Who are UKAS and why should I use a UKAS accredited body for my ISO certification?

The benefits of gaining an ISO certification (such as ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 etc) can be obvious to the benefits they bring to your business however, rushing into a quick solution could be a costly mistake.

The path to your ISO certification may involve the assistance of a consultant, whom would support the business create and implement the quality management system aligned to the requirements of the ISO standards.

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) are appointed by the government to assess organisations that provide products, services, certification, testing, inspection, calibration services etc to ensure the intended outputs are achieved and traceable throughout the cycle.

Gaining UKAS accreditation helps you to win business; this is the safest way to ensure that your certification will be universally accepted when you are bidding for contracts in both the private and public sectors.

There is an increasing number of companies offering both consultancy and accreditation to ISO 9001 in a “one stop shop” format however these are not necessarily UKAS accreditations.

Whilst it is not compulsory for your ISO standard to be certified by UKAS, doing so by a UKAS-accredited certification body means that it has been independently verified and held to the highest standard. An increasing number of industries are insisting on UKAS-accredited certification so be mindful of this when selecting your certification body.

If you choose not to use a UKAS accredited body for certification then is perfectly fine, however you
could run the risk of dealing with a company who may not be deemed competent to deliver said certificate. More importantly, you may end up spending money on a scheme which your customers do not recognise.

Always do your research before selecting your accreditation body!
Contact Clear Quality today for free advice on 01709 918501 or [email protected]