The cost of ISO 9001 certification is perhaps the most concerning thing for a company owner, management or investor. Everyone want to improve their system but at a discounted rate. In this blog I am listing all the possible ways to actually lower the overall cost of ISO 9001 certification.

Conduct a gap analysis internally

Gap analysis is the first step when we are going to implement any management system. There are two options usually, one, you can hire a consultant and second, you can do it internally. By doing it internally, you can save the cost of consultant. There are a lot of website online which you can use to download a ISO 9001 requirements checklist.

There will be a compromise on quality of work. Obviously, internal gap analysis will be not as much professional as the external experts, but you can save a lot.

Train your internal resources

It is easy to hire an external consultant to complete your documentation and other requirements, then apply for ISO certification. This can save time but obviously the consultant will take a cost.

You can skip this cost by training your existing resources and then assigning them tasks according to the gap analysis. However, there is only disadvantage and that is, it is more time consuming.

The internal team will take time to learn, the starting will be slow, they will make more mistakes, but eventually they will get matured and since they are internal team, they know the system better and will be there to support and work even after the certification.

Finding A Cost Effective Certification Body

There are hundreds of certification bodies out there. Some are costly, some are not. It is like a marketplace where you get all kind of options depending on brand name, and accreditations they offer.

The cost of certification depends upon the accreditation, some certifications have multiple accreditations, so they will cost more. For example a certification body will audit you and can issue you an unaccredited certificate, the certificate will be issued by the body themselves. This will cost less.

However, if a certification body have accreditation let say UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), then it will cost more, as they also have to pay the defined fee to UKAS as well, but if you require more accreditation else that, like United States Accreditation Services (USAS), PNAC (Pakistan National Accreditation Council). The more decorated certificate means the more costly.

Negotiate With Certification Bodies

Certification bodies cost vary, they give quote based on the industry, how risky is the company procedures, number of employee, area, etc. The cost they give usually have a lot of tolerance for negotiation, thus, by negotiating with them you can decrease the cost of ISO 9001 certification.

Conclusion

We believe that by following the above tips; like utilizing internal existing resources, equipping the team with knowledge and ability and empowering them in decision making, selecting the certification body according to our required goals, will be helpful in minimizing the overall cost of ISO 9001 certification. Remember, ISO certification is not only a cost, however, it is an investment been done to reap quality betterment goals and increased customer satisfaction in future.