When it comes to paying for your audit, difference Certification Bodies (CB’s) have varied approaches and terms around certification costs.
Here are a few practices we are aware of, and our thoughts on them…
Pay up to 12 months in advance: Seriously???!!! One particularly bad practice – possibly the worst (and certainly far from the best!), is invoicing the client for your next audit just after completing one. It’s hard to believe a Certification Body could think this is acceptable. You can be sure they are not paying their auditors 12 months in advance! In fact, this is money that should be sitting in your account not theirs. We give this practice a zero out of ten.
Invoice issued upon completion of the audit: This is recognised as the most common approach, and the one that Adaptive Certifications takes. This allows us to look after our auditors by ensuring they are paid in reasonable timeframes, and shares the cashflow load, without arrogantly asking for payment from our valued clients in advance of the audit.
Payment required before certificates are issued: This prevents a client taking advantage of the process by using certificates and not following through with payment. Whilst this practice is understandable, particularly for smaller Certification Bodies that have limited resources and cashflow availability, it can be difficult for clients – particularly larger clients, that are working with strict terms imposed on them by their accounting departments. It can also cause hold-ups in the issuing of certificates that could mean you miss a tender submission deadline.
Other considerations:
Certification Bodies vary greatly in fees and charges such as admin fees, cert fees and travel fees. Some Certification Bodies have a low day rate but make considerable markup on travel charges and other fees. Be careful when comparing quotes and ensure that you are comparing apples with apples, and make sure you read the fine print around travel expenses. A CB can’t be expected to wear travel costs, but at the same time, it should not be a money-making exercise.
Adaptive Certifications
At Adaptive Certifications, we pride ourselves on looking after all our interested parties, including our auditors (whom we pay) and our clients (who pay us). If you have any thoughts or suggestions on invoicing or other practices (good, bad, ugly, or ridiculous!), drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you.
Contact the Adaptive team today!!
Check out another article on the costs of ISO9001 – ISO 9001 certification cost – Adaptive Certifications
Comments are closed.