A certification body is an independent organisation responsible for testing and confirming the conformity of an organisation, product or service with a specific standard or norm. In practice, a certification body carries out audits, assesses processes and systems, and issues a certificate if it is found to meet the specified requirements. This contributes to the trust of customers and other stakeholders, as certification is an external and objective confirmation of quality and safety.
Certification bodies are also subject to rules. They must (among other things) comply with the ISO/IEC 17021 standard. This standard describes the requirements that certification bodies must meet in order to independently and competently assess management systems. ISO/IEC 17021 lays the foundation for consistency in the conduct of audits, the management of auditors’ competences and the impartiality of the certification body. In doing so, the standard ensures that the certification process is fair, transparent and reliable.
There are several Certification Bodies in the Netherlands: the market for these is basically free. But as a certification body you have to be “accredited”, more on that below. There are a quantity of Certifying Bodies in the Netherlands. Some examples are KIWA or BSI. Which Certification Body suits your organisation depends on the standards in which you want to be accredited. For example, KIWA is one of the few CBs accredited to audit the EN 50518 standard. In that case, it is usually obvious to have not only EN 50518 audited by that CB, but also the other standards that you, as an organisation, want to be compliant with.
Protify itself, for example, very deliberately chose Brand Compliance for their own certification. In our experience, Brand Compliance really tests our ISMS thoroughly and critically against the requirements of the standard. We consciously choose that, and the result is then a really valuable certificate that we are proud of.
Accreditation body
Certification bodies in the Netherlands can only be CI if they are under some kind of supervision by an accreditation body. This accreditation body supervises the operation of certification bodies and assesses whether they comply with international standards, such as ISO/IEC 17021. Accreditation bodies, such as the Council for Accreditation (RvA) in the Netherlands, ensure that certification bodies operate consistently according to established requirements. This additional oversight increases confidence in certifications, as it ensures that institutions operate independently and to the highest standards.
Compliance service provider
A compliance service provider always operates completely independently of a certification body. They can never have a mutual relationship, as this could cause a conflict of interest. Protify does help its clients get the right quotes from certifying body, but has no other interest in this and no commissions are charged. Because, of course, this is not allowed.
Protify as a compliance service provider thus plays another complementary role in the certification process. Whereas a certification body conducts the actual audit and issues the certificate, as a compliance service provider we focus on guiding and supporting clients in preparing for this certification. This may include advising on implementing the necessary processes, conducting internal audits, and addressing any non-conformities before the formal audit takes place.
In summary, while the certification body acts as the independent assessor, as a compliance service provider, we help organisations get in line with the requirements and thus increase their chances of successful certification.
