Certification Process 

NOTE 1 (MAINTAINING CERTIFICATION):     

Organization are subjected to yearly surveillance audit which takes place 12 months after the certification decision date. There will be 2 surveillance per certificate cycle held every year and on the 3rd year it is a renewal audit which must be concluded before the certificate expires. Process follows the final audit process. 

NOTE 2 (SUSPENSION / WITHDRAWAL):  

Certification may face temporary suspension for various reasons, such as a client voluntarily ceasing the operation of their certificated management system or the persistent or serious failure of the management system to meet certification criteria. This could result in no response or an insufficient response following nonconformances within defined time scales. Additionally, suspension may occur if the client refuses to permit NQA to conduct necessary surveillance or re-assessment activities. Organizations failing to conduct a surveillance audit within 15 months of the final audit or surveillance audit face suspension for a maximum of 6 months. After this period, the certificate is canceled and withdrawn. Restoration of certification is possible following a successful audit, be it a surveillance audit or special audit, to lift the suspension.

Organizations no longer requiring the certificate have the option to submit a request for cancellation or withdrawal of their certification.

NOTE 3 (SCOPE EXPANSION / REDUCTION):      

Organization may request to expand the scope. A new contract review would be conducted based on submission of questionnaire. The required man-days will be calculated and this can be done during the regular and normal surveillance audit or a spend audit can be arranged. Organization may also write in to reduced the scope or the certification body shall reduce the scope of certification to exclude the parts not meeting the requirements, when the certified client has persistently or seriously failed to meet the certification requirements for those parts of the scope of certification. Any such reduction shall be in line with the requirements of the standard used for certification. Lead auditor would complete a form 0020 to make the reduction of scope.