Policies, processes and practical resources.

For most small and mid-sized organisations with a reasonably mature management system in place, initial certification takes between eight and fourteen weeks from engagement to certificate issue. The two audit stages (Stage 1 and Stage 2) are typically scheduled four to eight weeks apart to allow time to close any findings from Stage 1. Larger, multi-site or higher-complexity organisations take longer — we'll give you a realistic indicative timeline in our proposal.

Yes — where your existing certificate is held with an IAF MLA-signatory accreditation body, a transfer is usually straightforward. We'll carry out a transfer review covering your current certificate, any open findings, scope, and audit history, and confirm whether the transfer can proceed without a full reassessment. In most cases the transfer is completed in a single visit, scheduled to coincide with your next surveillance audit where possible.

No. Accreditation rules — specifically ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 — prohibit a certification body from offering management system consultancy to its clients. This separation exists to protect the integrity of the certificate: a certifier cannot audit its own advice. We are happy to recommend independent consultants in your sector, with no commercial relationship or referral fee, if that would help.

Our fees are based on the standard(s) in scope, the number of employees, the number of sites, the complexity of your operations and — where multiple standards are being certified together — the efficiencies of an integrated audit. Audit duration is calculated using the IAF mandatory document MD 5, so fees are predictable and benchmarkable. We provide an itemised fixed-fee quotation covering the full three-year certification cycle.

Surveillance audits occur in years one and two of a three-year certification cycle. They are shorter than the initial Stage 2 audit and focus on key areas: management review, internal audit, corrective action, any changes to the management system, customer complaints, and a sample of the requirements of the standard. The goal is to confirm the system remains effective and has not drifted — not to repeat Stage 2 in miniature.

Yes. Our accreditation is held with IAS, a signatory to the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA). Through the IAF MLA, IAS-accredited certificates are recognised as equivalent to those issued under any other MLA-signatory accreditation body in more than one hundred economies worldwide.

It's uncommon for Stage 2 to result in non-certification where Stage 1 has been completed properly — because Stage 1 is precisely designed to identify areas that need attention before Stage 2. If nonconformities are raised at Stage 2, you'll have a defined period to propose and implement corrective action; once that action is accepted, certification can proceed. If certification cannot be recommended, the reasons will be clearly documented and you will have the right of appeal.

When a standard is revised, the IAF publishes a transition period during which existing certificates remain valid. We publish a transition briefing for affected clients, schedule transition activity to coincide with existing surveillance or recertification audits wherever possible, and provide clear guidance on what to expect. The goal is to make transitions orderly and non-disruptive rather than a parallel project.