QMS Values
Client First
Go Further
Delivering Trust
Think Global
Build a Stronger Society Through Certifications
Certification Process
Once you have successfully established a management system, it is now time to acquaint yourself with the certification process
An audit that consists of the documentary verification to evaluate the fulfillment of the main requirements that constitute the client’s management system. On this occasion, the overall adequacy of compliance with the assessment criteria (the reference standards) and whether the management system is fit to be audited in Stage 2 (conformity assessment) is examined. Also at this stage is prepared the audit plan of Stage 2, based on the context of the company, responsible and areas to be visited, is confirmed with the client.
Documented conclusions regarding meeting Stage 1 objectives and fitness to proceed to Stage 2 will be communicated to the client, including identifying any areas of concern that could be classified as nonconformities during phase 2.
On Stage 2 we delve into the practical workings of your management system. This stage revolves around gauging how effectively your system is being put into action. We’ll conduct this phase on-site at your premises, including visits to different areas of your company. Our team will review documents, records, and conduct interviews with your staff. The aim is to ensure that your practices align with each requirement outlined in the reference standard.
During this audit, it’s your chance to showcase how your day-to-day operations, management strategies, and adherence to compliance procedures with the certification standard’s requirements. In the event that any deviations from the standard are identified we’ll carefully document these instances in an audit report. And rest assured, we’re here to guide you through the process. You’ll have a designated timeframe to outline your action plan for rectifying these issues, including addressing the root causes and laying out the corrective steps.
If our auditor recommends certification, the journey continues with a technical review and the final certification decision. Once the technical review is approved, you’ll receive your well-earned certificate. From there, you’re free to proudly display it, following all the guidelines provided in the Use of Marks and Certification Seals.
Ensuring Ongoing Compliance
At QMS CERTIFICATION, we’re dedicated to upholding your certification status by ensuring that you consistently meet the requirements of the management system standard.
To achieve this, QMS develops a series of supervisory activities, anchored in our control and audit program. These activities are designed to keep a close watch on key areas and functions within the scope of your management system. Our process also accounts for any shifts that might occur among our certified clients or in their management systems.
Our supervisory efforts include conducting on-site audits at least once a year. These audits serve to gauge whether your certified management system maintains alignment with the stipulated requirements of the relevant standard.
Upon the conclusion of each maintenance audit, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive report detailing the undertaken activities. Additionally, any identified nonconformities will be documented, requiring attention and resolution before the next audit cycle.
The certification period extends over 3 years – the same duration as the ISO standards for Management Systems certificate. This duration remains valid as long as the prescribed supervisory activities are diligently upheld. As the end of this 3-year period approaches, a Recertification audit becomes necessary before the certificate’s expiration. This step ensures the seamless continuity of your certification.
General Terms and Conditions for the Provision of Services
Customer’s Undertakings
To ensure compliance with the international conformity assessment infrastructure and maintain the recognition of our certifications and accreditations with security, trust and credibility, the contracting company undertakes to comply with the General Terms and Conditions of Services described here and regularly updated at https://qms-certification.com/about-qms/
To this end, the contracting company undertakes to provide full access to its facilities and to cooperate with all requirements required by QMS CERTIFICATION and standards relevant to the international accreditation system. The client must comply with the requirements defined in this contract, including documented procedures and instructions issued, such as the use of logos, audit and certification processes, and policies. These procedures can be requested from QMS CERTIFICATION or Accreditation Bodies.
Customer agrees to fully cooperate with Accreditation Bodies assessors during any planned or unannounced audits or visits, including allowing access to all facilities, management system documentation and associated records; as well as providing immediate access to the latest audit report issued by QMS CERTIFICATION; and demonstrate evidence of the certification process, including Management Review, internal audits, audit reports, closing findings and corrective actions.
It may be necessary for QMS Certification to perform short-notice or unannounced audits on certified customers to investigate complaints, in response to critical changes, or as follow-up on suspended customers.
Customer also agrees that Accreditation Bodies and their observers accompany QMS CERTIFICATION auditors to witness the performance of a QMS CERTIFICATION audit, if so selected.
