The Certification process shall consist of the following key stages
Application
Enquiries may be received in several forms, by telephone, letter, e-mail or facsimile.
Applicant organization required to provide the following below information in questionnaire to enable BRIT QUALIS to establish the following
Contract Review
The details received shall be reviewed against NACE/EA Codes and the accredited codes of IAF. BRIT QUALIS capability for processing the certification. The review shall be conducted in accordance with procedure. If the same is found to be within BRIT QUALIS's scope of accreditation the quotation will be prepared. We shall prepare a quotation based on requirements of Mandays, multi site activities and other considerations. And after obtaining approval from management shall submit the same to the client. Operational team in consultation with management shall proceed for finalizing the audit team. The audit team shall be appointed and composed of auditors (and technical experts, as necessary)
The individual(s) who will be conducting the certification decision shall be appointed ensuring appropriate competence with appointment letter
Initial Certification Audit (Stage I & Stage II)
BRIT QUALIS shall proceed with Initial Certification Audit (Stage-1) audit activity on completion of earlier activities. A pre-assessment is a trial audit which is conducted before the Certification audit at client's option to provide a macro level assessment of the status of implementation and identification of any major deficiencies in the compliance of the documented quality system with the requirements of the certification standards, for corrective actions to be taken in advance of the certification audit. It provides valuable inputs to give confidence to the clients and saves time for taking necessary corrective action, later. However pre-assessment is done in special cases and it is also ensured that the auditor signs the conflict of interest before every visit.
The audit shall be conducted :
1. To audit the client's management system documentation;
2. To evaluate the client's location and site-specific conditions and to undertake discussions with the client's personnel to determine the preparedness for the stage 2 audit;
3. To review the client's status and understanding regarding requirements of the standard, in particular with respect to the identification of key performance or significant aspects, processes, objectives and operation of the management system;
4. To collect necessary information regarding the scope of the management system, processes and location(s) of the client, and related statutory and regulatory aspects and compliance (e.g. quality, environmental, legal aspects of the client's operation, associated risks, etc.);
5. To review the allocation of resources for stage 2 audit and agree with the client on the details of the stage 2 audit;
6. To provide a focus for planning the stage 2 audit by gaining a sufficient understanding of the client's management system and site operations in the context of possible significant aspects;
7. To evaluate if the internal audits and management review are being planned and performed, and that the level of implementation of the management system substantiates that the client is ready for the stage 2 audit
A detailed report shall be prepared by the Team Leader and a copy shall be given to the client. The report shall be evaluated by AM and plan for the subsequent audits of the organization is discussed with the client.
Each certified organization shall be required to undergo a surveillance audit at maximum intervals of 12 months, during the term of validity of its certification. The continual conformance of the organization management system with the certification standard shall be verified by auditing selected elements of the management system at each visit besides verification of the effectiveness of the corrective actions against the non-conformities raised during the previous audit.
The Auditors are required to complete the Reports in a precise and accurate manner. The justification for non inclusion of any element as per the ISO standards e.g. Design Control etc from the company's quality system should be carefully verified and recorded in the Report.
Information for granting initial certification
The information provided by the audit team to BRIT QUALIS for the certification decision shall be as per our procedure shall include, as a minimum,
1. The audit reports,
2. Comments on the nonconformities and, where applicable, the correction and corrective actions taken by the client,
3. Confirmation of the information provided to BRIT QUALIS used in the application review, and
4. A recommendation whether or not to grant certification, together with any conditions or observations. BRIT QUALIS shall make the certification decision on the basis of an evaluation of the audit findings and conclusions and any other relevant information (e.g. public information, comments on the audit report from the client).
The audit team/AM shall analyze all information and audit evidence gathered during the stage 1 and stage 2 audits to review the audit findings and agree on the audit conclusions. QC shall issue the certificate as per procedure
Surveillance audits
Surveillance audits are on-site audits, but are not necessarily full system audits. Surveillance audits planned together with the other surveillance activities so that the certification body can maintain confidence that the certified management system continues to fulfill requirements between recertification audits. The surveillance audits conducted at least once a year and the date of the first surveillance audit following initial certification shall not be more than 12 months from the last day of the stage 2 audit.
The objective of surveillance audit is to:
• Ensure that the client's management system which was basis of grant of certificate has been maintained on continuous basis.
• Verify and ensure that any changes to management system which might have taken place since last audit meet the requirement of the standard/ specification and implemented effectively
• Ensure on-site audits assessing the certified client's management system's fulfillment of specified requirements with respect to the standard to which the certification is granted.
• Ensure that the management system continues to be appropriate to the product/ process/ service offered by client, with the capability of managing and improving performance.
• Assess continual improvement in client's management systems.