FAQs
Can you certify me?
No. And if any consultancy said they can certify you then RUN! Your consultancy would just be marking their own homework if they certified you so pretty valueless. It also means they are not offering UKAS accredited certification as UKAS require consultants and certification bodies to be different entities. So RUN and work with a consultant who helps you find a suitable UKAS accredited certification body.
Can you do it for me?
No. It is your company. Your products, your processes, your team. We can give guidance, give templates, help write documents, train your team, carry out internal audits and hold your hand during external audits. But ultimately it really is down to you. The external auditors are auditing you, not our fantastic documentation. I can guarantee you will pass the first audit as all about documentation. I can NEVER ever guarantee you will pass a stage 2 or surveillance audit as that is down to you and your team doing what you say you do.
How much does ISO certification cost?
There are two main costs. The first is how much it costs to hire a consultant, if you need one. Second is the cost of the external certification body. It really depends on how many employees you have, how many sites you work from and how high risk your company is. Those kinds of practical things will determine a baseline for cost. We work mainly with micro-businesses and SMEs. Our basic cost for the smallest and simplest of companies to help you get ready for ISO 9001 is £2430 + VAT. We are happy to spread this over 6 monthly Direct Debit payments which works out at £405 plus VAT. The external certification body will quote you separately and you pay them directly. Budget roughly £2000 to get your certification in year 1 and £1000 a year ongoing costs for surveillance visits.
How quickly can I get ISO certified?
Minimum time is 6 month from the start of the project to getting through the Stage 2 audit which is the final hurdle. Your actual certificate will then arrive once it has been reviewed by the external auditors compliance team. If anyone says they can get you a certificate in a day or week or month then they probably are not UKAS certified. UKAS certified bodies tend to require evidence that you have actually implemented and do what you say you have done in your documentation and will audit it to prove that. So, you need time to fill in all the gaps that will be required to become ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 certified. If you need to become ISO 27001 certified you need to leave at least 6 months , but more likely will be 9 months to a year depending on the size and complexity of your business.
Do we need to change the way we do things around here?
You might do or you might not. We have one company that still works on paper and pen. Their system is ISO 9001 compliant and works fine. However a majority of businesses do have to change or adapt new processes to become certified. So yes – change is likely to happen when becoming certified.
Will my staff start doing things right if I put this in place?
We are not miracle workers. We can help set you up with the right tools, the right documents, the training, the right systems. We cannot however, make people do what they do not want to do. That is your job as the CEO, Director, or MD, of the company to sort out. Get a decent HR consultant or Leadership trainer who are specialised in helping you deal with those kinds of issues legally, culturally and individually.
Why do I still need you after I have been certified?
You don’t. If you have someone internally who can take over then that is great. Often though, SME and Micro businesses like having us to come in and carry out internal audits on their behalf once or twice a year as a minimum. We are independent and can help cast an external eye over what is happening and give guidance on best practice. Others like having monthly or quarterly accountability meetings to help keep them on track with what you need to be doing to stay certified. Some also like the fact we sit online with the external auditors or onsite and facilitate the days so they can be getting on with their day to day job and not have to worry about it. So, it is up to you if you would like to sign up for one of our retainer packages which start from £100 a month.