This page provides you with guidance on how your organisation can become ISO 9001:2000 (ISO 9000) certified simply and cost effectively.

WHAT IS IT?

ISO 9000 is the internationally recognised standard for an organisation's internal Quality Management. The term 'quality' refers to all those features of a product or service which are required by the customer.

An organisation's 'Quality Management' refers to an organisation's actions to ensure that its products or services satisfy its customers' quality requirements and complies with any regulations applicable to those products or services.

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BENEFITS OF ISO 9000

Most organisations want ISO 9000 certification to qualify for a tender or to achieve preferred supplier status: typically for a Local Authority. However, there are many other benefits that can be added to these, including:- 

1. Improved internal working leading to less errors and re-work.
2. Improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.
3. Improved morale and motivation.
4. Preferential insurance premiums.
5. Competitive advantage.
6. Increased profitability.
7. Enhanced status.

In addition,  ISO 9000 is designed to be compatible with other management system standards such as  ISO 14001 (Environmental), OHSAS 18001 (Health and Safety) and ISO 27001 (Information Security). All or any combination of these complementary standards can be integrated seamlessly. They share many principles, so choosing an integrated management system can provide you with outstanding value for money.

If you would like an integrated management system, comprising all or a combination of standards, simply let us know your requirements and we will work with you to develop the right solution for your needs.

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YOUR JOURNEY TO ISO 9000 CERTIFICATION

STEP 1: Preparation

Realistically, if you are new to the ISO 9000 standard, then you are going to need some guidance. Once contact is made, we'll discuss your requirements with you and suggest the solution that best suits your needs. After assessing your needs we will give you a fixed price quotation so that you know exactly how much your registration will cost. Your quotation will be based upon your company profile and an assessment of your needs. To get the ball rolling, simply call us on 0800 404 7007 or email us an enquiry.

STEP 2: Application

Once you decide to go-ahead, we'll assign a Lead Assessor to you. He or she will be your principal contact throughout the registration process and beyond. They will build-up detailed knowledge of your business and will offer you the support you need.

STEP 3: Pre-Audit Assessment

Your Lead Assessor will visit you to explain the requirements of the standard and to prepare you for the Audit Assessment. He or she will manage the process of procedures drafting and the creation of your quality manual; ensuring that all documented procedures cover the requirements of the standard. Together, you will then determine the appropriate timetable for your Audit Assessment. Many organizations benefit from a pre-assessment "dry run" and your Lead Assessor will be able to advise you on this.

STEP 4: Audit Assessment

Once you are ready for your formal Audit Assessment, your Lead Assessor will make arrangements for an independent auditor to conduct the formal assessment. You will be informed of the Auditor's  recommendation before he or she leaves your premises

STEP 5: Registration & Certificate

Following the independent Auditor's recommendation, your registration will be formally confirmed by the British Accreditation Bureau's Approvals Board. Soon after, your certificate of conformity to the ISO 9001:2000 standard will be issued and sent to you.

STEP 6: Continual Assessment

Having achieved certification, you'll want to maintain your registration and your Lead Assessor will remain on hand to facilitate improvements and ensure that you continue to meet the requirements of the ISO 9000 standard.

We also offer an Interim Quality Manager (IQM) service which provides you with all of the benefits of having your own resident Quality Manager but at a fraction of the cost. To learn more about our IQM service simply click here.

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WHAT WILL ISO 9000 CERTIFICATION COST?

We like to provide our clients with a fixed price because we know that day rates have a habit of going over budget!

We will calculate the cost of your pre-assessment based on the size of your organisation; e.g. annual turnover, the number of sites you have and the number of employees, etc. In all cases, we will provide you with a fixed price quotation.

The table below provides details of our Audit Assessment fees at the current rates. 

*  All fees subject to VAT at the prevailing rate.

