ISO Certification

Having an ISO Certification is always beneficial in the following ways:

The institution by itself doesn't certify anyone. Rather, there are bodies that certify you based on the standards mentioned by the ISO. You need to look through the list of certification bodies and verify if they are accredited.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies, at present comprising 140 members, one in each country. The object of ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity. The results of ISO technical work are published as International Standards.

The ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on good management practices with the aim of ensuring that the organization can time and time again deliver the product or services that meet the client’s quality requirements. These good practices have been distilled into a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system, regardless of what your organization does, its size, or whether it is in the private, or public sector. The family of ISO 9000 standards has been developed by ISO and it is made up of four core standards:

1. a)ISO   9000:2005  –  Fundamentals and Vocabulary
2. b)ISO   9001:2008   – Quality Management Systems – Requirements
3. c)ISO 9004:2009– Quality Management Systems – Guidelines for performance improvements
4. d)ISO 19011: 2011 – Guidelines for quality and/or environmental management systems auditing

BIS is the National Standards Body of India and is a founder member of ISO. BIS represents India, in ISO. The Technical Committee (TC) number 176 (ISO/TC 176), and its Sub-committees of ISO are responsible for the development of ISO 9000 standards. Quality and industry experts from India including BIS officers nominated by BIS participate in the meetings of the Technical Committee ISO/TC 176 and its Sub-committees.

There is no difference. They are exactly the same. BIS has adopted the above-mentioned ISO 9000 standards and these are numbered as IS/ISO 9000:2005; IS/ISO 9001:2008; IS/ISO 9004:2009; and IS/ISO 19011:2011. These standards published by BIS are the exact replica of ISO 9000 standards. BIS also provides certification against IS/ISO 9001:2008 under its Management Systems Certification activity.

Any organization can apply for certification against IS/ISO 9001:2000. The other standards i.e. IS/ISO 9000:2005; IS/ISO 9004:2009; and IS/ISO 19011:2011 are guidance standards and are not meant for certification.

The requirements of IS/ISO 9004:2009 should be implemented by the organizations who intend to further improve beyond the requirements of IS/ISO 9001:2008. The standard IS/ISO 9004:2009 has an important element of `self-evaluation’ and this standard is not amenable to certification.

None. The term `certification body’ is used in some countries, like, India, because BIS as certification body issue certificates (licences). Elsewhere, they prefer to say that they `register’ organizations complying with ISO 9000.

The IS/ISO 9000 standards are applicable to all types of organizations. The definition of the term `product’ in IS/ISO 9000:2005 also include services and their combination. Therefore, the requirements of IS/ISO 9001:2008 are equally applicable to service sector as it is applicable to product manufacturing company.

As a minimum you should familiarize yourself not only with the requirements of IS/ISO 9001:2008 but also with the content and philosophies given in IS/ISO 9000:2005, IS/ISO 9004:2009 and the Quality Management Principles. You have to clearly understand your organization’s activities and processes and appropriately interpret the requirements of the standards. Implement the requirements in the various activities and processes adding value to these processes and activities. For training programmes on general awareness on the requirements, content and philosophies of the IS/ISO 9000 standards, our BIS, National Institute of Training for Standardization (NITS) may be contacted.

In simple terms, accreditation is like certification of the certification body. `Accreditation’ should not be used as an interchangeable alternative for certification or registration.

The information is available in this BIS website under Management Systems Certification. The application form (Form IV), questionnaire (Form V) and fee structure can also be downloaded from BIS website. A copy of the `Guidelines for Applicants – IS/ISO 9001:2008’ can be obtained from Regional or Branch Offices of BIS or from Headquarters at New Delhi.

Visit Our Office