Can my RTO use third-party evidence to assess competence? Is a written agreement required to use third-party evidence? (Clause 1.8)

Using third-party evidence is different to using a third-party provider to provide services on behalf of your RTO.

To inform a judgement about whether a learner has achieved competency, evidence is often collected by the assessor. However, other people (such as workplace supervisors) can also report what they see or hear to the assessor. Evidence collected in this manner is called third-party evidence (it is also sometimes called ‘supplementary evidence’).

A person collecting third-party evidence is not conducting any assessment. It remains the role of your RTO's assessor to make the judgement about whether competency has been achieved.

Your RTO does not require a written agreement to collect third-party evidence.

However, a third-party provider is any party who provides services under your RTO's registration, including undertaking assessment of training products.

Your RTO does require a written agreement to use a third-party provider.

Read more on using third party evidence to assess competence.