1. Nature of the Scheme
1.1 The Corporate Supporter Scheme (“the Scheme”) is an organisation-level arrangement under which commercial bodies may support the work of the Society by way of an annual contribution.
1.2 Corporate Supporter status is not a class of membership. Corporate Supporters are not members of the Society, are not entitled to vote, have no role in the government of the Society, and acquire no rights over the Society’s policies, standards, or disciplinary processes.
1.3 Eligible bodies include:
- manufacturers and distributors of polygraph instrumentation, software, and related equipment;
- polygraph training schools and examiner education providers;
- commercial organisations whose services or interests are connected to polygraph examination.
2. Application and Admission
2.1 An eligible body may apply to become a Corporate Supporter on the prescribed form, giving the information required by the Management Committee, and on payment of the annual contribution set by the members in general meeting on the recommendation of the Committee.
2.2 The Management Committee determines applications. Admission is at the Committee’s discretion, and the Committee is not required to admit any particular applicant.
2.3 Multiple supporters in the same market (for example, multiple instrument manufacturers) shall be admitted on equal terms. No supporter shall be granted exclusivity of association with the Society.
3. Safeguards on Independence
3.1 Corporate Supporters have no influence over the content of the Standards of Practice, the Code of Ethics, the Constitution, the Complaints, Discipline and Appeals Procedure, or any other policy of the Society.
3.2 Corporate Supporters shall not:
- sit on the Management Committee;
- sit on any Complaints Panel or Appeals Panel;
- sit on the Research and Standards Sub-Committee, or any technical sub-committee concerned with methodology, instrumentation, training standards, or data analysis;
- participate in disciplinary proceedings against members;
- direct the content of BPS communications, training, or CPD; or
- receive any fee or rebate from the Society.
3.3 The Society does not endorse any product, service, training course, or instrument. Nothing published by the Society shall be read as such an endorsement, and the fact of Corporate Supporter status shall not be presented as an endorsement by the Society.
3.4 Where the Society publishes research, reviews, or comparisons relating to instrumentation, methodology, or training, the Society shall apply its own editorial judgment, shall disclose where any Corporate Supporter is referred to, and shall not allow Corporate Supporter status to affect the conduct or publication of that work.
4. Use of Supporter Status
4.1 A Corporate Supporter may describe itself in its own communications as “a Corporate Supporter of the British Polygraph Society” and may reproduce the Society’s Corporate Supporter logo in accordance with guidance issued by the Management Committee.
4.2 A Corporate Supporter shall not:
- describe itself as a “member”, “accredited”, “endorsed”, “approved”, “recommended”, or “certified” by the Society;
- imply that BPS membership or examiner listing is conditional on use of the supporter’s products or services;
- use the Society’s main logo (as opposed to the designated Corporate Supporter logo) in its marketing; or
- use the “MBPS”, “SMBPS”, or any examiner post-nominal in respect of the supporter body itself.
5. Publication and Transparency
5.1 Current Corporate Supporters shall be listed on a dedicated “Industry Supporters” page on the Society’s website, with their name, a link to their own website, and a statement that listing does not amount to endorsement.
5.2 The Society’s annual accounts shall disclose, as a separate line item, the revenue received from the Scheme.
6. Individual Membership of Employees
6.1 Nothing in this Scheme prevents an individual who is an employee, officer, or contractor of a Corporate Supporter from applying separately for personal membership of the Society under an appropriate class (Intern Member, Member, Senior Member, Affiliate Member, Research Member, or Student Member).
6.2 A personal membership application shall be determined on the individual’s own merits against the criteria in the Membership Regulations, without regard to the status of their employer. The Conflict of Interest Policy applies to any such individual who holds a Society role.
7. Conflict of Interest
7.1 A member of the Society who is also an employee, officer, or contractor of a Corporate Supporter shall disclose that connection in accordance with the Conflict of Interest Policy and shall withdraw from any Society decision in which a conflict arises.
8. Duration, Review, and Termination
8.1 Corporate Supporter status is granted for one year at a time and is renewable.
8.2 The Management Committee may terminate a Corporate Supporter’s status, with immediate effect, where the supporter:
- breaches paragraph 4 (use of supporter status);
- attempts to influence the Society’s policies, standards, or disciplinary processes in breach of paragraph 3;
- falls into disrepute in a manner that, in the Committee’s reasonable opinion, is incompatible with association with the Society; or
- fails to pay the annual contribution when due.
8.3 A terminated supporter shall cease using any reference to Corporate Supporter status, and shall cease using the Corporate Supporter logo, forthwith.
9. Review of this Scheme
9.1 This Scheme shall be reviewed annually by the Management Committee, which may recommend amendments to the members in general meeting. The Scheme is subordinate to the Constitution and to the Code of Ethics; in case of inconsistency, the Constitution and Code prevail.
10. Governing Law
10.1 This Scheme is governed by the law of England and Wales. Any dispute arising in connection with the Scheme shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
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This document is published by the British Polygraph Society, a professional body for polygraph examiners constituted by its members in 2017 and governed by a written Constitution under the law of England and Wales. For corrections or queries, contact the Secretary at the address above.
© 2026 British Polygraph Society. All rights reserved. This is a governing document of the Society. It may be quoted briefly for commentary, reporting, or study in accordance with fair-dealing exceptions under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. It may not be reproduced in full, adapted, or redistributed — whether online or in print — without the Society's prior written permission. Requests for permission should be addressed to the Secretary at the correspondence address above.