Common Challenges When Selecting an ISO Certification Body

You could be forgiven for thinking that all ISO certification bodies on the market are much of a muchness. But it’s far from the case, and it can be confusing if you’re new to the world of ISO.

The ISO National Accreditation Body in the UK is The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). They are a government appointed organisation whose role is to assess the capability and competence of companies acting as ISO certification bodies.

Let’s clarify the hierarchy here, starting with you:

• It begins with a company deciding to work towards ISO certification
• They may choose to work with an ISO consultant to take the stress out of the process (that’s where we come in)
• Once the management system is complete, a Certification Body assesses the work and decides if the standard has been reached – if yes, they issue the ISO certificate
• That Certification Body will, if they are UKAS accredited, have been assessed themselves by UKAS for their expertise and correct application of requirements that match international standards
• UKAS has the authority to accredit Certification Bodies because they are Government appointed experts in the ISO standards

The thing is that not all companies offering ISO certification are UKAS accredited. This doesn’t mean that non-UKAS accredited certification bodies are untrustworthy, but caution is needed. Yes – this can make choosing a certification body even more bewildering.

In this article, we’re going to break down the differences between UKAS and non-UKAS certification bodies - and show you how picking the right one doesn’t have to be stressful when you know what to look out for.

What’s the Difference Between UKAS and non-UKAS Certification Bodies?

A key difference between UKAS and non-UKAS certification bodies is official recognition and credibility.

Let’s start with UKAS-accredited organisations.

A certified UKAS-accredited body is an organisation that has been accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service to provide certification services for specific standards. UKAS is internationally recognised for its impartiality and technical competence in assessing organisations that provide testing, inspection, certification, and calibration services.

This means that using a UKAS-accredited organisation gives businesses assurance that their certification or testing results are accurate, reliable, and meet internationally recognised standards.

The UK government strongly recommends choosing UKAS-accredited providers, because appointing a UKAS-accredited certification body ensures you are working with a provider that definitely meets those international standards.

It also helps businesses demonstrate their commitment to quality, safety, and environmental responsibility - a key factor in building trust and winning new contracts.

So what about non-UKAS accredited organisations?

The challenge with non-UKAS certification bodies is that quality and credibility can vary significantly. Distinguishing between reputable providers and those offering lower standards can be difficult, because:

• ISO certification bodies don’t have to be UKAS accredited
• A lack of UKAS certification doesn’t necessarily equate to anything sinister, but it can lead to unnecessary problems further down the line.

This is because some companies, possibly potential clients, don’t recognise non-UKAS certificates. It can and does happen that companies ‘achieve’ certification (non-UKAS) in good faith, but their clients don’t accept it.

It’s important to note that non-UKAS certification bodies might follow their own sets of rules. And their rules might not correspond with the requirements of the global body for conformity, assessment and accreditation, the International Accreditation Forum.

How To Spot Non-Accredited ISO Certification Bodies

It’s a clear tell-tale sign when ISO consultants try to double up as a certification body. They are not supposed to do that. This catches out many perfectly credible businesses, because it sounds sensible to do both. But ISO certification doesn’t work like that. It has to be grounded in impartiality, without any vested interest.

If your consultant also offers to provide certification, they are effectively marking their own homework. That can put a big dent in the credibility of your certification for some potential clients.

This raises the question, why would any organisation accept certification from a non-UKAS accredited company?

• It could be they are looking for the structure and discipline of an ISO-level management system, but don’t need it for sales and marketing purposes

• And there is also the fact that it can be considerably cheaper. As I hope I’ve explained, whilst it looks like an attractive option, it can be a false economy if new business is your aim – especially internationally.

Your options

My advice would be to carefully consider your reasons for applying for ISO certification. What do you want it to do for your business? If it’s new clients, I would strongly recommend you work with a UKAS accredited body to secure your certification.

If you’ve got a great relationship with an ISO consultant who isn’t offering to certify you, you’d be missing a trick not to tap into their expertise. As a consultancy service, we can’t tell you who to choose. However if a client asks, we will obtain three quotes from appropriate  UKAS-accredited certification bodies. This allows our clients to understand the different prices and ensures Brookfields remains impartial.

In addition, UKAS itself launched its online tool in 2022. It enables you to search and verify potential ISO certification bodies with UKAS accreditation. Additionally, it also gives you complete peace of mind when you’re looking for potential certification bodies to work with.

If you approach a certification body first, they will be able to recommend an independent consultant to help you with the process.

You have the assurance that Brookfields Consultancy is recommended by the major UKAS accredited certification bodies, such as the BSI, ISOQAR, SGS and Auva. We only recommend UKAS-accredited certification bodies to our clients, to ensure you get the absolute best from your investment.