A: ISO 9001 is also known as BS EN ISO 9001:2008 (formally BS EN ISO 9001:2000) and is part of the ISO 9000 series of standards. ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems (QMS). A quality management system is a set of procedures and policies for a company that provides a framework to which they operate. This includes many aspects of the business operation such as procedures for supplier selection and monitoring, document control, production, product testing, the company quality policy, quality objectives and much more. ISO 9001 is ultimately all about enhancing customer satisfaction via the quality management system. Documenting and having written procedures for your business processes gives you control of your business. This in turn gives your business consistency in its operation. When you are in control and consistent, you can deliver quality consistently. ISO 9001 proves to your customers and potential customers that you care and are committed to the quality of the products and services you provide. Many businesses do this successfully without ISO 9001 but a ISO 9001 certificate is the proof. ISO 9001 is not business specific so any business can work towards ISO 9001 compliance.

A: To gain an ISO 9001 certificate you must write and implement a Quality Management System in compliance with the ISO 9001 standard. You are then audited by an independent UKAS accredited certification body who award you a certificate. The ISO 9001 standard encompasses many varied aspects including: Documentation requirements; Management Commitment; Quality Policy; Quality Objectives; Planning; Responsibility Authority &* Communication; Management Review; Resource Management; Human Resources; Infrastructure; Work Environment; Product Realisation; Design & Development; Purchasing; Control of Monitoring & Measuring Devices; Measurement Analysis & improvement; Control of nonconforming Product; Analysis of Data; Improvement.

A: Not at all. Businesses who implement ISO 9001 actually find the opposite. As every business process is documented and forms etc are standardised, the process of running a business is more streamlined. Yes there are additional items that have to be carried out such as regular internal audits to ensure you are following your own processes and procedures and annual management review but overall the business benefits from having an ISO 9001 Quality Management System. If you are not able to maintain or are concerned about maintaining the ISO 9001 system yourselves or require ongoing support, High Edge Consulting can provide you with a range of solutions via our service agreements.

A: This is dependent on how much of your policy and procedures are already documented. Quite simply. the more that is already documented the less work there is to do. If you already have documented procedures and standardised forms this will help. Frequently the missing parts are the documents that tie everything together, such as Quality Policy, Process Mapping and Interactions, Improvement feedback loops etc and items specific to ISO 9001 such as audit schedules, quality manual and quality objectives. Our off the shelf product ISO KIT^® has been developed to reduced the amount of work required to set up ISO 9001 in your business. ISO KIT^® provides you with all you need to implement ISO 9001 into your business by giving you templates to work with. You will not have to write anything from scratch.

A: This is entirely dependent upon how much resource you can provide to the project and how much of your policies and procedures are already documented. If you are going to do it yourself, the capabilities of the staff involved are also a factor. If you are using High Edge Consulting Ltd we will work to your timescales as long as they are realistic. There is no expiry date on ISO KIT^® so you can implement it as quickly or a slowly as you require. If you wish to implement ISO KIT^® as quickly as possible, you should book your chosen UKAS accredited body first as they are typically booked up 6 -8 weeks in advance and this will be the limiting factor of gaining your certificate quickly.

A: If you have any difficulty in deciding, please call us and we will happy to assist you in making your decision.

ISO KIT^® 1 – For businesses who either wish to do it themselves or want the lowest cost solution. We provide you with templates of all the necessary components to gain your ISO 9001 certificate from a UKAS accredited body. We provide you with the tools for you to do it yourself.

ISO KIT^® 2 – For businesses who still want good value by doing it themselves but an extra bit of support, comfort and reassurance on their investment. We start you off in the right direction and you then follow our handbook. We revisit to check your progress and visit again to carry out a mock audit before your real audit.

ISO KIT^® 3 – For businesses who need to outsource the implementation of their Quality Management System because of limited resource internally or lack of expertise in quality systems. You provide us with the information we require, we then create your Quality Management System and come to you to help you implement it.

ISO KIT^® 4 – For businesses that requires a more sophisticated ISO 9001 quality management system. ISO KIT^® 4 will provide you with a bespoke system for your business.

A: ISO KIT^® 1, 2 & 3 are all fixed price products. With ISO KIT^® 2 & 3 we add “+ travel expenses” because you will receive visits at your premises from one of our consultants. We will charge travel expenses for those visits in addition to the price of the ISO KIT^®. Driven mileage is charged at 50p per mile for a return journey. If you wish to have an estimate of how much this will be, please contact us and we will provide you with this information. All other travel expenses are charged at cost. This includes train fares, taxi fares, car parking fees, toll charges, flights, underground fares, and hotel accommodation (B&B) if an overnight stay is required. If you wish to know what charges are likely, please contact us and we will be happy to help. We do not add on any surcharges or handling fee to any expenses.

