Independent Assurance Authority — Physical AI Governance and PRVE Pilot
NIOS Holdings Inc. and Nova Intelligence Inc. invite expressions of interest from a qualified individual or organization for a bounded, independent review of program-initiation and architecture-baseline evidence.
About the engagement
The Authority will provide independent, evidence-based review of defined governance and architecture materials for the initiation phase of the NIOS Physical-AI Control Plane™ and Production Readiness Validation Environment (PRVE) Pilot Program. NIOS is pre-pilot and resource-constrained. The appointment is intended to establish credible separation between the build team, executive authority, and assurance authority before pilot coding or any future physical-system connection.
Scope and deliverables
| Work package | Review focus | Expected output |
|---|---|---|
| Gate 0 — Program initiation | Authorities, independence, simulation boundary, risk appetite, evidence readiness, escalation, and stop-work controls. | Concise findings memorandum and Gate 0 recommendation. |
| Gate 1 — Architecture baseline | Trust boundaries, planning/actuation separation, policy enforcement, human authorization, safety envelope, telemetry, incident evidence, and requirements-to-test traceability. | Concise architecture-baseline findings memorandum and final assurance disposition. |
- Two defined document packages, each with one consolidated review cycle.
- Two remote meetings, each limited to 60 minutes.
- An independence statement and concise written findings.
- A final disposition: accept, accept with findings, defer, or decline assurance acceptance.
Authority and independence
The reviewer may identify findings, request clarification or evidence, recommend remediation or deferral, decline assurance acceptance, or recommend that the applicable Gate not advance. Compensation is payable for independent professional work and is not contingent on a favorable conclusion.
Candidates must disclose actual, potential, and reasonably perceived conflicts, including financial, family, advisory, employment, investment, ownership, creditor, vendor, referral, and prior-work relationships involving NIOS, Nova, their executives, program personnel, affiliates, or the work under review.
This is intended as an independent-contractor professional-services appointment, not employment. The selected Authority will not manage the build team or author the materials it later reviews.
Approved pilot boundary under review
- A bounded Nova digital twin will model a robotic or laboratory workflow with specimen identity, protected-zone entry, human release, and simulated clinical consequences.
- Architecture Baseline 0.1 will include one cross-sector Incident and Vulnerability Evidence Object rather than a separate EU-only record.
- Simulation, PRVE testing, independent findings, and explicit human authorization must precede any separately authorized live-machine connection.
Candidate profile
Relevant experience may include AI governance or assurance; internal or technology audit; safety-critical systems; systems engineering; robotics or operational technology; cybersecurity; model risk; quality or reliability engineering; responsible AI; regulated-sector governance; or independent verification and validation. No single professional credential is mandatory.
Excluded work and prohibited representations
- No coding, architecture authorship, remediation work, penetration testing, legal advice, financial audit, or continuous monitoring.
- No live-machine, patient-facing, production, operational-technology, or autonomous-actuation testing.
- No party may represent the appointment as accreditation, certification, regulatory approval, standards conformance, endorsement, or validated production safety.
How to express interest
Provide: (1) a brief biography or organizational profile; (2) relevant experience and credentials; (3) one example of an independent finding or assurance decision; (4) availability during the 90-day term; (5) the required relationship and conflict disclosures; and (6) confirmation that the $3,000 fixed fee and 12-hour maximum are acceptable.
Priority consideration: September 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Submissions may be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Submission channel: Use the NIOS contact address or secure submission method included in the post, email, or professional referral through which you received this notice.
NIOS and Nova may interview candidates, request references, decline all submissions, revise or withdraw this solicitation, or condition selection on a signed agreement and satisfactory independence review. No appointment exists until the appointment record and professional-services agreement are executed.