how much is certification

how much?

Costs vary greatly! Certification costs vary greatly and are dependent on the size and complexity of your organisation, the type and number of management systems and the number of sites. As an example, a company of around 50 employees at one site, with relatively simple processes, say importing and wholesaling in machine parts seeking certification to ISO 9001 would expect to invest around AU$5,000 for the initial certification. They would then need to make a provision for a further AU$3,000 per annum there after for ongoing surveillance type audits for 3 years. This is then followed by a re-certification audit of AU$3,000~AU$5,000 to finish the triennial cycle. The cost escalates appreciably if you have multiple sites and multiple risk systems such as ISO 14001 and / or AS 4801. There are no economies of scale and this is mostly attributed (or so say the certification bodies themselves) to the limitations placed on them by JAS-ANZ. As an example one of the largest certifiers for one of our clients (20 people) received a quotation for certifying a combined ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and AS4801, the price, and remember 20 employees on one site, was over AU$17,000 just to get certified! So be careful and make sure you are comparing 'apples -v- apples' when going to a competitive tender.

but is it really that expensive?

Well it's not if you are trying to get and / or maintain government contracts or trying to enhance either your unique selling points or value propositions! It is positively cheap if you are putting the system in to gain reductions in waste or increases in productivity. Remember, if you are putting in a system and or getting it certified just to maintain a sales advantage, put the costs in your marketing budget and calculate a return on investment. However, at the end of the day, no matter why you want your management system certified, you need, in fact deserve, the best possible service and price.