ABSTRACT
Many of today's contracts insist that applicants hold a current up-to-date ISO 9001:2008 certificate before they will even be considered for the job be it a deliverable, product or service. If the organisation has a well documented, properly audited, management-led Quality Management System in place that is subject to continuous improvement and always seeking customer satisfaction, then the road to gaining ISO 9001:2008 certification need not be too onerous. Accreditation is not obligatory but it adds another level of confidence, as 'accredited' means the Certification Body has been independently checked to make sure it operates according to international standards. Once the groundwork has been done and the ISO 9001 Quality Manual and its associated Processes, Procedures and Work Instructions are completed, we will be ready for our first assessment. Any changes have been carried out we will then be ready for the actual audit that will be carried out against the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 by the chosen Accredited Certification Body.
