Step 3: Assessment

After you have submitted your application form and any supporting paperwork that your certifier needs and paid your certification fee, the certifying body assesses your application. Depending on which industry you are in, the certifying body may come to your premises to conduct an audit of your production facilities. You and other members of your assessment team may be interviewed.

Meeting performance indicators Normally, the certifying body will asses your company's performance against a number of defined 'performance indicators', or points on which your company is scored. There will be a minimum score that your company must achieve in order to be certified. If your score is less than this set minimum, you may be asked to present an action plan that addresses the areas of concern and will lead to an improvement in performance.

Prepare for publicity The certifying body may produce a draft assessment report which is distributed for different stakeholders to comment on. At this point, you will want to think about what publicity initiatives you would like to undertake when you receive full certification.

Step 4: Becoming certified