A management system certification issued by an accredited certification body, not a government licence. Accreditation is what separates a certificate that counts from one that does not.
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TIMELINE
15 to 45 working days
ISSUED BY
Accredited certification bodies
COMMON STANDARDS
9001, 14001, 45001, 27001
VALIDITY
3 years, with surveillance audits
What is included
Selection of the right standard for your operation
Gap assessment against the chosen standard
Documentation of the management system
Internal audit and management review support
Coordination with an accredited certification body
Stage 1 and Stage 2 audit preparation
Guidance on surveillance audits and recertification
Documents you will need
Organisational information
Business registration documents
Organisation chart and scope of operations
List of processes and activities to be covered
Existing policies and procedures, where any exist
Operational records
Process flow and work instructions
Customer complaint and feedback records
Supplier and purchase records
Training and competence records
How the filing runs
Choose the standard
9001 for quality, 14001 for environment, 45001 for occupational health and safety, 27001 for information security. The standard follows the business need, not the other way round.
Close the gaps
Current practice is assessed against the standard and the missing processes and records are built.
Run the system
The system must operate for a period and generate real records, including at least one internal audit and management review, before an audit can succeed.
Certification audit
An accredited body conducts Stage 1 documentation review and Stage 2 implementation audit, then issues the certificate.
Not every ISO certificate is worth the paper
ISO certification is a private certification market, not a government licence, and it is largely unpoliced at the cheap end. Certificates issued by bodies with no recognised accreditation are widely sold, arrive within days, and are rejected the moment a serious customer, tender authority or auditor checks the accreditation chain. If the certificate is being obtained to satisfy a customer or bid requirement, verify that the certification body carries accreditation recognised under the International Accreditation Forum before paying anyone. A cheap certificate that fails at the tender stage costs more than doing it properly.
It depends on what you are being asked to demonstrate. Quality management is the most commonly requested, information security is standard for IT and data handling businesses.
Because accreditation status varies. Accredited certification involves real audit days by qualified auditors. Non accredited certificates involve neither.