These terms and conditions have been written in accordance with the requirements of the accreditation bodies, under whose approval Peers Quality Assurance Ltd (PQAL) currently operate. PQAL complies with all terms and conditions applicable to the accreditation bodies’ requirements and the standards for which it offers certification.
PQAL provides independent assessment audits and registration of management systems operated by applicants/clients against the requirements of all internationally recognised certification standards that PQAL offer.
PQAL is responsible for ensuring that secrecy and confidentiality is maintained by its employees and its agents, at all levels of its organisation, concerning confidential information with which they may be acquainted with during the course of an applicant/client certification
Where information is required to be disclosed to a third party, either by law or in maintenance of certification (e.g. accreditation bodies), the applicant/client shall be informed of the information provided, as permitted by the law
Each party shall keep secret and treat as confidential all information obtained from the other which is either stated to be confidential, or could reasonably be regarded as confidential, and shall not disclose such information to any person other than its employees, agents or sub-contractors (where such disclosure is required).
This clause shall not extend to information which was already in the lawful possession of a party before entering into the proposal/contract agreement, or which is already public knowledge, or becomes so subsequently (other than as a result of a breach of this clause), or which is trivial or obvious.
The obligations of confidentiality under this clause shall continue after the end of the proposal/contract agreement.
A copy of the PQAL organisation chart, showing the reporting structure of the organisation, is available upon request.
The basic conditions for acquiring and retaining certification with PQAL are that the applicant/client agrees to, and complies with, the following rules:
The PQAL accredited office is responsible for, and will retain authority for, any decisions relating to accredited certification, including the granting, maintaining, renewing, extending, reducing, suspending and withdrawing of certification.
Upon receipt of the completed application form from the applicant/client, a proposal/contract (outlining the scope of audit and breakdown of the costs involved) will be submitted to the applicant/client. Once the agreed proposal/contract, signed by the relevant senior management representative of the applicant/client has been received by PQAL, the project will be allocated to a senior member of the PQAL audit staff. This person will be responsible for ensuring that the audit is carried out in accordance with PQAL procedures.
To be considered for a multisite certification:
PQAL shall not accept applications for the certification of any organizations who report directly to a person or group who also have any type of operational responsibility for PQAL
In line with the PQAL ethical policy; PQAL will never knowingly undertake assignments with organizations that practice or condone the use of torture, or other forms of human deprivation and rights abuse; organizations involved in any form of animal experimentation or cruelty; organizations who deliberately and relentlessly cause damage to the environment.
All audits are based on sampling within a management system and are therefore not a guarantee of 100% conformity with standard requirements.
The initial audit of the applicant/client management system shall be carried out in two stages:
All records produced for the implementation and operation of the appropriate management system shall be readily available for inspection by the auditor.
When the responsible certificate decision maker of PQAL has reviewed the audit reports and is confident that the applicant/client meets the requirements of the nominated standard requirements, the applicant/client shall be informed and a registration certificate (which shall remain the property PQAL) shall be issued to the applicant/client. The certification period shall be for three years, less one day, from the date of commencement of the stage 2 audit, or three years from the date of the previous certificate expiry, in the case of re-certifications.
Surveillance audits must be conducted at least annually, and no later than 12 months after the previous audit. Surveillance audits shall cover aspects of the client’s management system, at the discretion of the nominated auditor. A report shall be produced, identifying any areas requiring corrective actions. Surveillances that are three months or longer overdue may result in the client’s registration becoming suspended.
PQAL registered client’s will be subject to re-audit at the end of every three-year cycle. Three months prior to the re-audit date, a new proposal/contract will be raised covering the new three-year cycle.
If the certification decision date, made by the PQAL accredited office, is after the expiry of the existing certificate then the validity will last for the same three years from the previous expiry. Re-audits performed more than six months from the expiry date of the previous certificate will require a stage 1 and stage 2 audit process to be applied.
Regardless of the frequency of the surveillance routine, certification cycles are for a three-year period and a full re-audit will be required prior to the expiry date of the registration certificate, in accordance with accreditation body requirements. Failure to submit for re-audit prior to the expiry date will result in a period during which the client’s registration will be deemed to have expired. The re-issued certificate shall display a certificate issue date to match the certificate decision date, and the validity shall last for the same three years from the previous expiry date.
