Certification

Certification process

Eleven controlled stages from enquiry to reassessment, with independent review before every decision.

Interactive

Select a stage

Show all steps as a table

Step	What happens	Who
1. Enquiry	You describe the organisation and the scheme needed.	Commercial
2. Application	Formal application: scope, sites, personnel, processes, shifts.	Client
3. Application review	BVS confirms competence for the scope and calculates audit time under IAF MD 5.	Certification management
4. Assessment planning	Audit team selected for competence and impartiality; audit plan issued.	Certification management
5. Assessment	Stage 1 readiness review, then Stage 2 on-site evaluation of implementation and effectiveness.	Audit team
6. Reporting	Findings graded on evidence and reported, with a recommendation.	Lead auditor
7. Corrective action	Client corrects and addresses root causes; BVS verifies.	Client · audit team
8. Technical review	A competent person who did not take part in the audit reviews the whole file.	Independent reviewer
9. Certification decision	A decision maker independent of the audit grants, refuses or defers certification, with recorded reasons.	Independent decision maker
10. Certificate	Certificate issued and published for online verification.	BVS
11. Surveillance & reassessment	Surveillance at least yearly; recertification before expiry.	Audit team · reviewer

Independence

Assessment, review and decision are separated

Step 1

Audit

Audit team gathers evidence and recommends.

Step 2

Technical review

A reviewer who was not on the audit checks the whole file.

Step 3

Certification decision

An independent decision maker decides, with recorded reasoning.

Management-system certification

Detailed steps and records

Step	What happens	Record
1. Enquiry & application	You complete the application: legal entity, sites, employees by shift, processes and outsourced activities.	Application form
2. Application review	We confirm scope, industry sector, competent auditors and impartiality.	Review record
3. Audit time & quotation	Audit days are calculated under IAF MD 5 from effective personnel and risk, then priced.	Audit-time worksheet; quotation
4. Agreement	Certification agreement covering scope, obligations, confidentiality, use of marks and fees.	Certification agreement
5. Audit team	Competent auditors free of conflicts of interest are appointed; you may object to a team member on reasonable grounds.	Team appointment
6. Stage 1	Readiness review on site; areas of concern reported so you can act before Stage 2.	Stage 1 report
7. Stage 2	Full audit of implementation and effectiveness across processes and shifts. Findings graded major or minor.	Audit report; NC reports
8. Corrective action	Correction, root cause and corrective action within 30 days; majors verified closed within 90 days.	NC records
9. Technical review	An independent reviewer checks the whole file.	Technical review record
10. Certification decision	A decision maker independent of the audit and review decides.	Decision record
11. Certificate	Issued for three years; status published for verification.	Certificate; register entry
12. Surveillance & recertification	At least one audit every year, the first within 12 months of the decision; recertification before expiry.	Reports; decisions

Product, Halal and other schemes follow the same controlled stages, with evaluation methods defined by each scheme.

How fees are set

Fees are assessment days multiplied by the BVS day rate, plus fixed application and certificate fees and travel. Days come from the technical calculation, and fees are independent of the certification result.

Suspension and withdrawal

Certification may be suspended if a client persistently fails requirements, refuses surveillance or misuses the certificate, and withdrawn if suspension is not resolved. Status changes appear in certificate verification.

Certification requirements

Start with an application

We will review it and send an audit-time calculation and quotation.

Request certification Read the FAQ