Frequently Asked Questions about ISOs
You're convinced about the benefits of ISO certification, and you've decided which standard or standards you want to go for. The obvious next questions are, what exactly will we have to do and how much will it all cost? Take a look at our Q&A table below to get an overview of your next steps.
WHO DOES WHAT TO GET YOU YOUR CERTIFICATION?
The Ideas Distillery are ISO consultants, which means we are experts on the ISO standards, have extensive experience implementing business management systems, and can rapidly understand the processes that are part of your company and how best to approach implementation of ISO requirements. We will help you to implement the different tools needed to comply with your chosen standard(s).
When your systems are ready to be audited (i.e. they all comply with the requirements of the standard or standards you are implementing) then you should choose a Certification Body to undertake an audit and award you certification.
Or you can use our Certification Threshold Service® whereby we we implement a compliant management system to the requirements of your chosen ISO standards, which is audited by a third party and where you get a certificate of conformance to the standards. This means you can hold your company at the threshold of ISO compliance until such time as you take the decision to certify to UKAS via a Certification Body (more of this in the tab below).
So you can operate your business to ISO standards, demonstrate your compliance, but don’t have to go to the expense of UKAS accredited certification until you need to - you get the benefits without the initial outlay.
When your systems are ready to be audited (i.e. they all comply with the requirements of the standard or standards you are implementing) then you should choose a Certification Body to undertake an audit and award you certification.
Or you can use our Certification Threshold Service® whereby we we implement a compliant management system to the requirements of your chosen ISO standards, which is audited by a third party and where you get a certificate of conformance to the standards. This means you can hold your company at the threshold of ISO compliance until such time as you take the decision to certify to UKAS via a Certification Body (more of this in the tab below).
So you can operate your business to ISO standards, demonstrate your compliance, but don’t have to go to the expense of UKAS accredited certification until you need to - you get the benefits without the initial outlay.
GETTING CERTIFIED
When you’re ready, you’ll want to think about certification. The fact is that any company can audit you and give you a piece of paper saying that you are ISO compliant (to whichever standard) but frankly this does not mean very much. For credibility, you should find an accredited Certification Body.
This means that they themselves have been audited by (as would be the case in the the UK) the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, or UKAS. This will ensure that you get UKAS accredited certification. A full list of accredited Certification Bodies can be found here.
This is important to note as you might see advertisements for 'one-stop-shop' certification organisations which will give you consultation on the implementation of your ISO standards and then certification on top. This may seem like a convenient option, but in reality, it’s like asking your driving instructor to issue you with a driving licence. Companies that provide consultancy are strictly forbidden from applying for UKAS accreditation. This means that any organisations offering you this fast-track combined service will not be able to give you UKAS accredited certification.
Don’t be fooled by low prices and promises of speedy certification. In the long run, going through the proper process and getting UKAS accreditation will give you a far better return on investment.
This means that they themselves have been audited by (as would be the case in the the UK) the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, or UKAS. This will ensure that you get UKAS accredited certification. A full list of accredited Certification Bodies can be found here.
This is important to note as you might see advertisements for 'one-stop-shop' certification organisations which will give you consultation on the implementation of your ISO standards and then certification on top. This may seem like a convenient option, but in reality, it’s like asking your driving instructor to issue you with a driving licence. Companies that provide consultancy are strictly forbidden from applying for UKAS accreditation. This means that any organisations offering you this fast-track combined service will not be able to give you UKAS accredited certification.
Don’t be fooled by low prices and promises of speedy certification. In the long run, going through the proper process and getting UKAS accreditation will give you a far better return on investment.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Consulting costs for any company can vary greatly. The range of prices that you are likely to hear is anything from £500 to £40,000+. On the low end of the scale, you can purchase an “ISO in a box” documentation package for around £500 (some run to even less). This approach will provide you with a set of generic text-based documents that you will then have to edit to make them somewhat representative of your company’s operations. Generally, most mass market, low cost, do-it-yourself ISO products are designed for companies that manufacture/produce some kind of product.
In reality, the actual price depends on the size and complexity of your company and the level and type of service you are looking for. We work directly with companies to implement ISO standards in a way that is specific to your company. The objective and expertise of our consultants is to achieve registration by developing a custom system which meets the requirements of the applicable standard(s) but also see genuine business improvement. Our prices start at £1,800+VAT per 9001, 14001 and 45001 standard, discounted to £5,000+VAT for all three together, and £7,500+VAT for the 27001 standard, but obviously this increases depending on the size and complexity of what you do.