If a client requires an extension to the scope of registration, to cover new products/processes/locations, the client is required to complete and return a new application form. This will allow PQAL to determine whether additional audit time is required to cover the changes. The application procedure outlined in clause six of these terms and conditions will be followed and an audit will be carried out on the areas not previously covered. The costs of extending the scope of the certification will be based upon the nature and programming of the audit required.
If a client requires a reduction to the scope of registration, it is mandatory that PQAL is advised immediately of changes to the organization or products. Such as the closure of sites, or the removal of a product line previously supplied under the original scope of certification. Upon review and acceptance of the information, PQAL will notify if an additional audit, and a change the worded scope, is required. The costs of reducing the scope of the certification will be based upon the nature and programming of the audit, if required, or administration costs for a new certificate.
In both cases, an amended certificate detailing those aspects of the organisation activities covered by the extension, will be issued following a successful audit (where applicable)
A client shall immediately inform PQAL in writing and without delay, of any intended changes relating to the following:
PQAL will determine whether the notified changes/incident require any additional audit activity. Failure to notify PQAL may result in the suspension or withdrawal of certification.
The certificate holder has the right to publicise the fact that their management system has been certified and can apply the relevant marks to stationery and promotional material, relating to the scope of certification as detailed on their certificate.
The regulations shown on the PQAL registration mark guidance document must be adhered to.
The PQAL Registration Mark may be used by any organisation Certified by PQAL
The PQAL & UKAS Registration Mark Combined may only be used if the organisation’s Certificate shows the UKAS Mark
The organisation may not apply any of the marks to their products or packaging.
The certificate holder shall ensure that no confusion arises between certified and non-certified products/processes and activities in its publications and advertising.
The certificate holder shall not make any claim that could mislead purchasers to believe that a product/process or activity is covered by certification when, in fact, it is not.
The certificate holder shall not imply that the governing board or relevant government ministers of the country of accreditation has approved the related product, processes or services.
The certificate holder shall ensure that this is not implied in any advertising.
Accredited certification does not imply that the certificate holder is providing a superior product, or that the product itself has been certified as meeting the requirements of the nominated standard.
PQAL will take all reasonable precautions to control the use of the certificates issued. Incorrect references to the scope of certificates, or incorrect use of the certificate marks found in advertising, catalogues and websites shall be dealt with by suitable actions, which could include suspension or withdrawal of certificates, legal action and/or publication of the transgression.
The certification of a PQAL client may require temporary suspension in cases where evidence of one or more of the following circumstances has occurred:
Upon official suspension, PQAL will notify the client in writing, advising of the reasons for the suspension, the duration of the suspension and the conditions for the removal of the suspension. Upon receipt of the notification of suspension the client shall immediately cease to advertise their relevant certification.
At the end of the duration of the suspension, an investigation shall be conducted to determine whether the required conditions for the removal of the suspension have been fulfilled. If these conditions are deemed to have been met, then the suspension shall be lifted, and the certificate shall be reinstated. If the conditions are not deemed to have been met, then the certificate shall be withdrawn.
The client shall be invoiced for any costs incurred by PQAL during the process of suspension and reinstatement of a certificate.
The decision to withdraw a client’s certification shall only be made if there is failure to resolve any of the issues that have resulted in a suspension, within the suspension period agreed, and only where it is not possible to resolve the issues by reducing the scope of the client’s certification.
Upon official withdrawal, PQAL will notify the client in writing, advising of the reasons for the withdrawal.
The client does have the right to appeal against a decision to withdraw certification, within 7 days of receipt of the notification of withdrawal.
Under the terms of withdrawal, a client’s certification is no longer valid.
Withdrawal of the certificate will require that all promotional materials endorsed with the PQAL certification logos must be withdrawn from use immediately and any use of accreditation marks on organisation publicity and stationary material will be in error and in contravention of the intellectual property rights of the owners of the marks
In cases of withdrawal, PQAL will not be liable to reimbursement of any audit fees paid and PQAL will publish notification of the withdrawal of the certificate.
The reinstatement of a withdrawn certificate shall, in most cases, require a full re-audit to be conducted.
A certificate shall only be cancelled if:
Under the terms of cancellation, a client’s certification is no longer valid.
Cancellation of the certificate will require that all promotional materials endorsed with the PQAL certification logos must be withdrawn from use immediately and any use of accreditation marks on organisation publicity and stationary material will be in error and in contravention of the intellectual property rights of the owners of the marks
In cases of cancellation, PQAL will not be liable to reimbursement of any audit fees paid and PQAL will publish notification of the cancellation of the certificate.
