ISO consultant cost

Are you thinking about investing in an ISO certification consultant? Are you wondering how much a consultant will cost? In this article we explore ISO consultant cost and the benefits of working with an ISO consultant.

ISO consultants may have different implementation and applicability techniques but all businesses must adhere to the same standards when implementing ISO certification.

ISO consultant cost; what costs are involved with becoming ISO certified?

When a client is starting their ISO journey, we are often asked what the cost is of becoming ISO certified. Our answer is always the same; costs will vary depending on the following:

1. The certification you chose to implement (this will directly affect the number of days that an auditor is required for your audit)
2. The number of premises that your business has
3. The number of employees that your business has
4. The scope of your business

Businesses may be hesitant to invest in certification due to myths about the costs associated with becoming certified.

Although obtaining certification can be expensive, there are various project costs that can be influenced, many of which are under your control. Although implementing ISO has costs, such as setting up and implementing internal resources, you should see certification as an investment in the development of your company.

The cost of certification is significantly influenced by the size and complexity of your business. Limiting the scope is one method of helping to manage the size.

Companies should be aware that the scope has a direct impact on the cost of certification, even though this should always be done for the benefit of the business’s planned goals. For instance, more branches and locations mean more audit days, so carefully weigh the advantages of including all branch offices.

Keeping the days required by an external auditor from a certification body to a minimum will keep costs down. Not only will it reduce the number of days that you have to pay a certification body, but it will also reduce the number of days that an ISO consultant is required.

There are 2 ways to progress with your ISO certification:

1.    Create everything independently using the standard as a guide.

Whilst you are in the ideal position to document your processes and procedures you have to consider the expertise within your organisation and the time associated with preparing documentation for an ISO standard.

Do you have the time to produce training materials and hundreds of pages of documentation?

Do you have the skills to document your management system and train your employees on that management system?

Getting ready for an ISO audit requires months of preparation and ensuring that all documents you produce adhere to the standards that you are implementing address the clauses in the standards can be challenging.

2.    Engage an ISO consultant to work with you throughout the process.

Engaging an ISO consultant is your best option if you are short on staff and do not have the necessary resources to progress with your ISO certification.

ISO consultants are able to pass their knowledge directly onto clients and in some instances (such as with Compliant) produce a bespoke management system for your business.

But what does an ISO consultant cost?

Engaging Compliant as your ISO consultant

Compliant is a well-established, competent and professional ISO consultant, supporting clients in implementing ISO certifications internationally.

If you decide to engage Compliant as your ISO consultant, you will benefit from:

1. The development of a bespoke management system that is tailored to your business and adheres to the standard you chose to implement. We also offer email and telephone support on conformance and compliance to standards; as Compliant are updated monthly of any legislation this will be added to your legal register.
2. Ongoing maintenance and support of your management system. We take the stress and strain of certification retention, allowing you to continue your core business activities.
3. Teams’ meetings on continuous improvement of the system. This is arranged at mutually convenient times for any members of staff who require help and support whilst going through the process of ISO certification.
4. Audit support of the standards and management system when you have your surveillance or re-certification audits. We become your conscience and ensure you are ready for any third party certification audit. A qualified lead auditor supports your organisation for 2nd and 3rd party audits. You can be assured of competent support provided to enable any close out of potential findings from your audit to retain certification.
5. Preparation of your system for annual surveillance with the certification body auditor. We liaise directly with the certification body and auditor to ensure the smoothest of processes to get through your audits, surveillances and re-certification.
6. Support when being audited for surveillance or recertification.
7. Updates to your legal register and documentation from UKAS – monthly updates of legislation.
8. Case Studies to promote your ISO status including collaborative PR across our website, social media platforms and a PDF case study provided.
9. Site visits agreed at a mutually convenient time for ongoing support and to carry out internal audits.

Our BSI trained lead auditor is well placed to guide clients through the ISO process and has a background in tender process which aids businesses implementing ISO for tender purposes.

Don’t worry if your business doesn’t have all of the documentation in place to proceed with ISO certification. We have a wide library of documents to assist clients in setting up their management system and offer annual management system refreshes to keep in line with surveillance of dates. If you proceed with Compliant every year your management system will be refreshed by date, version, review and information.

We offer a variety of UKAS accredited ISO certifications to a range of sectors across the UK. Compliant as a company is UKAS accredited to ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 27001 & 22301. Clients are therefore assured of our service and competency.

We have been where you are ourselves in becoming certified and our director’s training as a BSI lead auditor means we can identify any issues that might arise during an audit.

If you think that ISO certification would be a good investment for your business but are unsure which standard would be most suitable for you visit a previous blog of ours; ‘Which ISO certification is right for your company?’ here.

To find out ISO consultant costs read on.

