CERTIFICATION DECISION AND RE-CERTIFICATION

1 Certification Process

 1.1 Initial

 The initial certification process is organized according to the flowchart below.  Procedure on “Use of Certification Marks & AB Logo.”

1.2 Recertification

The validity of a certificate cannot be extended; the certification shall be renewed before expiry, or restored within 6 months from expiry date. When the certification is renewed or restored, a new certificate is delivered to the client. This is submitted to a certification decision following main steps of the initial process. Renewal of certification is decided within the 3-year cycle, before the certificate expiry date. The recertification audit is scheduled 3 to 4 months before the expiry date of the current certificate. Recertification shall not be recommended if recertification audit is not completed:

§   closure of major nonconformities

§   review and acceptance of plan for corrections and corrective actions for minor nonconformity.

When the certification is not renewed nor restored, the client shall be informed and the consequences shall be explained. Six from after the expiry date of the certificate, at least a stage 2 audit shall be performed and fully closed before new certification decision can be done. The certification cycle is a new one, it is not based upon dates from previous cycle(s).

2 Administrative Review

2.1 Certification package

The administrative personnel collect the documents and review the certification package completeness:

1.      Application Form

2.      Signed Contract 3. Contract Review

3.      Audit Report

4.      Major nonconformities (cleared for initial certification and scope extensions)

5.      Minor nonconformities (with corrective actions accepted by the auditor)

6.      Surveillance plan

7.      Copy of previous certificate, in case of recertification or transfer

8.      Request for certification

9.      Draft of certificate showing all information to be included

 The administrative personnel / Lead Auditor submit the certification package to Technical Reviewer.

2.2 Draft of Certificate

The certificate is drafted from IAQC Certification templates and shall include the following information:

§  Name and geographic location of each client whose management system is certified. Multi-site certificates shall identify the headquarters site and all other sites. Sites can be listed in an annex to the certificate, with the head office shown on the main page of the certificate.

§  The address, precise enough to identify the location of the company without any ambiguity. Where countries are using P.O. box or Plot Number, the identification of the company shall be as shown on the business license of the organization. Evidence to support this shall be retained in the certification manager files.

§  The scope of certification with respect to product (including service), process, etc., as applicable at each site. When the scope is different for specific sites this shall appear on the certificate. The scope of each site detailed on the appendix shall be clearly defined. The scope of certification for FSMS scheme has to define the category and subcategory in the certificate.

§  Management system standard and/or other normative documents to which management systems is certified, with the correct version date/edition (e.g: ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015).

§  Office addresses: same as in QM.

§  Unique Certificate number: In case of revised certificate during the cycle, a version number with the revision date.

3- Technical Review

The Technical Reviewer reviews the documents included in the certification package in order to make a recommendation for certification or not. If the Technical Reviewer identifies

§  deviations from IAQC procedures, these shall be justified, documented, and mentioned in the recommendation.

§  issues preventing certification, the production center shall undertake corrective actions and these shall be implemented prior to recommendation and certification decision The Technical Reviewer submits to the Certification Decision Maker the certification package and the recommendation, positive or negative.

4- Certification Decision

4.1 Responsibilities

For EGAC accreditation, Egypt Office shall review the documentation for certification decision:

§  Request for certification

§  Application information

§  Audit Report

§  NCRs cleared as appropriate

§  For recertification and transfer, copy of the existing certificate

§  Technical Manager’s review notes

4.2 Issuance of certificate

4.2.1 Initial Certificate Validity

Certification cycle begins with the certification decision and ends 3 years later minus one day

4.2.2 Recertification

The expiry date is based on previous certification cycle. Details are sent to the client, with history of previous certification cycles. The new certificate contains 3 dates, or 5 dates if there is a gap between certification cycles. As per table below:

Case 2	Case 1
The certification decision is made after the expiry of current certificate but within six months from expiry(there is no gap between the cycles)	The recertification decision is made before the expiry of current certificate (there is no gap between the cycles)
First certification decision date
Expiry date of previous cycle
Recertification audit date
Recertification decision date
Expiry date of the current certificate

4.2.3 New certificate

After six months from expiry, any certification decision taken for a client, gives a new certificate which does not include any dates from previous certification cycles.