The reinstatement of a cancelled certificate shall require a full Initial Audit to be conducted.
Fees will be detailed in the proposal/contract submitted to the applicant/client. All costs are based on the charge rate applicable at the time of the proposal/contract issue. PQAL reserve the right to increase these charges during the certification period. Such increases will be notified to the applicant/client in writing.
Upon receipt of a signed contract, the applicant/client is liable for the first-year fees, regardless of whether the applicant/client progresses to registration, as costs will have already been incurred.
For subsequent three-year registration cycles, three months prior to the re-audit date, a new proposal/contract will be raised covering the new three-year cycle. Once proposal/contract is issued, the client is then committed to payment of the first-year fees of the subsequent three-year cycle.
Additional fees will be charged for any work not included in the scope of the original proposal/contract and for any extra, unscheduled, surveillance audits required due to non-compliances being identified in the continuing adequacy and/or implementation of the relevant management system.
All fees quoted shall exclude travel and accommodation expenses associated with the audit activities (unless otherwise specified in the proposal/contract) and this will be charged extra, at cost.
All fees are subject to local taxes in the country concerned at the appropriate rates
If an appointment is cancelled or rescheduled for any reason (including non-payment of invoice), a cancellation fee will be chargeable as follows:
An applicant/client has the right to appeal against any certificate decision made by PQAL, for example a decision to withdraw certification or a failure to grant initial or re-certification. The applicant/client also has the right to appeal against any non-conformances raised by the audit team during an audit
In the event of an applicant/client indicating their desire to appeal, they should request a copy of the PQAL appeals and complaints process (also found at the end of the audit reports).
PQAL must receive notification of the intent to appeal within seven days of the applicant/client receipt of certificate decision, or within seven days of the non-conformances being raised by the audit team during an audit.
The applicant/client must submit a formally documented substantiation for the appeal, together with any supportive documentation/information, to PQAL within fourteen days of receipt of certificate decision, or within fourteen days of the non-conformances being raised by the audit team during an audit.
All applicant/client appeals will be initially investigated by the PQAL accredited office, who shall review the documentation/information and the causes of the appeal in a timely manner.
Should the PQAL accredited office uphold the appeal then the certificate decision or the non-conformances being raised by the audit team during an audit shall be overturned. For all upheld appeals, investigations shall be conducted to develop the necessary corrective and preventive actions and to assess the effectiveness of the corrective and preventive actions.
Should the PQAL accredited office reject the appeal then it shall be forwarded to the PQAL appeals committee, drawn from the independent members of the impartiality committee, who shall review the documentation/information and consider the appeal. The applicant/client shall be advised of the names of the impartiality committee appeals committee members who shall review the appeal, and the applicant/client has the right to dispute the members of the appeals committee, by formal notification, of their dispute. This dispute shall be reviewed by the chair of the impartiality committee, or by the vice-chair if the chair is a member of the appeals committee. The result of the appeals committee review shall be notified to the applicant/client.
The decision of the impartiality committee appeals committee shall be final and binding on both the applicant/client and PQAL. As such, once the decision regarding an appeal has been made, no counterclaim by either party in dispute can be made to amend or change this decision.
In instances where the applicant/client appeal has been successful, no claim can be made against PQAL for reimbursement of costs, or any other losses incurred as a result of the initial decision.
Submission, investigation and decision on appeals shall not result in any discriminatory actions against the applicant/client.
All applicants/clients are required to keep a record of complaints from organisations, users of their products or the public, including subsequent remedial actions to their management system. PQAL will review these records during surveillance visits.
In the event of an applicant/client indicating their desire to complain regarding the conduct of PQAL employees, they should request a copy of the PQAL appeals and complaints process (also found at the end of the audit reports).
The applicant/client must submit a formally documented substantiation for the complaint, together with any supportive documentation/information, to PQAL. If an applicant/client does not document their complaint, then the issue can go no further.
All applicant/client complaints will be initially investigated by the PQAL accredited office, who shall review the documentation/information and the causes of the complaints in a timely manner.
For all upheld complaints, investigations shall be conducted to develop the necessary corrective and preventive actions and to assess the effectiveness of the corrective and preventive actions.
A directory of all companies certified by PQAL is maintained within the accredited office.
This directory may be made available, upon request, at the discretion of a PQAL director
PQAL shall, where the accreditation body so nominates a need to, accept the presence of officers of the accreditation body attending an applicant/client audit, to be conducted by PQAL. This shall be to allow the accreditation body officers, the ability to review the activities and conduct of PQAL personnel. Attendance by accreditation body officers shall in no way affect the recommendation decision making process of the PQAL auditors.
