ISO 9001 Certification
Summary
Welcome to our area devoted to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System standard. This page provides an overview of ISO 9001 with separate sections covering its history, what certification costs and the benefits.
ISO 9001 is for all organisations large or small and covers
all sectors, including charities and the voluntary sector.
It will help you to be more structured and organised but
doesn’t require bureaucracy. Indeed, by being able to
achieve the right results first time, your
customers will benefit from your consistency and you’ll save
on the cost of re-work. ISO 9001 is also a proven business
winner with most certified organisations qualifying for more
tenders and winning more orders!
We have over 40 years experience in the assessment industry
and are
UKAS accredited. Our customers also benefit
from our Fixed Fee Guarantee; you are guaranteed
certification within the agreed budget no matter how many
audits are required. In addition, we make all of our
customers a
Price Match Promise; if you can find a
cheaper like-for-like quote within 14-days, we’ll match it
and give you a 10% discount from your next audit.
Once underway, your Assessor will undertake a gap-analysis (known
as a Stage 1 Audit) and you will
receive a report outlining any non-conformities
that are identified. Where
appropriate, we can also provide you with
good-practice examples and guides, as well as training in the standard.
Get a Quote
To receive your fixed price ISO 9001 quotation, please use the Online Quotation Form or call0800 404 7007.
Benefits
Most organisations want ISO 9001 certification to qualify for a tender or to achieve preferred supplier status: typically for a Local Authority or for a supply chain requirement. However, whoever you decide to choose as your Certification Body, make sure they are UKAS accredited. It could prove a costly mistake if you don’t.
There are many benefits to achieving ISO 9001 certification, including:
Preferred status for tenders, etc
Improved internal working
Winning more business
Less costly errors and re-work
Enhanced status
Better communications and motivated staff
Improved customer satisfaction and loyalty
Preferential insurance premiums
Increased profitability
Competitive advantage
In addition, ISO 9001 is designed to be compatible with other management system standards such as ISO 14001 (Environmental) , OHSAS 18001 (Health and Safety) and ISO 27001 (Information Security). All or any combination of these complementary standards can be integrated seamlessly. They share many principles, so choosing an integrated management system can provide you with outstanding value for money.
If you would like an integrated management system,
comprising all or a combination of ISO management standards,
simply let us know your requirements and we'll provide you
with a fixed price
quotation.
Get a Quote
To receive your fixed price ISO 9001 quotation, please use the Online Quotation Form or call 0800 404 7007.
Process
STEP 1: Preparation
Realistically, if you are new to the ISO 9001 standard you are going to need some guidance and we have a range of off-the-shelf good practice guides on our website which are free of charge. When you're ready, we’ll discuss your requirements with you and provide you with a Fixed Price quotation so you can budget accurately. Your quotation will be based on factors like what you do, how many locations you operate from and how many people you employ (if any). To get the ball rolling, simply call us on 0800 404 7007 or email us an enquiry.
STEP 2: Application
Once you decide to go-ahead, we'll assign a Lead Assessor to you. He or she will be your principal contact throughout the registration process and beyond. They will build up detailed knowledge of your organisation and will be able to answer any questions you may have.
STEP 3: Pre-Audit Assessment (known as Stage 1)
Your Lead Assessor will visit you to explain the standard and undertake a conformity evaluation of your current arrangements for quality management. You will then receive a detailed report including all required actions. Together, you will then determine the appropriate timetable for your Audit Assessment.
STEP 4: Audit Assessment (known as Stage 2)
Once you are ready for your formal Audit Assessment, your Lead Assessor will make the required arrangements for you. On completion, you will be informed of the Auditor's recommendation before he or she leaves your premises.
STEP 5: Registration & Certificate
Following the Auditor's recommendation, your registration will be reviewed and if approved your certification will be confirmed. Soon after, your certificate of conformity to the ISO 9001 standard will be issued and sent to you.
STEP 6: Continual Assessment
Having achieved certification, you will want to maintain your registration and your Lead Assessor will remain on hand to undertake the required annual reviews to ensure you continue to meet the requirements of ISO 9001.
Get a Quote
To receive your fixed price ISO 9001 quotation, please use the Online Quotation Form or call 0800 404 7007.
