ISO 9001 Accreditation

People often confuse the terms ISO 9001 accreditation and ISO 9001 certification. Although the two phrases may look similar, they describe two entirely different things. Continue reading this blog to understand the difference between ISO 9001 accreditation and ISO 9001 certification.

What is ISO 9001 Accreditation?

Accreditation simply means that an organization has been formally recognized for its competence to conduct certification. In other words, think of accreditation as “certification of the certification body“. Typically, ISO 9001 accreditation is awarded to a certification body after it has carried out the necessary procedures and demonstrated that strict guidelines are followed to issue ISO 9001 certification to an organization.

What is ISO 9001 Certification?

Certification is a formal recognition that an organization has satisfied the requirements of a specific (set of) documented standard. ISO 9001 certification is an internationally recognized quality management system that provides a framework for organizations to ensure that their products and services meet customer and regulatory requirements. ISO 9001 certification is awarded by a certification body that is accredited by a national accreditation body.

Who Issues ISO 9001 Accreditation?

ISO 9001 accreditation is issued by a national accreditation body. The largest network of ISO accreditation bodies is the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The IAF is a global network of organizations that assess the competence of conformity assessment bodies. The goal of IAF is to ensure that conformity assessment bodies operate in a consistent, reliable, and impartial manner. Member of IAF are organizations that can issue ISO 9001 accreditation to certification bodies.

How Can I Verify an ISO 9001 Accreditation?

To verify that an organization is accredited to issue ISO 9001 certification, you can search the IAF’s directory of accredited certification bodies. The directory is a public database that lists all of the accredited certification bodies around the world. You can also contact the certification body that issued the ISO 9001 certification to your organization to verify that it has ISO 9001 accreditation by a credible source.

Is ISO 9001 Accreditation Mandatory?

ISO 9001 accreditation is not mandatory. However, many customers and regulatory bodies require certification bodies to be accredited in order to issue ISO 9001 certification. Therefore, if your organization wants to achieve a credible ISO 9001 certificate, it is important to get it through a certification body that has ISO 9001 accreditation.

ISO 9001 Accreditation vs. ISO 9001 Certification

So, what’s the difference between ISO 9001 accreditation and ISO 9001 certification? The main difference is that accreditation is an assessment of the certification body, while certification is an assessment of the organization. In other words, ISO 9001 accreditation confirms that the certification body follows strict guidelines when issuing ISO 9001 certification to an organization, while certification confirms that the organization meets the requirements of the ISO 9001 quality management system.

Benefits of ISO 9001 Accreditation

ISO 9001 accreditation is an important way to ensure that certification bodies operate in a consistent, reliable, and impartial manner. By requiring certification bodies to be accredited, customers and regulatory bodies can have confidence that the ISO 9001 certificate issued is credible and reliable. Additionally, ISO 9001 accreditation provides assurance to organizations that are seeking certification that the certification body has proven that it is able to evaluate their competence and ability to follow the requirements of ISO 9001.

About Integrated Assessment Services – Our ISO 9001 Accreditation

Integrated Assessment Services (IAS) has achieved ISO 9001 accreditation from Universal Quality Accreditation Services (UQAS). This means that our organization has been properly evaluated to issue ISO 9001 certification to organizations. As a result, we can provide our clients with credible and reliable ISO 9001 certification services. We are accredited by UQAS to issue numerous ISO certifications as well as product certifications.

In addition, our sister concern, Empowering Assurance Systems (EAS), has obtained ISO 9001 accreditation along with numerous other ISO certification schemes by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) which is a signatory of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). IAS and EAS provide ISO management system implementation and auditing services for a wide range of organizations.

Conclusion – ISO 9001 Accreditation

In summary, ISO 9001 accreditation and ISO 9001 certification are two different things. Accreditation is the process of recognizing an agency or group of agencies for their competence to conduct certification, while certification is the formal recognition that an organization has satisfied the requirements of a specific set of documented standards.

If you’re still confused about the difference between ISO 9001 accreditation and ISO 9001 certification, don’t worry! IAS is here to help you understand the difference and to guide you through the certification process. Contact us today to learn more about ISO 9001 accreditation and certification or visit our ISO 9001 accreditation frequently asked questions page!