How To Check If a Company Is ISO 9001 Certified?

How Can You Check If A Company Is ISO 9001 Certified?

You can check if a company is certified with documented proof and by searching with their registrar or accrediting bodies.

When we choose a company to deliver a good or service, we expect them to give us a high-quality and positive experience. With an ISO 9001 certification, a company is telling consumers and the business world that it cares about its output and delivering its goods or services to the best of its abilities.

Some firms will only hire a company that is ISO 9001 certified to do a job. This ensures that companies are held accountable to high standards.

If a company advertises it holds a certification, it is a good idea to check into it. You want to ensure legitimacy, as this certification takes significant effort to obtain. Double-checking their certification will build a trusting relationship with a client. Working exclusively with credentialed firms will keep you confident in getting your job done.

How To Check If a Company Is ISO 9001 Certified? A Step-By-Step Guide

When working with a firm, you may choose to only work with ISO 9001-certified companies. There are many reasons that clients will do this. It establishes the company as committed to quality assurance and consistent improvement to their business operations.

Making all their processes efficient and continually striving to be better builds confidence in consumers. They can trust that a firm will work in their best interest and deliver a great product or service.

Working with ISO 9001-certified companies exclusively will not only ensure that a company will serve your needs according to their well-defined standards, but it will also speak to your values.

You appreciate a well-planned and executed job and working with companies committed to high quality. Both firms’ priorities are excellence and high standards, which will create a cohesive and transparent working relationship.

Unfortunately, there is always the fear that a company may broadcast certifications that it does not have to boost its image and attract business.

Because some people are skeptical or just want to verify the information, there are different avenues to take to ensure this certification is legitimate. If you are a client who will be using a firm for contracted work or needs a service, you can and should double-check that their certification is valid.

You should take these steps to ensure that an organization is ISO 9001 certified. These will ensure you are working with a legitimate and honest firm.

Claiming certification reaps significant benefits for a company, and you should ensure it is truthfully certified. Knowing this will allow you to build trust with the contracted company.

Request a Copy of the Certificate of Registration

When you have chosen a company to work with for a project or contracted work, you should ask them for a copy of their certification. This is not an inconvenience for a company, as they should give this to every client who requests it. If a firm has a valid certification, there should be no issue in delivering this request. Seeing a physical copy of a certificate of registration is the best way to prove that a company is certified.

This certification should be issued by the certification body to which the company’s certification is registered. This will give you all the details of the certification, including the time frame and scope of the deliverables to meet specific ISO 9001 requirements.

Examples of Certificates of Registration:

Look at the Date

Once you have received a copy of the certificate, you need to make sure it is entirely valid. One of the ways that certification may not be legitimate is through an expired date. Getting certified is a process in itself, but maintaining certification is just as difficult. Many firms go through the efforts of becoming certified in order to expand their business scope. While this is the first step in acquiring new business, maintaining the certification is critical in delivering the stated process improvements. Because improved efficiency is a crucial component of meeting the certification standards, standards must continue to be met. Check the certification date to ensure they are still ISO 9001 certified. We may overlook this when we see that they have been approved once!

Expired Certificates may have Valid Explanations

Issues on the registrar end in issuing a recertification on time. If this occurs, it may take additional time for the process to be completed and it is not always the fault of a firm.
They were not ready for recertification and had to postpone it. If this occurs, you should see a plan and agenda for this recertification before entering a contract with the firm.

This is not always negative, as a business is being up-front about issues it needs to resolve within the firm and is committed to fixing them effectively. Transparency and honesty are vital qualities in any upstanding business.

Make Sure Documents Are Specific

ISO 9001 certification is unique in that the standards a business must meet are specific to the individual firm. This allows a company to improve metrics and processes that are tailored to its business.

A generic set of standards may not apply to all companies, so this ensures that a business can further their efficiency in ways that specifically benefit them.

When looking at the certification, you should read through the standards and deliverables that the business sets itself to. If you know what the business aims to do and if it is hitting those goals, you can confidently believe its certification is valid.

If these documents do not match the company's goals or functions, the company may not be adhering to its certification, or this certification may not be legitimate.

An important example is an organization that can certify one plant or location in its company but not another. Ensure the processes and all parts of the business you interact with are accredited.

Just because a company holds a certification for operating a specific plant does not mean it also keeps this for another. You have to be very detail-oriented in this regard!

Look for an Accreditation Body Stamp

Because ISO 9001-certified companies undergo an external audit to make sure their requirements are being met, there should be a stamp or indication from a registrar.

If the document does not bear the accreditation body's marking, you should be suspicious of its validity. Approval and yearly audits are required for a firm to maintain its credentials.

If you see the name of the registrar on the certificate, the easiest way to verify is to call the organization. They will be able to tell you if they have issued this certificate and any additional details about the firm’s specific certification.

Examples of Accreditation Body Stamps:

Check to See If the Accreditation Body is Valid

Many third-party auditors may not be members of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). This list ensures that auditors and the companies they represent are trained and certified to complete this audit effectively.

Many organizations are not certified, and this forum is a good resource to check! Businesses that want to abide closely by ISO 9001 standards will use a verified registrar.

Not all certification bodies are accredited. This is not always a problem. Being an accredited organization is not a requirement, but often, firms will choose to work with a body that has taken the extra step to become accredited.

Some non-accredited certification organizations have strong reputations in a specific industry or category. Before you sign up, research the organization to ensure its legitimacy.

Being accredited may make you more comfortable as a client, but knowing that a company has been certified by a reputable source is not required.

Verify Firm on Accreditation Site

Now that you have confirmed that the accreditation or certification body is valid and can carry out valid audits, ensure the firm is listed in their database.

Accreditation bodies will publish the businesses to which they have given certifications. If a company is listed, you can confirm that it has been appropriately certified and adheres to its ISO 9001 requirements.

If A Firm is Not Certified

If issues arise with any of the above steps and cannot be rectified, find another certified supplier. There is no reason to work with a firm that says it is certified when it is not.

This could suggest deceitful business practices, an inability to meet set standards, or a lack of attention to detail. Firms that do not abide by their requirements may not instill the most confidence in clients looking for well-designed and delivered products or services.

Working with an entirely legitimate and accredited firm poses less risk for problems in your business ventures.

Following these steps will help you to confirm that a business is legitimately ISO 9001 certified. Being very careful and paying close attention to every step will prevent misunderstandings or oversights.

Taking the extra time to check is worth knowing that you are working with a firm committed to operating at its best and supplying you with the deliverable you hired them for.

Do All Companies Need ISO 9001 Certification?

Not all companies need ISO 9001 certification, but it does instill more confidence in a client or consumer. Because many firms only work with accredited businesses, many companies need the certification to stay competitive and attract new business.

There is no legal requirement for a business to be ISO 9001 certified, but certification does offer specific benefits to the company.