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OUR CREDENTIALS

Our reputation was established in 1965 as a division of Salford University Business Services. In 1997, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry approved use of the word 'British' in our new corporate title (The British Accreditation Bureau), in recognition of our pre-eminent status.

All of our advisors and assessors are professionally trained and have a business background, so you can count on their practical and business-friendly approach.

Our client portfolio is a good mix of public and private sector organisations, as well as institutes and trade bodies. Our pre-eminent status is your guarantee of quality and we have been a recognised Investor in People since 1999.

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CONTACT

To find out more about certification from the British Accreditation Bureau, please call us Monday to Friday between the hours of 09:00 to 17:00 or email.  Our full contact details are provided below.

Thank you.

The British Accreditation Bureau
 

The British Accreditation Bureau
South Tower
Tubs Hill House
London Road
Sevenoaks
Kent
TN13 1BL
Telephone: 0800 404 7007
Facsimile: 0870 607 2001
Email: Click here to send an email enquiry

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Formalised quality assurance originally came from the Defence Industry's need for standards. For example, to supply the Ministry of Defence (MoD), a company had to write up its procedure for making its product, have the procedure inspected by the MoD and then ensure that its workers followed the published procedures.

The idea of quality assurance spread beyond the military and in 1966, the UK Government led the first national campaign for quality and reliability with the slogan "Quality is everybody's business." However, by this time, suppliers were being assessed by any number of their customers and it was widely recognised that such duplication of effort was a chronic waste of time and money. Progress was finally made in 1969, when a UK Government committee report on the subject recommended that suppliers' methods should be assessed against a generic standard of quality assurance.

In 1971, the British Standards Institute (BSI) published the first UK standard for quality assurance (BS 9000), which was developed for the electronics industry. Then, in 1974, the BSI published BS 5179; Guidelines for Quality Assurance. This led to a shift in the burden of inspection from the customer to the supplier, as quality assurance could be guaranteed by the supplier to the customer through third-party inspection.

Through the 1970's, the BSI organised meetings with industry to set a common standard, which culminated in the BS5750 standard in 1979. Key industry bodies agreed to drop their own standards and use BS5750 instead. The purpose of BS5750 was to provide a common contractual document, demonstrating that industrial production was controlled.

The ISO9000 certification standard has evolved over several revisions. The initial 1987 version (ISO 9000:1987) had the same structure as the UK Standard BS 5750, with three 'models' for quality management systems, the selection of which was based on the scope of activities of the organization. The language of this first version of the Standard was influenced by existing US and other Defence Military Standards, so it was more accessible to manufacturing and was well suited to the demands of a rigorous, stable, factory-floor manufacturing process. With its structure of twenty 'elements' or requirements, the emphasis tended to be overly placed on conformance with procedures rather than the overall process of management; which was the actual intent.

The 1994 version (ISO 9000:1994), was an attempt to break from the practices which had somewhat corrupted the use of the 1987 standard. It also emphasized quality assurance via preventive actions, and continued to require evidence of compliance with documented procedures. Unfortunately, as with the first edition, companies tended to implement its requirements by creating shelf-loads of procedure manuals and becoming burdened with ISO bureaucracy. Adapting and improving processes could be particularly difficult in this kind of environment.

The latest version of the standard (ISO 9001:2000), sought to make a radical change in thinking by actually placing the concept of process management at the heart of the standard, making it clear that the essential goals of the standard - which had always been about 'a documented system' not a 'system of documents' - were reinforced. The goal was always to have management system effectiveness via process performance measures. This third edition makes this more visible and so reduced the emphasis on having documented procedures if clear evidence could be presented to show that the process was working well. Expectations of continual process improvement and tracking customer satisfaction were made explicit in this revision. A new set of eight core quality management principles, designed to act as a common foundation for all standards relating to quality management, were also introduced; namely:

1. customer focus
2. leadership
3. the involvement of people
4. a process approach
5. a system approach to management
6. continual improvement
7. a factual approach to decision making
8. mutually beneficial supplier relationship

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