Questions & answers

Internal operational efficiency. Lower production costs through fewer non-conforming products, less rework, lower rejection rates, streamlined processes and fewer mistakes.

Access to new markets. Some markets require ISO 9001 registration outright; many others favour registered suppliers when comparing bids.

Customer requirement. A large number of organisations are asked by a customer to obtain registration as a condition of continuing or starting to do business with them.

Yes. In a cost-conscious market many organisations decide against a long consultancy project, and that is reasonable. If your processes already work in practice, what you need is the documentation to describe them and an independent assessment against the standard — both of which can be handled remotely.

We will tell you honestly which of the two you actually need rather than selling you both.

Yes. The concept of the standard has not changed: it applies to any type of organisation regardless of size, type or core business — manufacturing or service, proprietorship or public company, two people or two thousand.

Typically 3 to 7 working days to issue the soft copy over email once documentation is complete, and up to 20 days for the printed certificate to arrive by courier, depending on the destination country.

For most organisations ISO 9001 is the foundation — it is the quality management standard everyone recognises. Beyond that it depends on what you do: ISO 14001 if environmental impact matters to your buyers, ISO 45001 where worker safety is central, ISO 22000 or HACCP for food, ISO/IEC 27001 if you hold customer data, ISO 50001 for energy-intensive operations.

Tell us who is asking you for a certificate and why, and we will tell you which one answers that question.

The main differences in the 2015 revision are the adoption of risk-based thinking and the requirement to determine the context of the organisation. The 2015 version also places greater emphasis on commitment from top management, assesses threats and opportunities more systematically, and uses common language shared across management system standards so several can be run together.

No. The ISO logo is a registered trademark and cannot be used by anyone outside ISO unless specifically authorised. What you may display is your certification body’s mark and your certificate number — and we provide both, together with the artwork, when your certificate is issued.

You need to complete a five-day Lead Auditor course. We run internal auditor training ourselves and can point you to recognised Lead Auditor programmes.

Use our Verify Certificate page. Enter the certificate number exactly as printed and the register will show you the organisation, the standard, the scope and whether the certificate is currently valid, expired or withdrawn.

Every certificate we issue also carries a QR code that opens its own verification page directly. If a document claiming to be ours does not appear in the register, please report it to us.

No, and we state that plainly. Certification issued by The Global Standards is not accredited by the International Accreditation Forum or by any IAF-recognised accreditation body. Our certificates confirm that an independent third-party assessment against the relevant standard has been carried out, and they remain verifiable on this website at any time.

If your customer or tender specifically requires IAF-accredited certification, tell us — we would rather say so up front than have you discover it later.

An expired certificate shows clearly as expired in our public register, so anyone checking it will see that status. We track expiry dates and contact you before they are reached. Renewal is normally completed within three working days.

Yes, and a significant share of our work comes through them. If you introduce clients to certification — as a consultant, an agency or a trade body — we have a structured partner programme with agreed commercial terms. Get in touch and we will send you the details.