The award would require an audit which, if successful, would show that the institute of vocational rehabilitation works in accordance with the standards of the platform.

EQUASS is built on ten quality principles that reflect the wishes of its European stakeholders (funders, social partners, client representatives and advocacy groups),[17] balancing business efficiency requirements, with a strong focus on protecting the rights of the clients, and a person-centred approach, while ensuring a professional development and training of the staff.

[citation needed] EQUASS Excellence is awarded to service providers that can demonstrate achievements and continuous improvement on all 50 criteria based on the ten Principles for Quality from three different perspectives: approach, deployment and results.

The EQUASS Awarding Committee comprises key European actors in social services and EU politics.

As of July 2013[update], there are 440 certified organisations in 11 European countries, serving over 100.000 users, and employing over 14.000 staff members.

The areas in which the certified organisations are active include, among others: In Norway, EQUASS Assurance certification is one of several quality labels that allow a disability service provider or social firm to get funding from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) in exchange for providing rehabilitation services.

In Greece, a research paper published in 2013 in the Disability and Health Journal found that "[The] EQUASS initiative, developed according to European standards and implemented in resource-limited settings, was recognized as the most adaptive and appropriate system for Greek rehabilitation settings".