Then there are the costs of the Certification Body, and this is done on a day rate basis. The rate depends entirely upon the Certification Body which you choose. This is where it's useful to get quotations as prices can vary anywhere between £600 - £1,200 per day. The number of days again depends on the size and complexity of your company, and it's also important to take into account something called the certification cycle. See the following tab for this in more detail.
But to get your initial certification, as well as the size and complexity of your organisation, there is the consideration of how many standards you are asking them to audit. One standard could be as few as two days, and then would increase to three days for two standards, then four days for three standards, etc.
The best thing you can do at this stage is to use our Cost Benefit Analysis Tool to work out exactly (or at least a best guess) of the costs, then the benefits you might expect to see over time.
In reality, the actual price depends on the size and complexity of your company and the level and type of service you are looking for. We work directly with companies to implement ISO standards in a way that is specific to your company. The objective and expertise of our consultants is to achieve registration by developing a custom system which meets the requirements of the applicable standard(s) but also see genuine business improvement. Our prices start at £1,800+VAT per 9001, 14001 and 45001 standard, discounted to £5,000+VAT for all three together, and £7,500+VAT for the 27001 standard, but obviously this increases depending on the size and complexity of what you do.
Then there are the costs of the Certification Body, and this is done on a day rate basis. The rate depends entirely upon the Certification Body which you choose. This is where it's useful to get quotations as prices can vary anywhere between £600 - £1,200 per day. The number of days again depends on the size and complexity of your company, and it's also important to take into account something called the certification cycle. See the following tab for this in more detail.
But to get your initial certification, as well as the size and complexity of your organisation, there is the consideration of how many standards you are asking them to audit. One standard could be as few as two days, and then would increase to three days for two standards, then four days for three standards, etc.
The best thing you can do at this stage is to use our Cost Benefit Analysis Tool to work out exactly (or at least a best guess) of the costs, then the benefits you might expect to see over time.
THE CERTIFICATION CYCLE
It's important to recognise ISO certification is not a single event, but rather an ongoing process that ensures your business complies with the requirements of its chosen standard.
The certification cycle is a three-year programme which starts with the Stage One audit. Your auditor investigates whether or not you have successfully managed to comply with the proposed scope and the targets you have set for your company. While this may show up some weaknesses and areas for improvement, this process is designed to be constructive, preparing you for the Stage Two audit.
Typically around 30 days later you will then have a Stage Two audit. This confirms that your processes and systems are free from nonconformities. Again, your auditor will evaluate your performance and efficiency and make the recommendations for certification. There may still be a need to address nonconformities following this audit, but it's at this point you get your ISO certification.
The following two years will see annual Surveillance Audits by the Certification Body. During these, all the elements covered in the Stage Two audit are re-assessed with a view to ensuring that all the original systems and processes are operating as specified and producing the correct outcomes.
Following these two years of Surveillance Audits, you will then get a Recertification Audit. Your ISO certificate is valid for three years after its initial issue. Recertification requires you to undergo an audit similar to the initial auditing process without the need for a Stage One audit.
So it's important to realise that each one of these annual events incurs a cost with the Certification Body (on a day rate basis). The Ideas Distillery can also, on an annually retained basis, offer you three levels of service to ensure that the key ongoing areas of your management systems are addressed, depending on how much work you want to do.
The certification cycle is a three-year programme which starts with the Stage One audit. Your auditor investigates whether or not you have successfully managed to comply with the proposed scope and the targets you have set for your company. While this may show up some weaknesses and areas for improvement, this process is designed to be constructive, preparing you for the Stage Two audit.
Typically around 30 days later you will then have a Stage Two audit. This confirms that your processes and systems are free from nonconformities. Again, your auditor will evaluate your performance and efficiency and make the recommendations for certification. There may still be a need to address nonconformities following this audit, but it's at this point you get your ISO certification.
The following two years will see annual Surveillance Audits by the Certification Body. During these, all the elements covered in the Stage Two audit are re-assessed with a view to ensuring that all the original systems and processes are operating as specified and producing the correct outcomes.
Following these two years of Surveillance Audits, you will then get a Recertification Audit. Your ISO certificate is valid for three years after its initial issue. Recertification requires you to undergo an audit similar to the initial auditing process without the need for a Stage One audit.