Failure to comply with or comply with these requirements, with plausible justification and formally accepted by those involved, may result in consequences for accredited companies, including suspension or withdrawal of accreditation. The customer acknowledges that QMS CERTIFICATION must report non-compliance to the Accreditation Bodies and take the necessary actions in accordance with their procedures.
The customer undertakes to indemnify QMS CERTIFICATION against any losses, as a result of misuse of any authorization, license, approval or certification granted under this agreement, as well as others arising from failure to comply with these requirements, regardless of fault or fraud.
Notification Of Changes
QMS CERTIFICATION requires the Customer to inform it immediately of any significant changes, or events affecting its Organization with an impact on the certified management system , including, when applicable: fatal accidents, serious work accidents, occupational illnesses, leaks of personal data, breaches of information security, involvement in judicial investigations related to the certified scope, etc., in particular regarding the occurrence of a serious incident or breach of regulation that requires the involvement of the competent regulatory authority, such as Regulatory Bodies or Agencies, Governmental Departments and Federal Agencies and others related to the certification discipline adopted by the company and object of this contract.
Regardless of the involvement of the competent regulatory authority, a special audit may be necessary if QMS Certification becomes aware that there has been a serious incident related to the certification discipline adopted by the Organization subject to this contract, as applicable, regarding Occupational Health and Safety, Environment , Information Security and Privacy, Quality, Compliance or Bribery, for example, a serious accident, or a serious breach of regulation, in order to investigate whether the management system was not compromised and worked effectively.
At the time of the audit, all pertinent information related to the certification scheme adopted by the client must also be reported, which may involve aspects of Occupational Health and Safety, Compliance, Environment, Information Security and Privacy, Quality and others, as applicable.
The information collected regarding aspects of Occupational Health and Safety, Environment, Information Security and Privacy, Quality, Compliance and Anti-Bribery will provide grounds for the Certification Body to decide on the actions to be taken, including the suspension or withdrawal of certification, in cases where it can be demonstrated that the system seriously failed to comply with certification requirements.
QMS CERTIFICATION informs its certified customers about any changes in their certification requirements through its General Terms and Conditions of Services, available at: https://qms-certification.com/about-qms/, in addition to verifying whether each certified customer meets new requirements, as applicable.
Confidentiality Policy
QMS CERTIFICATION agrees to maintain strict standards to safeguard the confidentiality of information obtained or created during the execution of certification activities at all levels of its structure, including everyone acting on its behalf. Information about any customer or person will not be disclosed to third parties without the written consent of the customer or person concerned. When QMS CERTIFICATION is required by law to disclose confidential information to a third party, the customer must be notified in advance of the information provided. QMS CERTIFICATION maintains a confidentiality policy and appropriate procedures to ensure the confidentiality of all customer information.
QMS Certification is committed to complying with all standards and laws applicable to information security and privacy. QMS Certification, including its employees, will be responsible for all damages caused by the misuse of information made available by the Customer under this Agreement, in accordance with current security and privacy legislation.
Records Retention Policy
QMS Certification is committed to maintaining records of audit and other certification activities for all customers, including organizations that are audited, certified, or have their certification suspended or decertified. In accordance with the standards relevant to the international accreditation system, the necessary and mandatory records of certified and previously certified clients will be retained during the current cycle and for another complete certification cycle.
Conflict Of Interest Policy
QMS Certification has a policy and process to identify, analyze, evaluate, treat, monitor and document risks related to conflicts of interest arising from the provision of audits and certification, including any conflicts arising from its relationships, on an ongoing basis.
The Client undertakes to report to QMS Certification any potential threats to the objectivity of its audit and certification activities that it identifies in the audit team’s acceptance.
When designating the audit team and preparing the audit report, the lead auditor confirms that he and the other team members have no conflict of interest with the organization being assessed. A Conflict-of-Interest Waiver is signed by all QMS CERTIFICATION auditors and employees at the time of approval.
QMS CERTIFICATION, any employee or person acting in the certification processes on its behalf cannot offer or provide Management Systems consultancy services to a client to be certified. QMS CERTIFICATION does not offer Management System consultancy services.
QMS does not outsource audits to a management system consultancy organization as this constitutes an unacceptable threat to its impartiality.
