What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 is the world's most widely used management system standard. It sets out the requirements for a Quality Management System (QMS) — a structured way of running an organisation so that it consistently meets customer and regulatory requirements and continually improves.
It is built on seven quality management principles, including customer focus, leadership, engagement of people, the process approach, improvement, evidence-based decision making, and relationship management. The current edition is ISO 9001:2015, and certification is recognised across more than 170 countries.
In the UK, ISO 9001 is frequently a prerequisite for winning public-sector and large private-sector contracts, and is often the first standard an organisation pursues because its structure underpins almost every other ISO management system.
How to get ISO 9001 certified
- Buy and read the standard, and run a gap analysis against your current processes.
- Build the QMS: define your context, scope, quality policy, objectives, and document the processes that matter to your customers.
- Operate the system for long enough to generate records (typically 2-3 months minimum).
- Carry out internal audits and a management review to demonstrate the system works.
- Choose a UKAS-accredited certification body and book the two-stage initial assessment (Stage 1 documentation review, Stage 2 on-site audit).
- Close out any non-conformities, receive your certificate, then maintain it with annual surveillance audits and a full re-certification every three years.
Choosing a certification body
For a certificate to carry weight, choose a body accredited by UKAS, the UK's national accreditation body. Accredited certification is recognised by customers and procurement teams; unaccredited certificates often are not. Get quotes from at least three bodies, as fees vary.
How much does ISO 9001 certification cost?
There is no single price — total cost depends on your organisation's size, how much you already have in place, the number of sites, and whether you use a consultant. Broadly, the cost splits into three parts: implementation (building the system), the certification audit (paid to the certification body), and ongoing costs (annual surveillance and a three-yearly re-certification).
- ISO 9001 is the cheapest of the major standards to certify because audit durations are set by the published IAF mandatory document and the requirements are generic.
- The biggest variable is internal effort: organisations with existing documented processes certify far more cheaply than those starting from a blank page.
- Multi-site organisations can reduce cost using a sampling approach agreed with the certification body.
To get a tailored figure for your organisation, use our free calculator:
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