LAVAN Credibility · How an assessment works
From application to Trust Passport, step by step.
What a business submits, who checks it, how it is scored, and what it holds at the end. Nothing in the process is hidden from the business being assessed.
Before you begin
What a business brings.
An assessment is built on documents, not on a questionnaire alone.
A business profile
What the business does, where, and since when.
Registration details
Its legal registration, which is checked against the registry.
Financial records
Statements, management accounts and the records behind them.
Supporting documents
Governance, tax, operational and commercial evidence.
What to prepare
The evidence, domain by domain.
The documents Credibility OS accepts for each of the ten domains. Choose a domain to see its list.
Domain 01 of 10 · 15 documents count
Legal & Ownership Integrity
- CAC Certificate of Incorporation
- Memorandum & Articles of Association
- CAC Form CO7 (Particulars of Directors)
- CAC Form CO2 (Allotment of Shares)
- Share Register / Shareholder List
- Tax Identification Number (TIN) Certificate
- Business Name Registration Certificate
- Sector Regulatory Licence / Permit
- Ownership Structure Chart
- UBO Declaration / Beneficial Owner Form
- Partnership Agreement
- Trademark / IP Registration
- CAC Annual Returns Filing
- Proof of Business Address (utility bill or lease)
- Shareholder Agreement
Domain 02 of 10 · 14 documents count
Governance & Leadership
- Board Resolution
- Board Charter / Terms of Reference
- Corporate Governance Policy
- Organisational Chart
- Director / Executive CV / Profile
- Succession Plan Document
- Code of Conduct / Ethics Policy
- Conflict of Interest Policy
- Board Meeting Minutes
- Annual General Meeting Minutes
- Whistleblowing / Speak-Up Policy
- Related-Party Transactions Policy
- Financial Approval Matrix
- Business Plan
Domain 03 of 10 · 14 documents count
Financial Reporting Quality
- Audited Financial Statements
- Management Accounts
- External Auditor's Report
- Financial Projections / Forecast
- Balance Sheet
- Income Statement / P&L
- Cash Flow Statement
- Accounting Policy Document
- IFRS / GAAP Compliance Note
- Auditor Engagement Letter
- Bank Statement (6–12 months)
- Debtors / Receivables Schedule
- Tax Returns (3 years)
- Equipment / Asset Register
Domain 04 of 10 · 10 documents count
Liquidity & Cash Flow
- Bank Statement (6–12 months)
- Cash Flow Projection
- Credit Facility / Overdraft Letter
- Working Capital Schedule
- Debtors / Receivables Schedule
- Creditors / Payables Schedule
- Liquidity Management Policy
- Loan Repayment Schedule
- Investment Portfolio Statement
- Revenue Breakdown by Customer/Segment
Domain 05 of 10 · 14 documents count
Tax & Statutory Compliance
- FIRS Tax Clearance Certificate
- VAT Registration Certificate
- Tax Returns (3 years)
- PAYE / Employee Tax Remittance Evidence
- Pension Compliance Certificate (PenCom)
- Customs / Import-Export Compliance
- NSITF Compliance Certificate
- ITF Levy Payment Evidence
- Stamp Duty Payment Evidence
- State / LGA Tax Clearance
- Sector Regulatory Licence / Permit
- CAC Annual Returns Filing
- Record Retention Policy
- Tax Advisor Engagement Letter
Domain 06 of 10 · 13 documents count
Internal Controls & Risk
- Internal Audit Report
- Risk Register
- Internal Control Policy
- Financial Approval Matrix
- Procurement Policy
- Anti-Bribery & Corruption Policy
- Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Policy
- Fraud Prevention Policy
- IT Security / Cybersecurity Policy
- Segregation of Duties Matrix
- Business Continuity / DR Plan
- Insurance Certificate
- Whistleblowing / Speak-Up Policy
Domain 07 of 10 · 12 documents count
Operational Process Maturity
- Operations Manual / SOPs
- ISO / Quality Management Certification
- Customer Contract Sample
- Supplier / Vendor Contract Sample
- HR Policy / Employee Handbook
- Staff List / Headcount Report
- Payroll Evidence
- Service Delivery / Performance Report
- Office / Facility Lease Agreement
- Equipment / Asset Register