Use Of Trademarks
QMS CERTIFICATION will make available to its certified customers the Reference Guide to Certification and Use of Marks (QMS.SAO.GD.003), where they can find the relevant guidelines for the correct reference to the certification and use of QMS CERTIFICATION brands and its Accreditors. QMS Certification will, where appropriate, take action to address incorrect references to certification status or misleading use of certification documents, marks or audit reports.
QMS Certification does not allow its name and brand to be used in a way that could compromise its reputation and cause it to lose public trust. Any malicious or unauthorized use of the QMS Certification name and logos may be subject to applicable sanctions. Such actions may include requests for correction and corrective action, suspension, decertification, publication of the violation, and, if necessary, legal action. The client undertakes to be aware of and follow the rules of the aforementioned Guide, including the general terms provided here, including that the certified company:
- You can use the “Certified ” seal Company ” relevant to the certified Management System(s), make reference to its certification status in media such as the internet, leaflets, advertisements or other documents, as long as it follows all the rules of these Terms and other rules of QMS Certification when referencing your certification status;
- Do not make or allow any misleading statement regarding your certification;
- Do not use or permit the use of a certification document, or any part thereof, in a manner that is misleading;
- If your certification is cancelled, stop using all advertising material that references the certification;
- Change all advertising material when the scope of certification has been reduced;
- Do not allow the reference to your management system certification to be used in such a way that it implies that QMS Certification certifies a product (including service) or process;
- Do not imply that certification applies to activities and locations outside the scope of certification;
- Do not use your certification in such a way that could compromise the reputation of QMS Certification and/or the certification system and lose public trust.
The client authorizes the use of its logo for certification and marketing purposes by QMS CERTIFICATION, unless otherwise stated.
Complaints And Appeal Policy
A customer or other interested party may appeal a certification decision made by QMS Certification or a note recorded by an auditor or make a complaint about QMS Certification or one of its certified customers, by contacting excellence@qms-certification.com.
In the case of appeals, contact must be made within a period of 15 calendar days after the end of the audit that generated the non-conformity(ies) in disagreement, by email excellence@qms-certification.com informing the reasons and justifications for requesting review of notes. It is worth noting that the entire appeal and complaint process will be evaluated by a competent person who is impartial to the process.
QMS Certification, in the interest of effective resolution and transparency, ensures that all complaints are investigated and recorded. In the event that any appeal or complaint is not fully and satisfactorily resolved, it may be referred to a relevant Accreditation Body for further examination and mediation.
Excellence area will monitor the progress of the incident and, whenever necessary, will provide information to the sender of the incident about the progress. Upon completion, it communicates the result to the sender.
More information regarding QMS Certification Procedures for handling Complaints and Appeals can be obtained by consulting the Excellence Department.
Suspension, Cancellation or Reduction Of Certification Scope Policy
QMS CERTIFICATION suspends the certification, at any time during its validity, in the following cases:
a) When the management system has persistently or seriously failed to meet certification requirements, that is, when there are major non-conformities.
b) The certified organization does not allow supervisory or recertification audits to be carried out at the required frequencies;
c) The certified organization voluntarily requests a suspension;
d) The clauses of the service provision contract and/or these General Terms and Conditions are not complied with, including non-compliance with financial obligations;
e) The organization misuses the certificate and/or certification logo;
The suspension and/or cancellation of the certification is formally communicated to the customer by email, when the conditions and deadlines for reestablishing the certification are established, as well as the detailed reasons for this suspension or cancellation. All procedures will follow the specific procedure for each case.
Cancellation or Postponent of Audits
If the client cancels or postpones a scheduled audit after a minimum period of 30 (thirty) days in advance, a fee of up to 50% of the scheduled audit amount will be charged.
If the contract is cancelled before the initial audit is carried out, a 10% of the total Commercial Proposal administrative fee will be charged in force for administrative-financial costs.
Scope of Operations and Terms and Conditions
The Terms and Conditions established here cover all geographic areas where QMS CERTIFICATION has operations, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia and other regions.
QMS Code of Conduct
Applicable to any and all audit and certification service provision in terms of current and applicable legal requirements
