The Commission may enter into a formal agreement with a person or organisation pursuant to Section 23 of the Equality Act 2006 after it has been accused by the Commission to have committed an unlawful act. By entering into this agreement, the organisation or person agrees to act in accordance with the law. These agreements may be entered into even if no formal investigation has taken place beforehand.

If, during the investigation, an organisation agrees to enter into an agreement in accordance with Section 23 and develop an action plan, the Commission will terminate the investigation. If the organisation then behaves lawfully, the investigation will not resume.

Once the agreement and an action plan have been established, the Commission will regularly report to the organisation or person, who in turn will have to report on progress.