Frequently Asked Questions about the ISO Certification Process

If you want quick and easy answers to any questions you may have relating to ABCI

Equilateral Process or ISO Standards and their implementation, please read on:

How much does it cost for the ISO Certification? (Click here to request a quote)

Less than what you might imagine. The cost for your ISO standard is related to which standard you require, the number of sites and employees and also how much support is necessary to ensure that your business is prepared and ready for certification.

We are a small company that needs ISO but are unsure if we can afford the cost?

ABCI specializes in supporting SME’s and understands fully the issues that surround businesses on a daily basis. Your local ABCI

Business Manager is able, in many instances, to access and organize funding for your investment in an ISO standard.

How long will it take to complete the ISO standard?

It is dependent on which standard you require, the number of sites and employees you have and also how much support is necessary to ensure that your business is prepared and ready for certification.  If achievement of the ISO standard is a business priority, ABCI

will attach the necessary resources required to ensure all deadlines are achieved.

What's different about ISO 9001 and ISO 14001?

The vast majority of ISO standards are highly specific to a particular product, material, or process. However, ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environment) are "generic management system standards". "Generic" means that the same standard can be applied to any organization, large or small, whatever its product or service, in any sector of activity, and whether it is a business enterprise, a public administration, or a government department. ISO 9001 contains a generic set of requirements for implementing a quality management system and ISO 14001 for an environmental management system.

Generic standards can be applied to any organization.

What "international standardization" means?

When the large majority of products or services in a particular business or industry sector conform to International Standards, a state of industry-wide standardization exists. The economic stakeholders concerned agree on specifications and criteria to be applied consistently in the classification of materials, in the manufacture and supply of products, in testing and analysis, in terminology and in the provision of services. In this way, International Standards provide a reference framework, or a common technological language, between suppliers and their customers. This facilitates trade and the transfer of technology.

What is conformity assessment?

Conformity assessment is the name given to the processes that are used to demonstrate that a product (tangible) or a service or a management system or body meets specified requirements. These requirements are contained in ISO/IEC standards and guides. The processes that need to be followed to be able to demonstrate that they meet the requirements are also contained in ISO/IEC standards and guides.

The use of ISO/IEC standards in conformity assessment procedures allows for harmonization throughout the world and this, in turn, not only facilitates international trade between countries but also facilitates trade within countries by giving the purchaser of the product or service confidence that it meets the requirements. Conformity assessment can cover one or more of the following activities:

• Testing of a product/service to determine if it complies or performs in accordance with the specified requirements.
• Inspecting the manufacturing process of a product to ensure that it is manufactured in a safe manner and according to regulations (e.g. fire extinguishers).
• Implementing a management system to ensure that products/services are produced or delivered by an organization in a consistent manner and meet customers' expectations.

Why conformity assessment is important?

"Conformity assessment" means checking that products, materials, services, systems, processes or people measure up to the specifications of a relevant standard or specification. Today, many products require testing for conformity with specifications or compliance with safety, or other regulations before they can be put on many markets. ISO guides and standards for conformity assessment represent an international consensus on best practice. Their use contributes to the consistency of conformity assessment worldwide and so facilitates trade.