CERTIFICATION, SURVEILLANCE AND RECERTIFICATION AUDITS

Certification Audit – Stage One

The Stage One evaluation is aimed at establishing the company’s preparation for the Stage Two audit by completing a documentation review and evaluating the implementation level of company´s Management System.

QMS issues a written report of the review carried out, specifying the documentation, any findings and opportunities for improvement. A corrective action plan will be agreed upon if required so plans can be made to proceed to coordinate the Stage Two assessment visit.

Certification Audit – Stage Two

The Stage Two evaluation is directed to those areas of the company and supporting documents covered in the scope of the certification. The auditor will sample the processes and activities and review objective evidence of compliance.

QMS Global issues a written report where we record audit areas, documents, findings and opportunities for improvement. The client must inform QMS about the proposal to remedy these points through a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) within 28 calendar days after the audit.

If any major nonconformances are identified, certification cannot be issued until the corrective action is verified by the auditor.

Certification Completion

Within 15 calendar days after receipt and approval of any required Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and payment of all fees, the Certificate of Registration is issued detailing the company’s scope, registration date, validity period and certificate number.

Surveillance Audits

Surveillance audits are undertaken annually to ensure that compliance to the Standard(s) is continued throughout the three-year certification cycle. These visits will normally be undertaken on an annual or semi-annual basis as necessary related to the size and structure of the organization, complexity of risk activities and number of standards included in the scope of the certification.

 In some instances, a special visit may be required to close a major non-compliance or to approve a client requested scope to the applicable standard. This will be discussed with the client and scheduled.

Recertification

All Certified companies carry out a Recertification every three years with QMS. The purpose of the Recertification is to verify the continuous effectiveness of the management system of the organization as a whole.

A new evaluation will be carried out to identify the resources needed for this activity. The completion of the Recertification process must be ensured with adequate advance notice (at least 3 months before the expiration of the Certificate) in order to avoid losing the status of continued registration.

If QMS Global cannot verify the implementation of the corrective actions for any major nonconformity before the expiration date of the certification, then renewal will be delayed and the client notified.