1. Who is this scheme designed for?

a. Organisations that wish to demonstrate to customers that they are ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 45001 compliant but do not need an accredited certificate.
b. Organisations wishing to keep costs to a minimum and/or do not want the inconvenience of an on-site assessment.
c. Those organisations that may seek accredited certificate in the future and utilse this scheme as a stepping stone.

2. What is the difference between accredited and unaccredited certification?

In the United Kingdom certification bodies may apply to the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) for accreditation of their certification scheme. This level of certification is often required by government bodies and other corporate entities. Many other customers are concerned only with ensuring that their suppliers are compliant with the standards. Accredited certification is indicated by the “crown and tick” UKAS mark in the UK and companies such as BSIQA, LRQA and SGS are providers of this type of certification.

Note: The Sovereign Certification Limited certification scheme is not accredited but we will still advise clients upon request.

3. Do you provide a certificate and logo?

Following completion of the assessment process we issue a Certificate of Registration which is subject to annual renewal and our company logo indicating the standard that you are certificated for.

4. What about updates to the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & ISO 45001?

ISO published the updated standards ISO 9001: 2015, ISO 14001: 2015 and  OHSAS 18001 was replaced with ISO 45001: 2018

In line with the protocol adopted by the certification industry we will have a transition period of up to 3 years before we consider phasing out certification to the previous versions of the standards. We are not encouraging a rapid adoption of the updated standards but will be offering solutions to meet the new standards within the 3-year transition period.