Choosing and ISO Certification Body

These is verbatim transposed from the International Organization for Standardization:

When choosing a certification body to carryout current management systems ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 13485, AS9100, TS 16949, ISO 27001, ISO 14001... assessment for certification, these are some of the aspects the organization needs to take into account.

The first point is the organization's desire to implement any management system such as ISO 9001, ISO 22000... or ISO 14001 without the need of certification. The best reason to seek implementation is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization's performance. Certification of the management system is intended to be voluntary, unless is compulsory (by force).

Deciding to have an independent audit of the system to confirm that conforms to ISO 9001, ISO 22000... or ISO 14001 is a decision to be taken on business grounds: for example

if it is a contractual or regulatory requirement, compulsory,
if it is a market expectation to seek customer's preferences,
may be within the realm of a risk management program, or
to motivate byway of setting a clear goal for the development of its management system.

Criteria to consider includes:

evaluate several certification bodies, not just one,

bear in mind that the cheapest might prove to be the most costly if its auditing is questionable, or if its purpose for recognition is not favorable by customers and/or consumers,

identify the purpose as to provide certification services,

establish whether the certification body carries competence through their auditors with experience in the organization's sector of activity,

establish whether the certification carries accreditation based current ISO/IEC 17021, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems; Accreditation, in simple terms, means that the certification body is competent to carry out assessments and certification in specified business sectors an activities by an authorized accreditation body. Authorized accreditation bodies are private entities that provide accreditation services and its authority may need to derive from government. To answer questions on matters of accreditation, contact us.

Sadly, if your organization is forced to certify, then the choices may be limited to that of the company, organization or entity that forces certification and the previous information is irrelevant; the choices are limited at times to very few.

Accreditation:

In most countries, accreditation is a choice, not an obligation and the fact that a certification body is not accredited does not, by itself, mean that it is not a reputable organization. For example, a certification body operating nationally in a highly specific sector might enjoy such a good reputation that it does not feel there is any advantage for it to go to the expense of being accredited. That said, many certification bodies choose to seek accreditation, even when it is not compulsory, in order to be able to demonstrate an independent confirmation of their competence.

For information on accreditation:

The list of accreditation entities with their contact information and links to their Web sites can be found on our Web Portal "Accreditation Members". The Web page contains up-to-date listing of certification bodies that are accredited which can be used for selecting a certification body as well an extensive list of accreditation protocols.

Contact us to provide information or to answer questions. Any possible recommendation of certification or accreditation entity is strictly objective and impartial based on the needs of your organization, consumer focus and industry sector.

Choosing a Certification -
Registration Body