ISO

What is ISO Certification

ISO Certification is a stamp of approval from a third party body that a company runs to one of the international standards developed and published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
The ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization that brings together experts to share knowledge, and develop international standards that support modernity and provide solutions to global challenges.

Why would I want ISO Certification?

ISO Certification shows your key stakeholders that you have a well-run business that has structure, is stable and is ready for growth.Each ISO standard has its advantages, for example:

ISO 9001 helps put your customers first
ISO 27001 protects your systems, data, and reputation
ISO 14001 reduces your environmental impact
ISO 45001 helps you protect your people
ISO 22301 protects your business from disruption

Common advantages across all ISO Standards include:

Increased efficiency
Reduced costs
Improved customer satisfaction
More engaged employees
Reduced risks
Reduced insurance premiums
Helps with tendering

By maintaining an ISO Certification you are proving your organization’s commitment to achieving your objectives and increasing the credibility and customer confidence in your product or service.

What does ISO Certification Cost?

ISO Certification costs vary depending on the size of an organization and the level to which the company is already run with regards to processes and procedures.

If you decide to implement more than one standard at the same time, there are some preferential fees available.

We offer a simple, cost-effective service with flexible payment terms. You can request a quote here.

Due to our proposals being bespoke and the number of variables that can affect the cost of implementation, we do like to meet our potential clients to get to know them a little better before providing them with costs.

How long is the ISO Certificate valid for?

Every provider is different, here at ISO Quality Services, our certificates are valid for one year and, are subject to annual recertification audits to ensure you are still compliant.

In addition, we also provide annual support visits to provide you with extra support in any areas you are struggling with. Failure to be re-certificated is therefore rare.

We believe it takes around three years for a management system to fully mature and by this point, over 90% of customers recognize the value their management system provides.

Which ISO Standards do we need?

There are over 20,000 different management standards, therefore finding the ones that are right for your business can sometimes be confusing.

The best place to start is ISO 9001 Quality Management, as this is the core standard that most of the other well-known standards are based on.

It’s focused on customer service and ensuring your customer receives the service they want, at a time that’s relevant for a fair cost.

Based on your company’s activities there may be additional ‘bolt-on’ standards that you may require or that might complement the business,
for example:-

ISO 27001 protects your systems, data, and reputation
ISO 14001 reduces your environmental impact
ISO 45001 helps you protect your people
ISO 22301 protects your business from disruption

ISO 9001 Mandatory Requirements — Documents and Records

A Monitoring and measuring equipment calibration records.
The records of training, skills, experience, and qualifications.
Product/service requirements review records.
Record design and development outputs review.
Record design and development inputs.

Conclusion

The ISO is an international organization that has had and will continue to have significant effects on business in many areas including,
but not limited to, quality management and environmental performance.

FAQ FOR ISO

What is conformity assessment?

Conformity assessment involves a set of processes that show your product, service or system meets the requirements of a standard. It’s important to note that ISO doesn’t provide certification or conformity assessment.

Does ISO carry out certification?

No. ISO doesn’t provide certification or conformity assessment.

Can I use the ISO logo?

Only ISO, ISO members, and ISO technical committees (TCs) are allowed to use the ISO logo and ISO short name in accordance with ISO Policies.

How can I find a certification body?

At ISO we are not involved in certification, and do not issue certificates.

How can I find out which standards are equivalent to ISO standards?

ISO itself does not have data on equivalent standards (such as national or regional standards). However, a number of ISO members are able to provide this information.

How does ISO decide what standards to develop?

Working through the ISO community, it is the people who need the standards that decide. A particular industry or business sector can communicate its need for a standard to their national ISO member; the idea is then proposed to ISO as a whole.

If accepted, the project is assigned to an existing technical committee. Proposals may also be made to establish technical committees to cover new scopes of technological activity. In order to use resources most efficiently, ISO only develops new standards for which there are clear market requirements.

Why is there a charge for standards?

Developing, publishing and maintaining ISO standards incurs a cost, and revenues from selling them helps ISO and its members to cover an important part of these costs. Charging for standards allows us to ensure that they are developed in an impartial environment and therefore meet the needs of all stakeholders for which the standard is relevant. This is essential if standards are to remain effective in the real world. ISO and its members offer a number of options to access ISO standards.

What is ISO's relation to governments?

ISO is a non-governmental organization (NGO). Therefore, unlike the United Nations, the national members of ISO are not delegations of the governments of those countries. Our national members are the national standards bodies, or equivalent organizations, in their country. Some of them are wholly private sector in origin, others are private sector organizations but have a special mandate from their governments on matters related to standardization, and others are part of the governmental framework of their countries. In addition, government experts often participate in ISO’s standards’ development work. So, while ISO is an NGO, it receives input from the public sector as it does from the private sector.

Who pays for ISO?

ISO’s national members pay subscriptions that meet the operational cost of ISO’s Central Secretariat. The dues paid by each member are calculated as a proportion of their country’s Gross National Product and trade figures. Another source of revenue is the sale of standards, which contributes more than a third of the budget.

The operations of the Central Secretariat in Geneva represent only about one fifth of the cost of our international standardizing activities . The remaining costs are borne by the organizations which manage the specific projects or loan experts to participate in the technical work. These organizations are, in effect, subsidizing the technical work by paying the travel costs of the experts and allowing them time to work on their ISO assignments. Such organizations and individuals make an essential and highly valued contribution to standardization.

Can anyone join ISO?

No – Neither private individuals nor companies can join ISO as a member.

Membership of ISO is only open to national standards institutes. In some cases, similar organizations, most representative of standardization in their country, have become members. It is worth noting that there is only ever one ISO member per country.

It’s worth bearing in mind that a company or organization that is certified to an ISO standard is not an ISO member.

While individuals and companies cannot become members, they can get involved in our work by contributing to the development of standards as part of technical committees. For more information on how to get involved, get in touch with the ISO member for your country.