PQAL audits are performed to ensure compliance with the standards, which is confirmed from a sample of objective evidence as presented by an applicant/client, during or prior to the audit. As such, the validity of this evidence is only current during the audit process. PQAL is not a regulatory authority and the audit reports do not contain a declaration of legal or regulatory compliance made by PQAL. The identification of observations/opportunities for improvement during an audit do not constitute consultancy and PQAL do not require an applicant/client to address these mandatorily
An applicant/client shall not involve PQAL, or any associated companies in any litigation arising from the applicant’s/client’s activities, including products produced or sold, or any services supplied. PQAL is removed from any responsibility or liability to the applicant/client for any implications or actions resulting from legislative/regulatory non-compliance on behalf of the applicant/client, including any actions taken subsequent to an audit resulting in legal or financial failures of the applicant/client.
Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as restricting or excluding the liability of either party for death or personal injury resulting from its negligence or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation. Except for liability for death or personal injury, directly resulting from the acts or omissions of PQAL, in the event of any claim the liability of PQAL to the applicant/client shall not exceed the amount paid by the applicant/client to PQAL.
PQAL shall not be liable for any losses, consequential losses or damages incurred by the applicant/client.
The liability of PQAL does not extend to the organisations, or individuals there-of, represented on the PQAL impartiality committee
The applicant/client shall indemnify PQAL against any losses or damages suffered by PQAL arising from the applicant’s/client’s neglect of the staff and subcontract auditors of PQAL, whilst on the Company’s premises, or in the event of the applicant’s/client’s misuse of the certificate and certification mark.
Neither party has any authority to enter into any agreement with, or commitment to, others on behalf of the other party or in its name.
Either party shall be entitled to terminate the proposal/contract agreement immediately by written notice to the other, if the other commits any material breach of the proposal/contract agreement and, in the case of a breach capable of remedy, fails to remedy it within 21 days after receipt of a written notice, giving full details of the breach and requiring it to be remedied.
Either party can also terminate the proposal/contract agreement if the other is the subject of a bankruptcy order (or the equivalent in any other jurisdiction) or the other becomes insolvent or make any arrangement or composition with, or an assignment for the benefit of, its creditors or if any of its assets are the subject of any form of seizure. If either party is a company, the other can terminate the proposal/contract agreement forthwith if the first party goes into liquidation, either voluntary or compulsory, or if a receiver or administrative receiver or administrator is appointed.
It is agreed that these Terms and Conditions shall be construed in accordance with the laws of England & Wales and the execution hereof shall be deemed to have taken place within England & Wales. Each party hereby agrees that the jurisdiction for the resolution of any dispute shall be within the courts of the United Kingdom.
Neither party shall be liable for any breach of these terms and conditions caused by matters beyond its reasonable control; including, but not limited to, acts of god, fire, lightning, explosion, war, disorder, flood, industrial disputes (whether or not involving a party’s employees), failures or interruptions of electricity supplies, weather of exceptional severity, or acts of local or central government/other authorities.
No waiver or any amendment to these terms and conditions shall be effective unless in writing and signed by both parties.
A person who is not a party to these terms and conditions may not enforce any of them under the agreements (rights of third parties) act 1999.
If any dispute arises out of these terms and conditions, each party will both attempt to settle it by mediation, in accordance with the centre for dispute resolution (CEDR) model mediation procedure. If the matter is not resolved by negotiation, the parties will refer it to mediation in accordance with the centre for effective dispute resolution (CEDR) model mediation procedure (see www.cedr.co.uk). Unless otherwise agreed, the mediator shall be appointed by CEDR. If the parties fail to agree terms of settlement within 42 days of the start of the first meeting, held under such procedure, the dispute may be referred to litigation by either party.
Over and above the details herein, all companies within the USA agree to the provision of a separate hold harmless agreement, between themselves and PQAL.
Any past or future violations of environmental and/or health and safety related laws, or regulations, or possible accusations that may lead to a prosecution or legal action, shall be immediately notified to PQAL in writing.
Please note that within the proposal/contract agreement, applicants/clients have an obligation to advise PQAL of any breach of legal or regulatory requirements and any pending prosecutions of whatever nature.
Although proportionality and scale of the situation should be considered, the applicant/client is required to advise PQAL of any potential risks to certification but not, for example, isolated cases of a minor nature.
