings stay between Westmark and the organisation assessed, and are shared with government, a Contracting Authority or a police force only where the law requires it or the organisation has agreed. Two narrow exceptions sit in the Scheme Terms and are drawn to every client's attention before they sign
Independence
Four rules apply to every engagement. Each one is enforced by the hub at assignment, so the separation holds without depending on anyone's memory.
- A two-year clear run. An assessor who has done consultancy, advisory, implementation, drafting or training work for an organisation within the two years before its assessment, or during the life of its outcome, is kept off that engagement
- Pay that stands still. Assessor pay is the same whatever the outcome, and no fee is contingent on a result
- Rotation. A limit on how often the same assessor may assess the same organisation
- Review before issue. Every record is reviewed by somebody independent of the assessment
Governance
Documented procedures, an internal audit programme, a management review on a fixed cycle, and an appeals route that reaches somebody other than the person complained about. Every action in the hub is logged against the account that took it, so a file can be reconstructed years later. Files are retained for seven years from closure. Personal data is covered in the privacy notice.
Who runs it
Westmark is run by a leadership team led by Ross Macdonald, Chartered Manager and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, Fellow of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management, Member of the Security Institute and a consultant on the Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register, with senior UK Government experience in explosives safety and security governance. The wider team's background covers senior government, security, explosives and emergency management.
Who carries out the work
- Assessments are carried out by Authorised Assessors, each authorised for the scheme and the scope they work in, with technical review by a separate reviewer on every engagement. Assessors are being authorised ahead of the October 2026 opening
- Authorised Assessors are independent practitioners engaged under the Authorised Assessor Agreement, so the panel carries specialist depth across defence supply, protective security and public protection at premises and events
- The systems the schemes run on are supported by managed service partners. Reaching an outcome stays inside Westmark
- We speak at industry events and run seminars on the duties these schemes sit against. Speaking to a room creates no advisory relationship with anyone in it, so attending leaves an organisation's eligibility for assessment untouched
Professional standing
Assessed individual membership, held by the person who runs the schemes.
- MSyIMember of the Security Institute
- CMgr FCMIChartered Manager and Fellow, Chartered Management Institute
- FIIRSMFellow, International Institute of Risk and Safety Management
- CertIOSHCertified member, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
- OSHCROccupational Safety and Health Consultants Register
The organisation
- Trading name
- Westmark Assurance, a trading name of Ross Macdonald Consultancy Ltd
- Registered
- In Scotland, company number SC848204
- Registered office
- 1st Floor, 2 West Regent Street, Glasgow, G2 1RW
- Contact
- hello@westmarkassurance.co.uk · 033 33 356 873
- Scheme documents
- Scheme Terms, Buyer's Guide and Brand and Mark Use Rules, available on request. The standard and control set for each scheme can be downloaded from its scheme page
Talk to us about an assessment
Whether you hold the duty yourself or you are relying on someone who does, the conversation starts with scope.