Frequently Asked Questions: Quality Certification

What is Quality Certification?

Once considered only applicable to factories and production centres, the revised ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems (QMS) Standard now has widespread international acceptance as the quality benchmark for all types of organisations.

Quality Systems are well proven as a fundamental tool for reducing waste and enterprise risk while increasing customer confidence and business performance through continual improvement. However, full realisation of these benefits, along with the associated marketing advantage, only comes with independent verification by an accredited certification body such as NCS International.

The assessment and certification process provides an organisation’s management with an independent expert review, not only of compliance with the ISO 9001
Standard, but also of areas within the business that can be improved. On-going audits and re-assessment builds on this advantage to give your business a competitive edge.

Who else is certified to this standard?

It is hard to find a type of enterprise that has not achieved ISO 9001 certification, and NCS International’s clients reflect this range with a huge variety of organisations across our five industry sectors, ie.

Food – (growers, processors, retailers, packers, wholesalers, etc)
Manufacturing & Construction – (builders, infrastructure, factories, workshops, etc)
Services, Trades & Hospitality – (tradespeople, small business, transport, hotels, etc)
Government, Health & Education – (councils, medical centres, schools and TAFE’s, government agencies, museums, etc)
Utilities, Resources & Agriculture – Telcos, mines, forests, farms, water companies, power stations, etc)

Why are they certified to this standard?

Organisations seek certification for many different reasons:

Contracts which the organisation is pursuing may require certification to a articular Standard as a tender condition.
Certification can provide customers confidence in the services provided by the certified organisation and can therefore be used as a marketing tool.
Certification provides a verified demonstrated commitment by the organisation to continual improvement and effective customer focus.
Certified Management Systems have been demonstrated to improve business outcomes and to assist in managing risks within the organisation.
Certified Management Systems can increase the efficiency of business processes, and thereby reduce waste and rework.
Sometimes, certification to a particular standard is a requirement for international trade.
Many organisations believe that certification of their management system can help to increase sales, reduce staff turnover, improve morale and improve profitability.

What are the steps to certification?

While there are some variations in the process depending on the particular requirements of the standard to which the organisation is seeking certification, the following is a general guide.

The organisation must apply to NCSI, to become a client.
NCSI will appoint a Client Manager, usually an auditor with skills and experience in the relevant industry to assist the organisation on it’s journey to certification.
A preliminary assessment is conducted on site to determine the company’s level of compliance with the Standard. This is usually done early in the development of the management systems to assist the company in developing a robust framework that will meet both the organisation’s and the standard’s requirements.
A documentation review is conducted of the organisation’s system documentation against the requirements of the nominated Standard and a detailed report on the level of compliance to the standard is prepared.
A certification audit is conducted some time after the documentation review and preliminary assessment to allow the organisation to address any issues identified as likely barriers to certification. The length of time spent on the audit depends on a number of factors, including the number of employees and the level of risk identified for the organisation.
The auditor makes a recommendation regarding certification which is reviewed by an independent member of the NCSI technical staff. If the recommendation is accepted, the organisation is then certified.
The length of time from application to certification varies but often organisations take less than 12 months to achieve certification.

How much does certification cost?

The cost of obtaining certification varies, depending on the size and complexity of the organisation, its geographical location, and the number of standards to which the organisation wishes to be certified. To obtain a detailed quotation, please go to NCSI’s home page and click on “free quote”.

Where can I find out more?

You can:

Request more information through the website at www.ncsi.com.au
Call 1800 652 345
Contact an NCSI staff member at the office in your state, listed on the NCSI Home Page under “NCSI Offices”.

About NCS International

NCS International Pty Ltd (NCSI) assesses how well an organisation goes about its business, and whether its operations meet accepted International and National Standards.

Operating across a wide range of industries and government sectors, NCSI provides diligent and practical audits that cover an enterprise’s systems and processes.

NCSI awards its WorldStar mark to organisations which meet the relevant standard to which they aim to be certified (see below). The WorldStar mark is the public
proclamation that an organisation is certified and indicates its commitment to sound management systems and effective customer service. Customers of organisations that display NCSI’s WorldStar mark can be confident they’re dealing with people committed to excellence and continual improvement in meeting their customer’s requirements.

NCSI’s certification programs offer audit and certification to Standards for Quality Assurance, Environment, OH&S, Food Safety (HACCP), and Disability Employment Services, amongst many other programs.

NCSI was established in its own right in 1997. It is a subsidiary of the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), which is Australia’s national provider of laboratory accreditation and the world’s first and largest association of accredited laboratories. NCSI is JAS-ANZ accredited, and is entitled to use the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) accreditation symbol on its certification.

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