Email link.

Process

Process of service delivery

The process of SSA TIC service delivery is aligned with ISO / IEC standards:

  • ISO / IEC 17021-1:2015 Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems — Part 1: Requirements
  • ISO / IEC 17029:2019 Conformity assessment — General principles and requirements for validation and verification bodies
Step 1   Application by Client

The client interested in conducting conformity assessment and certification / verification shall fill in an Application form as per relevant SSA TIC template as follows:

  • Application for ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001 / 50001 certification
  • Application for ISO 27001 / 27701 certification
  • Application for ISO 14064 / 14067 validation and verification

The client shall submit the completed Application to SSA TIC by using the Communication form on this website that enables to address the Contact details and attach the file of the Application

Step 2   Pre-engagement study by SSA TIC

The SSA TIC conducts the technical review of the Application received by Client to check that provided data is clear and sufficient for certification / verification services and to check that SSA TIC is feasible to conduct the services requested by Client according to parameters defined in the Application. The review may result with:

a) acceptance of the Application as is

b) coordination of the Application data to ensure that the service will be useful for the Client and feasible for SSA TIC until the parties agreed on the reasonable parameters with followed acceptance

c) rejection of the Application in case parameters of requested services will be contrary to regulatory requirements or out of scope of SSA TIC capabilities

Step 3   Offer issuing by SSA TIC / accepting by Client

Once pre-engagement study is positively finished and the Application is accepted, then SSA TIC issues an Offer that will indicate the following:

  • volume of conformity assessment and certification / verification works
  • language to be used during the assessment, for issuing report and certificate / statement
  • timeline of planned execution
  • price
  • approach to compensate the travel expenses
  • reference to General Terms & Conditions available on this website

The client shall to sign the Offer and send it back to SSA TIC in order to initiate the assessments and certification / verification services accordingly.

Step 4   Planning of assessment and certification / verification activities by SSA TIC and Client

An average service delivery timeframe is 3 months. The particular timeframe depends on the season (low / high), complexity of the Client structure, travel aspects, language factor etc.

SSA TIC coordinates with Client the timeframe and reserve assessor(s) for execution of the following service stages:

Stage 1   Documentation study and Readiness review – normally conducted 1 months after accepting Offer (see Step 3 above)

Stage 2   Audit at managing and production sites – normally conducted within 1 month after completion of Stage 1

Stage 3   Technical review and Decision on certification / verification – normally conducted within 1 month after completion of Stage 2

Stage 4   Issuing Certificate / Verification statement – normally conducted within 2 weeks after completion of Stage 3

Step 5   Execution of assessment and certification/verification activities by SSA and Client

SSA TIC conducts planned activities (see Step 4) under administrative and technical support by Client who shall organise sufficient access to Documents, Facilities, Employees within the Scope of certification/verification to let SSA auditors carry out all necessary assessment procedures to ensure collection of sufficient evidences of conformity to appropriate ISO standards and Client declaration(s).

In case of some non-conformities found during the assessment, Client shall provide evidences of appropriate corrections and/or corrective actions to SSA TIC for review and acceptance to enable further Technical review and making Decision on certification / verification.

SSA TIC develops and shares with Client the following documents during the service execution:

  • Documentation study and Readiness review Report
  • Audit Plan – provided beforehand of the assessment
  • Audit Report – provided after completion of the assessment
  • Certificate of conformity / Verification statement and Assurance mark – provided in case of positive decision in certification / verification

All the mentioned documents are reviewed and coordinated with Client before the approval by SSA TIC.

Step 6   Use of certificate / verification statement and assurance mark by Client

Client use certificate / statement and mark to demonstrate to any interested party that its management system is certified and declared data is verified.

The certificate / statement is normally placed on Client’s website and posters, enclosed to offers/commercial proposals, included in tender/bidding packages etc. in order to provide comprehensive information on the certification / verification scope, attributes and validity status in the most traditional way. The certificate / statement may be shared as an electronic file (pdf) or printed item.

The mark is normally placed on Client’s website, posters, letters, business cards, supply accompanying documentation etc. The advantage of the mark is a compact format / small size, so the mark may be easily placed next to the Client’s company logo to highlight the certification / verification status.

Both certificate / statement and mark are equipped with QR code enabling immediate validation by any smart phone / tablet that opens SSA website validation page with retrieved parameters of particular certification / verification including validity status.

Step 7   Maintenance of certification / verification by SSA TIC and Client

Certification of management system is valid during 3 years under condition of annual surveillance assessment conducted by SSA TIC in 12 and 24 months after Initial certification. The offer for certification services (see Step 3 above) specifies both initial and surveillance assessment parameters for all 3 years cycle. After 3 years the certification is over and client may apply for re-certification to prolong certification status for another 3 years.

Verification is valid during 1 year and repeated on annual basis. The offer for verification services (see Step 3 above) normally specifies parameters for one-year assessment, but may also addresses the parameters for annual repetitive services for some period of time if demanded by Client.