Costs
We work with clients from the very large to the very small and even if you are a ‘one man band’, we can help you!
Your quotation will be based on factors like what you do, how many locations you operate from and how many people you employ (if any).
We provide all of our clients with a Fixed Fee quotation because we know that day rates have a habit of going over budget and we believe in being transparent.
All of our quotes are inclusive. We won’t charge you extra for travel, registration fees or for your certificate (unlike many others). The only thing to add is VAT.
In addition, we make all of our customers a Price Match Promise ; if you can find a cheaper like-for-like quote within 14-days, we’ll match it and give you a 10% discount from your next surveillance.
Get a Quote
To receive your fixed price ISO 9001 quotation, please use the Online Quotation Form or call 0800 404 7007.
History
Formalised quality assurance originally came from the Defence Industry's need for standards. For example, to supply the Ministry of Defence (MoD) a company had to write up its procedure for making its product, have the procedure inspected by the MoD and then ensure that its workers followed the published procedures.
The idea of quality assurance spread beyond the military and in 1966, the UK Government led the first national campaign for quality and reliability with the slogan "Quality is everyone's business." However, by this time, suppliers were being assessed by any number of their customers and it was widely recognised that such duplication of effort was a chronic waste of time and money. Progress was finally made in 1969, when a UK Government committee report on the subject recommended that suppliers' methods should be assessed against a generic standard of quality assurance.
In 1971, the British Standards Institute (BSI) published the first UK standard for quality assurance (BS 9000), which was developed for the electronics industry. Then, in 1974, the BSI published BS 5179; Guidelines for Quality Assurance. This led to a shift in the burden of inspection from the customer to the supplier, as quality assurance could be guaranteed by the supplier to the customer through third-party inspection.
Through the 1970's, the BSI organised meetings with industry to set a common standard, which culminated in the BS5750 standard in 1979. Key industry bodies agreed to drop their own standards and use BS5750 instead. The purpose of BS5750 was to provide a common contractual document, demonstrating that industrial production was controlled.
The ISO 9000 certification standard has evolved over several revisions. The initial 1987 version (ISO 9000:1987) had the same structure as the UK Standard BS 5750, with three 'models' for quality management systems, the selection of which was based on the scope of activities of the organisation. The language of this first version of the Standard was influenced by existing US and other Defence Military Standards, so it was more accessible to manufacturing and was well suited to the demands of a rigorous, stable, factory-floor manufacturing process. With its structure of twenty 'elements' or requirements, the emphasis tended to be overly placed on conformance with procedures rather than the overall process of management; which was the original intent.
The 1994 version (ISO 9000:1994) was an attempt to break from the practices which had somewhat corrupted the use of the 1987 standard. It also emphasised quality assurance via preventive actions and continued to require evidence of compliance with documented procedures. Unfortunately, as with the first edition, companies tended to implement its requirements by creating shelf-loads of procedure manuals and becoming burdened with ISO bureaucracy. Adapting and improving processes could be particularly difficult in such an environment.
The 2000 version of the standard (ISO 9001:2000) sought to make a radical change in thinking. It placed the concept of process management at the heart of the standard, making it clear that the essential goals of the standard - which had always been about 'a documented system' not a 'system of documents' - were reinforced. The goal was always to have management system effectiveness via process performance measures. This third edition makes this more visible and so reduced the emphasis on having documented procedures if clear evidence could be presented to show that the process was working well. Expectations of continual process improvement and tracking customer satisfaction were also made explicit in this revision. A new set of eight core quality management principles, designed to act as a common foundation for all standards relating to quality management, were also introduced; namely:
Improved consistency with traceability
Enhanced customer focus
Focused leadership
The involvement of people
A system approach to management
Continual improvement
A factual approach to decision making
Mutually beneficial supplier relationships
The fourth and latest edition of the standard (ISO 9001:2008) was published on November 14th 2008. This revision contains minor amendments only. The aim of this revision is to clarify existing requirements and to improve consistency of approach with other management standards, like ISO 14001:2004.
Get a Quote
To receive your fixed price ISO 9001 quotation, please use the Online Quotation Form or call 0800 404 7007.