Accredited vs. Non-Accredited ISO Auditor

I’ve had this question raised by people in the past.
What is the difference between getting certified by an accredited vs. non-accredited Certification body?

To be clear, a non-accredited body is not necessarily an incompetent organization.
There can be some very good organizations within those ranks.
The problem is, to be a non-accredited organization is easy. Anyone can self declare themselves as a competent certifying body.
As a consumer how does one gauge or rate their services? A company wishing to become ISO 9001 certified will be paying money to achieve this certification. They need to spend their money wisely.
It’s important to note that many organizations including Governments are making it mandatory now that certifications are from accredited certifying bodies. So the choice becomes very clear when confronted by these type of mandatory requirements.

When a certifying body states that it’s accredited by an organization such as the IAF (International Accreditation Forum), it’s stating that it’s been independently audited and certified by IAF as meeting the minimum requirements of being a qualified certifying body to ISO/IEC 17021: (Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems). To put this in perspective: When an organization is being audited for compliance to ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 or any number of ISO standards, who audits the auditors? This is the crux of the argument for using accredited vs. non-accredited auditors.

When using an accredited auditor you are being provided assurance that the Certifying body is considered competent to an internationally recognized level of competency as stated by the internationally acclaimed certification body:IAF. Moreover from a price perspective, quite often there is no difference in price between an accredited and non-accredited organization. With this point in mind, why would a company choose non-accredited for their ISO needs?

An IAF accredited auditing/certifying body is also capable of competing Internationally for business. This is a strong business consideration for the Certifying body.
Also to remain IAF Accredited, the ISO certifying body must be continually audited on a schedule to ensure that compliance is being maintained rigorously. This is a very serious undertaking. Note that there are a number of companies shown as delisted on the IAF member directory. This is a clear indication that IAF takes their business seriously. They don’t rubber stamp organizations if they pay their fee. Also, on that note, their is a fee which is paid to the IAF. This is why some companies choose not to be accredited. It’s an obvious cost savings to them.

ISO Certification Consultants, is partnered with an IAF certified organization which is operating Internationally. Not only do you benefit from our competence as consultants but you benefit from the competence of an internationally IAF certified company for your ISO auditing and ISO Certifying needs. We welcome any inquiries from companies needing help in navigating the ISO world.