Looking for an ISO 9001 Consultant? Check the 10 Key Requirements First!
If you’re thinking about ISO 9001 certification then you are probably considering whether or not to engage an ISO 9001 Consultant to help develop, implement and internally audit the Quality Management System. Do you really need help?
The answer is as follows:
If you have in-house resources with the relevant experience and competence to build a best practice management system to meet the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 then there is every chance you may not need to engage an ISO Consultant to help build your management system. You could simply engage a Certification Body to undertake a Stage 1 documentation audit and action any Improvement Requirements prior to the Stage 2 Audit (certification audits are done in two stages).
If, on the other hand, you want a fully documented, best practice management system, that has been developed in alignment with your existing business processes (making the standard work for the business instead of the business working to the standard) AND a guarantee that you will be certified first time, every time, then you should engage the services of an experienced, qualified ISO 9001 Consultant.
Remember: ISO 9001 provides a framework for continual improvement, and badly designed Quality Management Systems can introduce excessive administrative overheads (for example extra processes, a barrage of unnecessary forms etc) that act like a hand-brake on the business – definitely not an improvement.
Government Funding Grants for ISO 9001 Certification
Did you know that many Australian businesses are actually eligible for help with ISO 9001 Certification through a government-funded Business Growth Grant? Click HERE for more information.
10 key requirements to check for when choosing an ISO 9001 Consultant
Engaging an ISO 9001 Consultant can mean a significant financial and time investment for your business, so it is important to choose the right one. Check the ten key requirements below before signing off on any proposals or contracts.
ISO Consultant decision time frame: 5 days
The ten key requirements to check before you engage an ISO 9001 Consultant
ISO Certification – do they actually hold ISO 9001 certification themselves?
Ensure they are certified by a JAS-ANZ Accredited Certification Body
ISO Certification Consultant qualifications
Have they completed any formal training and are they qualified to be offering consultancy services?
Can they offer a Certified First Time, Every Time, Guarantee?
Streamline ISO Consultants work as part of your team to deliver bespoke, compliant (100% success rate) and cost-effective management systems that put your organisation on the path to continual improvement and business excellence.
Industry experience – how long have they been consulting for?
What industries have they consulted to previously?
Experience designing ISO management systems to businesses of your size
Small, medium, large and enterprise Quality Management Systems can look very different.
Knowledge of lean methods
Ensure the developed ISO management system improves business performance and does not stifle it.
Insurances – Professional Indemnity and Public Liability
Do they hold Public Liability and Professional indemnity insurance?
Client Referrals
Do they have an extensive list of satisfied, repeat and long-term clients that are happy to provide glowing testimonials?
Certification Body Referrals
Can a number of JAS-ANZ accredited certification bodies attest to the quality of the management systems and consultancy services offered?
Time in the industry
How long has the ISO Consultant been in business (beware of fly-by-nighters)?
Understanding of technology
Are they able to set up the management system using cloud-based software solutions or tailor the management system to align with your existing software platforms?
For a free downloadable ISO Consultant Checklist CLICK HERE
What to watch out for when choosing an ISO 9001 Consultant
ISO 9001 Consultants that have worked in a “Quality” or “Safety” role within a large organisation. This does not necessarily mean they are able to design a good small to medium business Management System. In fact, sometimes this results in a rebadged, overweight quality management system that the small business will struggle to support.
If an ISO consultant insists you choose a specific certification body then alarm bells should start ringing. This may mean that the consultant and the Certification Body have some sort of financial or beneficial relationship which can result in a number of conflict of interest issues including:
the system might be deficient and the ISO 9001 audit could be completed softly due to the relationship between consultant and auditor (a problem that may not present now but may cause problems if/when you change Certification Bodies), or
you may be paying too much for the Certification Body audit.
Always make sure:
you choose a JAS-ANZ accredited Certification Body (we recommend obtaining a few proposals – SEE HERE for more information),
you aren’t locked into a specific Certification Body just because you engage an ISO consultant.
How Streamline can help
Streamline ISO 9001 Consultants can design, develop and implement a certification-ready Quality Management System from the ground up to meet ISO 9001 requirements. If you already have an existing management system in place we will help you integrate ISO 9001:2015 into your current management system (eg ISO 45001 Safety or ISO 14001 Environmental) to form an Integrated Management System (IMS).
Our trained and experienced ISO Certification Consultants have a 100% track record achieving certification for our clients and we guarantee your ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System will get certified by a JAS-ANZ accredited Certification Body.
Streamline ISO Certification Consultants can also help develop, implement and internally audit other ISO Management Systems such as:
Please use the form to the right and one of our ISO Consultants will contact you within one business day. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact us directly by emailing [email protected] or by calling:
