1. What does the Quotation & Proposal include?
The Quotation & Proposal normally includes the cost of the onsite Consultancy visit, Documentation, Support & Audit. This is termed within our Quotation & Proposal as:
Stage 1 - Pre-assessment & Consultation.
Stage 2 – Documentation and Support.
Stage 3 – External Audit.
2. Who are ISO?
ISO is the acronym for The International Organisation for Standardisation.
ISO is the world's largest developer and publisher of International Standards and is made up of a network of 163 national standards institutes from around the world with one member from each participating country. ISO Central Secretariat is based in Geneva Switzerland, where it coordinates the systems. The UK member is the British Standards Institute or BSI as they are more commonly known.
ISO say:
'Because "International Organisation for Standardisation" would have different acronyms in different languages ("IOS" in English, "OIN" in French for Organisation Internationale de Normalisation), its founders decided to give it also a short, all-purpose name. They chose "ISO", derived from the Greek isos, meaning "equal". Whatever the country, whatever the language, the short form of the organisation's name is always ISO.'
ISO is a non-governmental organisation and is designed to act as an impartial conduit between the public and private sectors. This ensures ISO is able to reach a rounded consensus on most out-comes that meet both the needs of business and the wider requirements of society.
A very common mistake (when people are talking about getting certified to an ISO standard) is the use of the phrase 'ISO Certification' which implies that ISO offer Certification.
This is in fact a myth and one strongly challenged by ISO.
You may be surprised to know that there is actually NO such thing as 'ISO' Certification.
ISO do not issue any Certification.
ISO do not publish any Certification.
ISO do not recognise any Certifications.
ISO do not recognise or recommend any Certification Bodies.
Despite this fact, many Certification Bodies appear to offer 'ISO Certification' and choose not to argue or explain the inaccuracy to uninformed enquirers, due to the confusion it can cause when challenged.
Certification Bodies provide Certification to verify that organisations systems have been independently and impartially assessed and audited and meet the defined requirements of the chosen ISO Standards.
Find out more about ISO at www.iso.org
3. How do I pay for it?
Your ISO Quotation & Proposal is a fixed fee and payable in 3 easy instalments for your convenience and ease of budgeting. 1st Payment (1/3rd) on order. 2nd Payment Prior to release of your bespoke documentation and 3rd Payment Prior to your Audit or within 6 months of first visit, which ever is the soonest.
4. If we have several companies that require ISO certification, can these all be covered by one certificate?
Individual legal entities require separate ISO certification.
5. How long will the whole process take?
3 months comfortably, depending on how much time can be dedicated to the implementation of your chosen systems. However it has been achieved in 1 week, with some asserted effort, and has also taken some organisations over a year, due to work load commitments. It all depends on the time and resources you have available and the drive to become compliant to the standard(s). WE ALWAYS WORK AT YOUR PACE.
6. Do you use independent auditors from Accredited Certification Bodies?
Yes, we only use Independent Auditors from Accredited Certification Bodies, primarily AIUK and occasionally SLAB required.
7. Will our company go on a global register?
Yes, and this will be verifiable on line from anywhere in the world.
8. What are Management Standards?
ISO Management Standards are recognised internationally and used as a respected and trusted bench mark for the standardising of service, process, regulation and production all over the world. Management Standards are based on the established and verified 'Best-Practices' implemented by many of the most successful organisations in the world. The five most recognised Management Standards that are implimented today are:
ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Management
ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management
ISO 27001:2005 Information Security Management
ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management
OHSAS 18001:2007 Occupational Health & Safety Management
The OHSAS 18001 is not an ISO Standard, however in the absence of an established ISO Health and Safety Management Standard, it is to all intents and purposes the most widely used international recognised standard covering Health and Safety we have.
9. Do ISO Standards require regular Internal and External Audits?
If a company needs to demonstrate conformity by means of Certification they are required to have their Management Systems externally and impartially audited by a bonafide Certification Body in line with ISO 17021:2006/11 on a regular basis. The frequency of this is determined by the Certification Body and based on the size and activities of the organisation. However an initial certification audit and annual surveillance audits are usual for most SME's.
Organisations are expected to internally audit all the key components of their Management Systems, at least once a year, in line with the standard requirements.
