What is ISO certificate?
ISO certificate is called a certificate of a series of international standards ISO 9000, developed for the management of a quality management system (QMS – quality management system).
ISO quality certification is carried out in accordance with the international standards established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO – the International Organization for Standardization). The ISO organization does not carry out certification, but only develops the conformity standards. The certification function falls on national accredited institutions that implement the standards at the enterprise, issue certificates and conduct audits.
Such certificates are necessary to continuously improve the quality of products and increase the demand for your product in the international and domestic markets.
The main reasons why you should issue a quality management system certificate ISO 9001: 2018 are the following:
- desire and need to comply with the requirements of international and domestic legislation;
- the need to improve competitiveness in local and international markets and sites;
- the opportunity to participate in tenders and public procurements;
- improvement of its own product and the organization activities;
- establishing their own business processes;
- increasing demand for their products and services.
- improving the company manageability;
- reducing the costs of storing goods and raw materials in the company warehouses, since certification affects relationships with suppliers.
Who issues the certificate?
As mentioned above, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) develops international standards, but does not participate in certification and does not issue certificates. The certification task is carried out by external certification bodies, based on their audit.
In order for your certificate to be recognized both by your clients and by the current legislation of the country where your company is located, make sure that the certification body is accredited. After carrying out the procedure from such a company, your company will receive an international certificate of conformity.
Please note that one of the fundamental standards is ISO 9001:2015, which is part of the ISO 9000 series. ISO 9001 defines the requirements for the establishment and operation of a quality management system (QMS). The QMS is a part of the general management system of the company, which functions to ensure the stable quality of products and services provided.
How to obtain?
To start working on certification ISO 9001:2015, DSTU ISO 9001:2015, UKRSEPRO we need the following documents:
Statutory documents:
- the extract from the Unified State Register (or the certificate of state registration);
- the certificate from the statistics committee;
- the Articles of association of the enterprise;
- the certificate of tax registration (form 4-OPP);
- the VAT payer’s certificate (if any).
Documents of enterprise:
- the organizational structure of the enterprise;
- the list of leading persons;
- the staff schedule (with full names, but without salary indication);
- the information about the type and direction of the enterprise activities, structure and subordination to other organizations;
- licenses and permits (if the activity is licensed or requires a permit);
- product certificates (if products are subject to mandatory certification);
- the names of the products (services, works) produced;
- product documentation, quality certificates, test reports, certificates of conformity, licenses, permits;
- the description of the technological process of production (or provision of services);
- general information about the enterprise (commercial offers, proposals, advertising materials, etc.).
After preparing documents for certification, you need to perform the following actions:
- assess the existing management systems at your enterprise;
- then they need to be brought to conformity with the ISO 9001 standard and develop a strategy for the further implementation of the resulting scheme in relation to your enterprise;
- the next step will be the implementation of the resulting management system at your enterprise;
- selection of an authorized body for audit of the introduced quality management system and obtaining an opinion of auditors on compliance with the standard;
- Your enterprise can fully comply with all the requirements that ISO 9001 certification presupposes, but it should be remembered that the compliance must be confirmed by going through the full certification procedure and obtaining this document in your hands.
Cost and terms
Ordering ISO certification is a quite responsible process, which depends on the legal competence of the applicant. The best solution would be to contact a specialist in this field of law, otherwise the certification process may take a year or more. However, in the case of a professionally developed strategy, it can take up to three months to complete all the necessary documents to obtain a certificate.
It is very difficult to name the approximate cost of certification or development of a quality management system without first acquainting with the documents, the existing personnel management system. It’s the same as if the contractor didn’t know the height, materials, or construction terms when building a house. The cost can vary from tens to hundreds of thousands of hryvnas, depending on the legal level of the recipient.