We often hear from companies who have used the services of a certification body not accredited by UKAS and, for various reasons, now need to obtain an accredited certificate.
ABAC® is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS CB number: 10613) against ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies providing audit and Certification of the scheme’s management systems of ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management Systems (ABMS). This makes ABAC® Certification the leading accreditated certification body specialising in global anti-bribery and anti-corruption, risk and compliance management system standards.
Do I Need an Accredited ISO Certificate?
Accredited ISO certification bodies undergo a rigorous process with UKAS to ensure that they operate their certification programmes fairly and impartially, to standards such as ISO 17021 and ISO 17065. In addition, UKAS continues to monitor the performance of its accredited certification bodies.
While this doesn’t mean the certification bodies without accreditation do a bad job, clients often rely on the work of UKAS to give them confidence in the value of an ISO Certificate issued by one of their accredited bodies.
For example, in the public sector, UKAS is recognised by the UK Government to “assess against nationally and internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide conformity assessment services such as certification” and therefore becomes a requirement of many public sector contract tenders.
This is where organisations often need an accredited certificate, despite already going through the external audits and certification process.
At ABAC Group, we can help you obtain and compare ISO Certification quotes, guiding you through the process and explaining the different options. Complete our quote form!
Can I Convert my Existing ISO Certificate to a UKAS One?
No. Although you may meet the standard’s requirements, an accredited certification body must fulfil its certification process, including stage 1 and 2 audits. The surveillance audits over a three-year cycle.
So while this may mean paying again for an audit you have already had, there is no way around this.
What happens to my old ISO Certificate?
There is no link between your two certification bodies, so you must exit your current certification contract and sign a new one with a UKAS Accredited Body.
If you don’t cancel your old contract, you may continue to be charged for ongoing audits that are not required.
When you cancel your contract, or the old certificate expires, you will be removed from the certification body’s register. This means you should remove any logos and certificates from marketing materials as soon as possible.
When Can I Promote my New ISO Certificate?
You can not promote your new ISO Certificate until the UAKS Accredited Body has issued it.
This can be some time after a successful stage 2 audit because reports go through technical committees and reviews first.
Some organisations talk about “Working Towards ISO Certification” or being “Recommend for ISO Certification”. While these statements may be true, you should be careful not to promote anything that could be misleading.
Get a UKAS Accredited ISO Certificate
ABAC Group can guide you through moving to a UKAS Accredited ISO Certificate. We are a certification body.