So it's important to realise that each one of these annual events incurs a cost with the Certification Body (on a day rate basis). The Ideas Distillery can also, on an annually retained basis, offer you three levels of service to ensure that the key ongoing areas of your management systems are addressed, depending on how much work you want to do.
WHAT DO WE HELP YOU WITH IN THE ISO PROCESS?
There are quite a few things which need to happen to get you ready for audit depending on the standard or standards you are looking to achieve, but typically they can be broken down into the following elements:
- Making sure we have identified all the requirements that exist for your management system such as customer needs, regulations, legislation, and the needs of your own company;
- Defining the scope of your management system so you know the limits of what needs to be done and you don't include areas of your business that might not be relevant;
- Looking at risks to, and opportunities, within your business, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the people within it and how they will relate to your management system;
- Defining processes and procedures, including mapping out what you company actually does and creating mandatory procedures defined by the standards, but also any additional processes and procedures required by your company to ensure consistent and adequate results. The key is to define all the processes in your company and look at how they interact within your organisation. It is in these interactions that problems can occur;
- Implementing processes and procedures, which will often already be in place at your company and will just need to be adequately documented to ensure consistent results. Not all processes need to be documented procedures, but it is important to decide which ones need to be in order to ensure compliant products and services;
- Training and awareness means it's important that everyone in your organisation knows what you're doing with your management system and how they fit into the equation;
- Operate the management system / measuring its effectiveness by collecting the records that will be required in audits to show that your processes meet the requirements set out for them, that they are effective, and that improvements are being made in your management systems as needed;
- Conducting internal audits, giving us a chance to make sure that the processes are doing what you had planned. You will also have a chance to implement the necessary corrective actions to fix any problems that we find;
- Conducting management reviews, which are vital in looking specified data from the activities of the system in order to ensure that the processes have adequate resources to be effective and improve;
- Taking Corrective Action where we find the root cause of any problems found during our measurements, internal audits and management reviews, and taking action to correct the root causes. This is the key step toward improvement, which is a main focus of having management systems in the first place.
WHY SHOULD YOU USE THE IDEAS DISTILLERY?
We are here help and advise, and to do what is necessary to ensure that your systems will reach the required level for certification. We will advise you where you have gaps plus explain and help you fix the gaps. We will prepare you and show you how to meet the various requirements, and carry out an internal audits for you.
Because of our knowledge, skills and experience, we can guide you and shorten the whole process, and make your management systems work more effectively and efficiently. We'll save you time and money and make sure you avoid the most common mistakes. We’ll also make sure you get a system that suits you, not just impose something on you ‘to get ISO certified’.
You can also spread the cost when using our in-depth support by choosing to pay in simple monthly or quarterly instalments which we can set up to suit you - there's no interest charges, it's simply a recognition of the fact that some businesses may struggle with cashflow, so we're making it as easy as possible in order to lighten your load.
Over the years we've helped hundreds of organisations to achieve certification, and auditors always report back that our clients' systems are of the highest quality. So our 100% Pass Guarantee is simple: if you don't pass your certification audit first time - with whichever Certification Body you choose - and as long as you've done what we've advised you to do - we'll give you a full refund!
Because of our knowledge, skills and experience, we can guide you and shorten the whole process, and make your management systems work more effectively and efficiently. We'll save you time and money and make sure you avoid the most common mistakes. We’ll also make sure you get a system that suits you, not just impose something on you ‘to get ISO certified’.
You can also spread the cost when using our in-depth support by choosing to pay in simple monthly or quarterly instalments which we can set up to suit you - there's no interest charges, it's simply a recognition of the fact that some businesses may struggle with cashflow, so we're making it as easy as possible in order to lighten your load.
Over the years we've helped hundreds of organisations to achieve certification, and auditors always report back that our clients' systems are of the highest quality. So our 100% Pass Guarantee is simple: if you don't pass your certification audit first time - with whichever Certification Body you choose - and as long as you've done what we've advised you to do - we'll give you a full refund!
You can also spread the cost by choosing to pay in simple monthly or quarterly instalments for our in-depth support which we can set up to suit you - there's no interest charges, it's simply a recognition of the fact that some businesses may struggle with cashflow, so we're making it as easy as possible in order to lighten your load.
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Find out how you could get one or more ISO standards with a completely free, no obligation, totally tailored ISO Gap Analysis for your business...
Find out more in our ISOs eBook
Find out more in our ISOs eBook
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