The applicant/client is required to inform PQAL as soon as it becomes aware of any breach or pending prosecutions for the breach of any regulatory requirements relevant to their certified management system. PQAL shall review the details of any breaches brought to its attention, and may elect to perform additional verification activities, chargeable to the applicant/client, to ensure compliance with specified requirements. PQAL reserves the right to suspend or withdraw certification for failure to inform PQAL and the appropriate regulator of such breaches.
The certification process, from application to registration and on-going surveillance activity, requires PQAL to obtain information necessary to satisfy the international accreditation requirements. Please refer to the PQAL privacy notice posted on the PQAL website (www.pqal.co.uk) for details of the type of information required, how this is used and how you can access this.
PQAL reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time
The PQAL website shall always show the most recent version of the terms and conditions.
Recognising that change is a constant feature of today’s commercial environment, PQAL is committed to the concept of continuous improvement, working in tandem with clients to ensure on-going enhancement of systems and services. Regardless of a company’s size or location, PQAL adheres to its policy of providing support at all times.
It is a necessary objective of PQAL to be completely impartial, in order to remain Accredited and to deliver certification services which provide the market place with confidence, while maintaining the professionalism and credibility of the audit and certification process. PQAL therefore ensure that impartiality is upheld as an integral part of the Audit process. As PQAL is a self-financed independent organisation, this also ensures that we retain our impartiality.
PQAL’s reputation for excellence is maintained by an independent Impartiality Committee, who have been appointed by the directors to monitor all aspects of our business activity. The PQAL Impartiality Committee all have many years of direct experience in the individual sectors which they represent; thus, enabling them to guarantee a wealth of knowledge and integrity for PQAL.
PQAL shall not accept applications for certification of organizations who report directly to a person or group who also have any type of operational responsibility for PQAL.
PQAL Offices shall not enter into any partnerships to provide consultancy. However, PQAL may provide auditor training when contracted by another body to do so, but such contractual agreement may not be advertised in any manner without prior review and approval of the PQAL Accredited Office.
The following seven controls are communicated to all audit and certification staff (through signed agreements held on file). These shall be implemented and complied with by all audit and certification staff to ensure that this impartiality policy is maintained throughout the audit process:
Auditors/Technical Experts are prohibited from participating in the Audit of any organisation where they have provided consultancy or training (except where this has been professionally registered auditor training), or of any organisation where they have any financial or commercial interest, for a minimum period of two years prior to the date of the organisation’s Certification Application
Auditors/Technical Experts shall not disclose or discuss any detail, before or after an Audit, to any member of staff other than their direct Management or other members of the team, as required by their Secrecy and Non-Disclosure agreement signed on commencement of employment
Subcontracted Auditors/Technical Experts shall sign a Subcontractor Agreement and a Secrecy and Non-Disclosure Agreement and shall be included on the Office Potential Conflict Listing
PQAL’s directly employed Management and Staff are prohibited from engaging in consultancy activities, which involve the active design, generation or implementation of a Management System
PQAL’s directly employed Management and Staff are required to declare any financial interests or business activities on commencement of, and during, the period of employment. The details of which shall be recorded on the Office Potential Conflict Listing
PQAL’s Management, Staff and Subcontracted Auditors/Technical Experts shall neither suggest nor imply that certification would be simpler, easier or less expensive if specific consultancy or training services were used. PQAL’s Management, Staff and Subcontracted Auditors/Technical Experts shall not offer consultancy or training services to PQAL’s clients to whom they have been assigned an audit; either during or after the audit has been completed
Certification of organisations supplying a service to PQAL is not deemed to be an unacceptable threat to conflict of interest. However, certification of a company with whom in partnership PQAL provides a direct service is deemed to be an unacceptable threat to impartiality. If such a situation develops, an alternative Accredited Certification Body shall be sourced to allow the continuation of the existing Certification.
Confidential information is a mainstay of PQAL operations and as such our procedures are in place to effectively manage confidential client information. All persons having access to this information are subject to Non-Disclosure Agreements. Where confidential information is required by law or authorized by contractual arrangements is to be made available to other parties such as accreditation bodies etc., then the client will be informed, and written consent gained, unless regulated by law.
PQAL states to its clients, in advance through the client contract and term and conditions, of the information it intends to place in the public domain. All other information, except for information that is made publicly accessible by the client, shall be considered confidential. When Information is gained concerning PQAL’s interested Parties from sources other than directly, this information will always be treated as confidential
Once you have been provided with your Certification from PQAL, you will be able to request copies of our Registration Marks/Logos.