5- Issuance of the certificate

Certificate is issued only after a positive certification decision, electronic or hard copy

6- Technical Review of Surveillance Reports

Surveillance reports are reviewed as part of the annual performance monitoring of the auditors (except for specific schemes requiring all surveillance reports to be reviewed). Surveillance reports are reviewed by the Technical Manager when the auditor raises an issue that may lead to a suspension or withdrawal of certification. Surveillance reports are reviewed at the time of recertification as part of the review of the past performance over the cycle and recertification audit plan is adjusted accordingly. Review is demonstrated by the application of a signature (Manually or electronically) on the report under review.

7- Changes during the certification cycle

Changes affecting the scope of certification (activities or sites) require approval from the critical location, and issuance of a new certificate

. The client shall complete and submit Application Form (at least the document SF01) but is scheme dependent (see additional instructions for specific services). This enables gathering of additional information, so the normal certification process is understood and taken into account, including calculation of the number of audit days, effect on the existing audit program and specific points related to the scheme or standard.

Where a client requires a second and different accredited certificate after the initial certification decision has been made and the certificate issued, this requires a new and separate certification decision.

 A copy of the certificate is electronically kept in the files.

8- Multiple standards on one certificate

This is allowed where all schemes are under accreditation

9- Multi-site Certification

9.1 Scope

Certification can cover multiple sites provided that each site included in the scope of certification has either been individually audited by the certification body or audited through sample. Certification documents shall contain the name and address of the central office of the organization and a list of all the sites to which the certification documents relate. The scope or other reference on these documents shall make clear that the certified activities are performed by the network of sites on the list. If the certification scope of the sites is only issued as part of the general scope of the organization, its applicability to all the sites shall be clearly stated. Where temporary sites are included in the scope, such sites shall be identified as temporary in the certification documents. Certification documents may be issued to the client for each site covered by the certification under condition that they contain the same scope, or a sub-scope of that scope, and include a clear reference to the main certification documents.

9.2 List of sites

The list of sites shall be kept updated by the certification manager, upon information obtained from the client, for instance, closure of any of the sites covered by the certification. Failure to provide such information is considered by IAQC as a misuse of the certification, and IAQC shall take appropriate actions.


 Complaints and Appeals

COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS

1.      Scope

 This procedure defines how to manage complaints and appeals, received from customers and other external bodies, to ensure they are handled in a professional and timely manner. A review of appeal and complaint process is done during annual Management Review. “Complaints and Appeals Management” Policy is public and available for external people on IAQC websites. The appendices define additional instructions.

2.      Common process for both complaints and appeals

 2.1 Acknowledgement and Record

 Upon receipt, complaints and appeals are:

§  Acknowledged to sender within five working days, unless otherwise specified in Appendices,

§  Recorded by Technical Manager (TM). Details are transmitted to the relevant IAQC Department for processing, and where required TM shall liaise with the department or relevant accredited IAQC entity, in order to solve.

For complaint and appeal received from a complainant or appellant, which is not IAQC client, due consideration shall be given whether it is appropriate to answer, taking into account pote

Mark Governance Policy

MARK GOVERNANCE POLICY

As part of our commitment to impartiality and our sustaining coherence with ISO 17021 series, IAQC declare that:

§  Our mark shall not be used on a product or product packaging seen by the consumer or in any other way that may be interpreted as denoting product conformity. IAQC do not permit our mark to be applied to laboratory test, calibration or inspection reports, as such reports are deemed to be products in this context.

§  IAQC requires that, its client organizations:

1.      Conform to the requirements of the certification body when making reference to its certification status in communication media such as the internet, brochures or advertising, or other documents.

2.      Do not make or permit any misleading statement regarding its certification.

3.      Do not use or permit the use of a certification document or any part thereof in a misleading manner.

4.      Upon suspension or withdrawal of its certification, discontinues its use of all advertising matter that contains a reference to certification.

5.      Amends all advertising matter when the scope of certification has been reduced.

6.      Do not allow reference to its management system certification to be used in such a way as to imply that the certification body certifies a product (including service) or Procedure.

7.      Do not imply that the certification applies to activities that are outside the scope of certification.

8.      Do not use its certification in such a manner that would bring the certification body and/or certification system into disrepute and lose public trust.

IAQC will take action to deal with incorrect references to certification status or misleading use of certification documents, marks or audit reports. See IAQC-8.2 Certification Mark & AB Mark procedure.