How much does it cost to become ISO Certified?

The cost of ISO certification is largely determined and influenced by the complexity and scale of a company.

The standards that certification bodies must adhere to in order to establish the audit time for your management systems audit are published by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

These specifications take into account the number of people you have, the complexity of your operations, and the number of locations from which your business operates.

You might have seen differences between them if you requested certification quotes from several certification bodies. Variations in administrative costs and the audit day rate are frequently the reason for these discrepancies.

Day rates and fees for audit preparation and report writing may differ between certification bodies. Although the expenses associated with an audit differ between certification bodies, they typically consist of the audit time, administrative fees, and travel costs.

Your ability to perform at your best, use risk-based thinking, and make continual improvements are all required for ISO certification. All of these commercial advantages will support your long-term success.

Implementing an integrated management system with Compliant

An integrated management system combines all aspects of an organisation’s systems, processes, and standards. This integration allows for a much more streamlined approach and can be a cost-effective way of becoming certified.

Clients who partner with Compliant for one or more of their UKAS accredited ISO certifications often make the transition to an integrated management system. The benefits include:

• Costs and time needed to implement and maintain various management systems are significantly reduced
• Procedures are streamlined and productivity increased
• Aligned systems ensure consistency across the board

Our ‘integrated management system’ article explores the benefits of implementing more than one standard at one time and how Compliant can help you on your journey. View the full article here.

Compliant; ISO consultant cost

Compliant is a well-established ISO consultant; delivering ISO certification support to a range of companies across a variation of industries on a global scale. Our ISO consultant cost guarantees:

1. A completely customised management system – Your current systems’ processes, procedures and manuals are developed by us in collaboration with you.
2. A quick turnaround without sacrificing quality – Most of our clients can become certified within 60 days, and sooner if needed.
3. Affordable pricing options – For the same cost as a template-based solution, we offer bespoke solutions with monthly payment options. We can also pass cost savings from certification bodies directly onto clients.
4. Certification without any stress – We remove the stresses and worries associated with ISO thanks to a thorough and proven process.
5. No non-compliance – All of our management systems adhere to their individual standards and have a successful track record. We guarantee certification first time every time.
6. Access to a dedicated consultants – We offer ongoing support, so you won’t have to engage a consultant on an ongoing basis.
7. No need for additional employees to manage ISO – If you select our ongoing support someone will be available to answer your questions 24/7.
8. Support at audits and surveillances – A dedicated ISO consultant will be available all day on the day/s of your audit/s. They will answer any questions arising, and help close out any findings.

ISO certification and ISO consultant cost

Most people think that implementing ISO certification is expensive. Organisations believe that they will have to invest significant amounts of money into their processes and procedures. This is not always the case.

The cost of implementing ISO depends on each organisation. Whenever you consider the costs associated with ISO certification, you need to consider how the prices are insignificant compared to the costs of non-compliance or breaches.

Whenever you are coming up with your organisations’ budget for ISO certification, you will need to consider various costs. It would be best to consider any certification costs, such as consultant’s fees and surveillances. Compliant can source certification body costs on behalf of clients. We also pass cost savings through certification body partnerships directly onto clients.

Keep in mind that the investment depends on the certification body you are using and the scope of the information security management system that you need; this is the size of your organisation and the risk levels to be incurred.

Compliant’s ISO certification proposals come in two parts; the quotation from the chosen certification body and the implementation cost from Compliant.

As a partner to many of the certification bodies we enjoy preferential day rates that can be passed directly onto our clients in the form of discounts. Most of the bodies that we work with and Compliant as a company offer deposit payments followed by flexible, interest free payment plans. There are also a range of grants available to fund ISO certifications, which Compliant can help with. We’ll event support with the paperwork to get you started.

Check out our payment plan information video here!

Timescales – how long does ISO certification take?

Compliant can get a company through ISO certification in just 14 days if needed. However, we recommend an initial 6-week period to enable time for discussions, implementation and making the management system bespoke to the individual company.

We then move onto a stage 1 audit with our chosen UKAS certified certification body. Compliant ensures that clients are fully ready for stage 2 audits and ongoing surveillances. The stage 2 audit is always within 3 months of the stage 1 audit.

A 6-month period is our recommended allocation time for becoming ISO certified. If you would like to find out more about our ISO certification timescales and costs book your 15 minute ISO discovery call with our Sales and Marketing Manager now.

Getting started with Compliant

We successfully deliver ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22301, ISO 27001 and ISO 45001 and can help businesses to access funding for their certifications.

Compliant will go the extra step in an initial teams meeting to fully understand your business, its requirements, the structure of the management system required, and the organisational context. We will then submit all your information to one of our preferred certification body partners.

If you would like a FREE quotation just fill in our quote calculator here!