PQAL, along with the Accreditation Bodies, have specific guidance on how these Registration Marks may be used.
It is important that any issues of Appeals, Complaints and Disputes are handled in a professional manner; ensuring that they have been appropriately addressed and a reasonable effort has been made to resolve any issues arising.
If the Company feels that the findings of the Audit Team are not correct or are not appropriate and would like to challenge these findings, or if the Company are not satisfied with the conduct or professionalism of the Audit Team, then the Company has the right to submit either a formal Appeal or a formal Complaint.
COMPLAINTS
A Complaint about the conduct or professionalism of an employee or subcontractor of PQAL may be made at any time. The Complainant shall contact the PQAL Office and advise of the intent to complain. Upon the request to complain, PQAL shall provide the Complainant with a Complaints Form to complete.
The Complainant should complete and return this form to PQAL. Complaints that have not been submitted in writing can go no further
The PQAL Office will contact the Company to discuss the Complaint and shall pass the Complaint to the PQAL Accredited Office, who will be responsible for dealing with the Complaint and coming to a conclusion, to be provided to the Complainant in writing.
If the PQAL Accredited Office response to the Complaint is not satisfactory then the Complainant may contact the PQAL Accredited Office to discuss the Complaint further
All Complaints submitted to PQAL will be subject to periodic review by the Accreditation Body, to ensure fairness and impartiality of the Complaints process
APPEALS
If the Company feels that the findings of the Audit Team are not correct or are not appropriate, then an informal Appeal should be made to the Audit Team Leader during the Closing Meeting, and the findings should be questioned. At this time the Audit Team Leader may consider the Company’s Appeal to be justified and, in this case, shall make an adjustment to the findings.
If the Audit Team Leader does not agree with the informal Appeal and the Company would like to submit a formal Appeal, the following procedure should be followed (submission, investigation and decision on Appeals shall not result in any discriminatory actions against the Company):
The Company shall contact the PQAL Office within seven days of the Audit, and advise of the intent to Appeal against the findings of the Audit Team
Upon the request to Appeal, PQAL shall provide the Company with an Appeals Form to complete. The Company should complete and return this form to PQAL within 30 days of the Audit Findings being raised. Appeals that have not been submitted in writing can go no further
The PQAL Office will contact the Company to discuss the Appeal and shall pass the formal Appeal to the PQAL Accredited Office.
If the PQAL Accredited Office agrees that the findings of the Audit Team are not correct or are not appropriate, they will overturn the findings of the Audit Team and advise the Company in writing.
If the PQAL Accredited Office agrees with the Audit Team then the Appeal Form will be passed to the Independent Appeals Panel of the PQAL Impartiality Committee, for their further review and decision
The Company will be advised in writing that the Appeal is to go forward to the Independent Appeals Panel and will be advised of the details of the panel members. If the Company is of the opinion that a member of the panel constitutes a conflict of interest, or objects to any of the Panel members, then all objections must be made in writing, within 15 days of notification by PQAL that the Appeal is to be reviewed by the Independent Appeals Panel. Any objections must clearly detail the reasons for objection, which will be considered by the Chairperson of the Panel. If they feel the objection is justified, the offending member shall be removed from the Independent Appeals Panel and an alternative shall be appointed.
The Company will then be advised in writing of the results of the Independent Appeals Panel review.
All Appeals submitted to PQAL will be subject to periodic review by the Accreditation Body, to ensure fairness and impartiality of the Appeal process.
The process for gaining ISO certification is straightforward and follows a consistent approach for all management systems standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001.
Application
To start the process, the first step is completing the Application Form
This form provides all the information required about your business so we can determine the scope of certification and calculate the audit timing and coverage.
Assessment
The Assessment stage is a straight forward process which consists of two mandatory visits that form the Initial Certification Audit. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits that form this process are designed to cover both the preparedness and implementation of your management system.
Certification
A Certificate is issued after the positive completion of the Initial Audit process. Certification is maintained through a programme of annual or six monthly surveillance audits and then a three yearly recertification audit, as shown below.
Stage 1
The objectives of a Stage 1 Audit are to:
Stage 2
The objectives of a Stage 2 Audit are to:
Surveillance
The objectives of a Surveillance Audit are to:
Surveillance audits shall be conducted at least once a year. The first planned Surveillance Audit shall take place no more than 12 months after the last day of the Stage 2 Audit
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