Certification Process

Our certification process follows the structure required by ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and is designed to be transparent, objective and proportionate to the size and complexity of your organisation.

1. Enquiry and Application — You submit an application describing your organisation, sites, activities and the scope of certification you are seeking. We use this to prepare a quotation and an estimated audit duration.
2. Application Review — We confirm the scope is clear and achievable, and that we have no conflict of interest in acting as your certification body.
3. Stage 1 Audit — A documentation and readiness review to check your management system has been designed to meet the requirements of the standard, and to agree the Stage 2 audit plan.
4. Stage 2 Audit — An on-site (or remote, where justified) evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of your management system against the standard.
5. Certification Decision — A competent reviewer, independent of the audit, assesses the audit findings and makes the certification decision.
6. Certificate Issuance — Your certificate is issued, stating the standard, the scope of certification and its validity period.
7. Surveillance Audits — Carried out, typically annually, to confirm continued conformity with the standard.
8. Recertification — A full reassessment is carried out before the end of each three-year certification cycle to renew your certificate.

Throughout this process you will have a single point of contact for scheduling and administrative queries. If you have any questions about the process or would like a quotation, please get in touch or request a quote.