Clients often ask us how much it generally costs for the complete ISO certification process, but unfortunately, there is no simple answer as cost of certification depends on a number of factors regarding your organization. Let’s take a look at what factors may affect the time and cost of ISO certification:

1. What systems, policies and procedures are already in place?

 An organization might be almost there, or they could be just getting started. Certification cost can depend on whether the system can be set up internally or requires the assistance of a third-party consultant. The certification cost can also be influenced by your company’s size, level of risk, personnel involvement, and the current system in place.

2. What is the scope of the products and/or services offered by the organization?

The larger the scope, the longer (and more costly) the development of the system will be. For example, if an organization:

• is involved in design and development
• is a contract manufacturer
• has a system that covers highly complex processes or relatively high number of unique activities
• has a high degree of regulations
• has processes involving a combination of hardware, software, and firmware

3. What is the size of the company?

Cost of certification depends on the size of company, Because larger companies have more stakeholders, the development and implementation requirements will be influenced by this factor. Small, medium, and large businesses may require different implementation tactics. Another factor is the number of employees, which will determine how many audit days are required. A higher employee count results in more audits days, which will increase costs.

4. What is the availability of key personnel?

Delays are likely if key personnel are not available to provide input into the development of the quality management system, and personnel will not have ownership over the system, which adds to the possibility of delays.

5. How many standards are you seeking certification to?

Is the organization just looking for certification to a single standard e.g. ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, or to a multi-standard Integrated Management System. For example: AS9100D/AS9120B certificate, ISO 9001/ISO 14001 certificate.

6. How long does it take to become certified?

This is mostly dependent on the factors listed above. Typically, companies can complete the certification process from beginning to end anywhere between 3-12 months.

7. What is included in the certification cost?

Typically, the certification costs include 3-year certification cycle activities, which consists of certification/recertification, followed by two annual surveillance audits. This cycle is repeated every 3 years.