A: ISO KIT^® is wholly and solely owned and authored by High Edge Consulting Ltd. High Edge Consulting Ltd owns all copyright and all other intellectual property rights to ISO KIT^®. ISO KIT^® is not available to purchase from any third party or reseller. It is illegal to make copies of or reproduce extracts of ISO KIT^® outside of the original purchasing organisation without the express written permission of High Edge Consulting Ltd.

A: Your quality system will need to be audited by an independent UKAS accredited body. In the audit the auditor will ensure that your system complies with the requirements of ISO 9001 and that you are following your own policies and procedures. Once the auditor can confirm you are in compliance you will be awarded your ISO 9001 certificate. If you are not in compliance, the auditor will detail your non compliance and state if they are major or minor. If you receive a low number of minor non compliances a plan for resolution needs to be submitted, if that plan is accepted you will be recommended for your certificate. If you have any major non compliances, these will need to be resolved and then you will be re-audited. The auditor may also make non-mandatory observations on areas that could be improved.

A: Any UKAS accredited body can certify you for ISO 9001. A list of current UKAS accredited companies is available on the UKAS website and you will be provided with a list in your ISO KIT^®.

A: We do not issue ISO 9001 certificates. We know ISO KIT^® stands up to the scrutiny of an independent auditor and as an ethical company we feel it is inappropriate to award a certificate ourselves for work we have carried out. You are therefore secure in the knowledge that ISO KIT^® is fit for the purpose of ISO 9001 and not just taking our word for it.

A: UKAS accredited bodies have been assessed for their competence, impartiality and performance capability by UKAS. UKAS is the ONLY government recognised accreditation body in the United Kingdom to assess, against internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. Only UKAS accredited bodies are allowed to use the national accreditation mark, which includes the Royal Crown that signifies Government recognition. We advise caution when considering non UKAS accredited bodies for certification as our experience is that they are not so widely recognised and therefore may not be of any worth.

A: If you are working to a tight deadline, you may have to select on the basis of who can audit you within your timescales. Accredited bodies are typically booked up 6 -8 weeks in advance. If time is not of the essence you may decide on cost. Contact a range of accredited bodies and ask them for a quote. The quote may be subject to travelling expenses so make sure you are clear on how they charge for them. You may also choose an accredited body for their reputation. In some business areas, certain accredited bodies are well respected. If you are exporting goods out of the UK a well known accredited body may be more appropriate than a smaller less known one. You may select an accredited body because of the extra services they provide, such as newsletters, e-mail updates, forums or user clubs. If you want to use an accredited body that is local to you, make sure the auditor is too. Auditors live all over the country and may not be office based.

A: It is important to understand that you do not just get a certificate and that is the end. In fact, it is just the beginning. After your initial assessment you will typically be on a 3 year plan whereby you receive annual surveillance audits at the end of years 1 & 2 and a full system audit at the end of year 3. Implementation of your system means that you must continue to hold management reviews, internal audits, review non-conformance and continually improve your system and processes. Dependant on the size of your company you may require a full time quality manager, part time quality manager, appoint an existing member of staff as Quality Representative or outsource a consultant to review and carry out core tasks.

We can provide support to you once you have your ISO 9001 certificate. In most cases customers opt for ISO KIT^® Plus once the support provided with their ISO KIT^® ends. ISO KIT^® Plus provides a range of support services from telephone and e-mail support for questions, queries and advice to carrying out internal audits, staff training/updating and management reviews. Click here for more information on ISO KIT^® Plus. If your ISO KIT^® includes post certification support, you can upgrade it to ISO KIT^® Plus at any time.

A: We routinely cover the whole of the UK and Western Europe, distance is no barrier to us providing our services to you. Support is typically provided by telephone and e-mail. All questions, queries and advice can be answered in this way. If you would prefer a consultant to visit you, this can be done too but at an additional cost.

A: We certainly can if you opt for all our services. Using ISO KIT^® 4 we can write your quality system and implement it for you, train your staff, carry out internal and supplier audits, carry out the first annual management review, select and liaise with the accredited body and attend the certification audit. Once you have gained your ISO 9001 certificate we can then offer a maintenance contract for the continual maintenance of your system. This will ensure that issues are dealt with appropriately, any new procedures are written and incorporated into the quality system. ISO KIT^® Plus will ensure that you continue to receive ongoing support, internal audits are kept up to date, management review is completed appropriately, mock compliance audits are carried out to reduce the number of non conformances at the real audit and staff are continually trained/retrained. We can offer a complete long term solution for your ISO 9001 quality system needs.