You have done all the hard work and your management system is ready for External Certification. It should be straightforward and after one or more days of intensive investigation, the Assessor finally declares your management system compliant to the appropriate standard.

This is how it should be, however, there are companies touting for business that offer certification on the cheap and in double quick time; these are the companies not accredited to UKAS and offer certification for a fee. The certificate issued is usually only recognised by them and does not stack up against any of the UKAS accredited bodies. It could be a complete waste of money.

How can you tell if the certification body is accredited to UKAS? Look up the UKAS web-site. Accredited companies can display the distinctive crown and tick. If they do not have accreditation then their certificate will not bear the UKAS logo and is potentially worthless. You may find this out when sending a copy of your certificate of ISO9001 or ISO4001 to a prospective customer only to have it rejected.

Reputable consultants recommend only UKAS accredited Certification Bodies.