Accredited certification is a conformance verification that your organisation’s management system, product, or service, satisfies the requirements of an applicable national or international standard. This independent verification is done by an accredited certification body (auditor).
There are several international standards a company can be certified to.

For example:
• Road Transport Management System (RTMS, SANS 1395)
• Quality management systems (ISO 9001)
• Environmental management systems (ISO 14001)
• OH&S management systems (ISO 45001)

There are a few reasons why companies certify their business; it may promote a structured mechanism for managing company processes and procedures , or sometimes it be because it is a request from a client or potential client .
It is increasingly common that companies are requesting supplier to achieve ISO certification as it provides assurance that their supplier’s products or services comply with global standards.
For some companies, ISO certification is used a marketing tool to gain access to new markets and clients.

There are 2 costs involved in accredited ISO certification viz. Audit Costs and Implementation Costs
Audit Costs:
JC Auditors will require a completed application form to obtain information about the organisation’s scope, sites, products and services. This information is then used to calculate the number of audit days and subsequent costs. The audit costs are an annual cost (annual surveillance audit) with a recertification audit every 3 years.
Implementation Costs
These are internal costs which include the time cost for writing up policies, procedures, training of staff, conducting internal audits, management review etc. Sometimes a consultant is used by the company which would also have additional cost implications.

This will depend on the existing infrastructure and process at the company. If the company already operates a system that complies with the requirements of the relevant standard, then the certification audits can be booked quite quickly. It will take longer if there is little existing systems in place. Many companies opt for an initial gap analysis from JC Auditors. This exercise provides the company with a concise summary of where the gaps are and informs the company of the actions to be taken and time frames.

JC Auditors are accredited by South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) who are parties to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) multi-lateral agreement. This agreement ensures that any certification body accredited under this IAF agreement enjoys global recognition for certificates issued. So, JC Auditors accredited certificates are recognised globally and accepted on international markets.

Sadly, yes. There are unethical operators in the certification industry so it is important to ensure the Certification Body that you engage to complete the independent, third-party certification audit of your management system is accredited and your certificate is authentic. Visit SANAS to see JC Auditors listing as an accredited certification body.