PARTICIPANTS
The certification body, commonly known as the Certifier, is the issuer of the certificate.
Certification bodies are accredited to issue certificates of conformity to a given repository (norms and standards combined).
The COFICERT organization is authorized to issue the following certifications:
PROCESS
In accordance with current international regulations, a certificate of conformity is valid for 3 years from the date of issue.
The certificate is active for the entire certification period as long as the beneficiary continues to respect the requirements of the standard. To ensure this, the certification cycle is always divided into 3 steps. Steps that follow one another within a strictly defined perimeter, as described below:
Step 1 : The Major Audit (Initial Audit)
The aim is to measure the compliance of the entity under evaluation with a standard, based on specifications and specific assessment methodologies.
Step 2: The Follow-up Audit 1 (Control Audit N+1)
The aim is to make sure that the beneficiary is still in compliance with the requirements of the standard explicitly stated in the aforementioned specifications, during the second year of the certification cycle.
Step 3: The Follow-up Audit 2 (Control Audit N+2)
The aim is to make sure that the beneficiary is still in compliance with the requirements of the standard explicitly stated in the aforementioned specifications, during the third year of the certification cycle.
- Over a certification cycle (3 years), there are 2 follow-up audits (in n+1 and n+2).
Between audits, the audited entity implements and applies the action plans established at the end of the annual diagnosis, within the framework of the so called “PDCA”.
INTEREST
A certificate of conformity to a given standard, issued by a third party, independent and having obtained an accreditation to do so, is a strong and impactful communication tool.
For a company, a certificate of conformity is a simplified way (binary approach: either compliant or not), accessible and understandable by all, of providing information on its conformity to a standard. This compliancy, revealed through the issuance of a certificate, materializes the conformity at a given moment, of an evolving system and that will be subject to regular evaluation.
A certificate issued according to a standard represents the following characteristics:
- It is a reliable and concrete indicator for expertise and understanding.
- It is a guarantee of the respect of good practices.
- It is a guarantee of quality and trust.
- It is a benchmark index.
- It is a lever of attractiveness.
- It is a commitment to continuous improvement
- It represents a competitive advantage.