- Technology / Software Licence
- Health and Safety Policy
Domain 08 of 10 · 15 documents count
Commercial Resilience
- Customer / Client List
- Revenue Breakdown by Customer/Segment
- Sales Report (12 months)
- Signed Commercial Contracts
- Purchase Orders / LOIs
- Market Analysis / Competitive Review
- Business Plan
- Investor / Capital Pitch Deck
- Product / Service Catalogue
- Customer References / Testimonials
- Export Licence / International Trade Docs
- Partnership MOU / Strategic Alliance
- Risk Register
- Income Statement / P&L
- Supplier / Vendor Contract Sample
Domain 09 of 10 · 11 documents count
Data Transparency & Evidence Quality
- Data Protection / Privacy Policy
- Data Protection Compliance Evidence
- Data Audit / Privacy Impact Assessment
- Information Security Policy
- Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
- Public Disclosure / Transparency Statement
- Beneficial Ownership Registry Evidence
- ESG / Sustainability Report
- CSR Report
- Environmental and Social Policy
- Use of Funds Statement
Domain 10 of 10 · 14 documents count
Capital & Diligence Readiness
- Information Memorandum / Investment Deck
- Capitalisation Table
- Shareholder Agreement
- Term Sheet / Heads of Terms
- Valuation Report
- Due Diligence Report (prior)
- Loan Agreement
- Collateral / Security Documentation
- Grant Agreement
- Use of Funds Statement
- Investor Update / Board Report
- Exit Strategy Document
- Bank Statement (6–12 months)
- Financial Projections / Forecast
You will not need all of these. Each list is what counts as evidence for that domain; the assessment asks only for what applies to your business.
The governed pathway
Five stages.
Each stage leaves a record of what was done and on what evidence.
Application and intake
The business submits its profile, records and supporting documents through the secure portal.
OutputAn assessment is opened
Assessment and verification
A LAVAN assessor reviews the evidence domain by domain. Every answer records what it was checked against, and by whom.
OutputA reviewed evidence file
Scoring
The scoring engine produces a 0–1000 Business Credibility Score and five further decision scores.
OutputSix decision scores
Passport issuance
A Trust Passport is issued with a verification link, valid for 12 months, and shared at the business’s discretion.
OutputA Trust Passport
Ongoing monitoring
Scores are recomputed when the evidence behind them changes: a document verified, financials updated, a new assessment.
OutputA record that stays current
What the business receives
More than a number.
The passport belongs to the business. It decides who sees it.
- A Trust Passport
- A standardized credibility record in a form institutions can read.
- Six decision scores
- A headline score and five more, each answering a different question.
- Results by domain
- All ten assessed domains, including any that were flagged as weak.
- An improvement roadmap
- What to address, in order, to strengthen the next assessment.
- A verification link
- A public address where anyone shown the passport can confirm it.
Safeguards
What keeps an assessment honest.
- 01
A person reviews it
Every domain is reviewed by an assessor against the documents provided.
- 02
Provenance is recorded
Each answer notes what it was checked against, and by whom.
- 03
Weaknesses are shown
A weak domain is flagged on the passport, not averaged away.
- 04
It expires
Every certificate states its issue and expiry dates.
Getting ready
Five things an assessor will want to see.
If any of these is hard to answer today, that is useful to know before you start.
- 01Who owns and directs the business, and where is that recorded?
- 02Do the financial records reconcile to the bank?
- 03Are registrations and tax filings current?
- 04How are decisions and controls documented?
- 05Can your customers and contracts be evidenced?
A credibility assessment describes the evidence a business has provided and how far it has been verified. It is not a credit rating, an audit or a guarantee, and it does not predict performance.