Leonard Investigations

Leonard Investigations (UKI) Ltd, provider of corporate investigations and litigation support services, had previously been ISO 9001 certified, so were aware of the importance of Quality Management.

Elaine Cameron, Leonard’s Office Manager, was an advocate of gaining certification again and was given the main responsibility of implementing the standard.

She explained why the organisation needed to achieve ISO 9001:

“More and more clients now expect an objective demonstration of how we run our business. We knew that certification to ISO 9001:2015 would help us to achieve this requirement.”

An important part of the process for Leonard was to gain the highest level of certification, and that meant using a UKAS accredited CB – as Elaine clarified:

“The British Assessment Bureau were able to offer us UKAS accredited certification to ISO 9001:2015. As UKAS is the national accreditation body for the UK, it was important to our business to be certified this way.”

Elaine worked closely with her dedicated Auditor, Derrick Ross, throughout the implementation of ISO 9001:2015. He was able to talk her through how the standard could be used within the business.

“Our Auditor explained the requirements of the standard very clearly. He also understood the context in which a small business like ours operates, and was able to tailor his advice to our particular situation.”

Thanks to Leonard’s diligence and excellent communication with BAB throughout the process, they were awarded certification just 4 months after their first visit!

Elaine explained how buy-in at top level really helped emphasise the importance of certification across the rest of the company:

“The ISO 9001 process was easier than it might have been because our Company Director, Derek Connelly, was totally committed to achieving certification to the quality management standard. He was willing to take on board the changes required to our existing systems and processes, enabling us to achieve the standard required for certification.”

Leonard Investigations (UKI) Ltd began the journey to ISO 9001:2015 certification in order to meet client expectations, and as such will attract new potential clients.

“In some cases, it’s not possible to bid for certain types of work, or to be a panel member of certain firms, if we cannot demonstrate our commitment to quality.”

Another benefit Leonard are already experiencing is that they’re now able to meet the expectations and requirements of some of their existing customers, as they can prove they have a QMS in place.

“In the business world of today, our clients are requiring more and more evidence of the way in which we operate. In some circumstances it is the requirement of the clients that drives the standards to be met by their suppliers.”

Elaine concluded:

“Having previously achieved certification to ISO 9001, we were aware of the importance of Quality Management Standards. We also recognised the significance of maintaining the standard once achieved. The fact we’ll be audited yearly shows a real commitment.”

Since 1969, we’ve been helping organisations stand out with our assessment and training services. Today, we are an award-winning Certification Body, we have certified thousands to the ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 and OHSAS 18001 internationally recognised standards; achieving an average 99% recommendation rating.