Frequently Asked Questions - ISO Accelerator
Do you have an expensive Head Offices that your customers help to fund?
Thankfully not - It’s 2020. Our ethos is to provide safe, secure and sustainable ISO certification. This means that we support the ISO-Accelerator team to work remotely. From day 1 we were set up to work in this efficient way. This approach helps us to keep our carbon footprint low and to pass the savings on to our customers. For peace of mind we do have office facilities for general correspondence, face to face training, meetings etc.
Following the out break of COVID-19 we expect more companies to follow this business model.
Following the out break of COVID-19 we expect more companies to follow this business model.
Can we meet with you?
Absolutely. In 1st instance we encourage this remotely such as Zoom, Microsoft teams etc. Should you wish to meet face to face please contact us and we can arrange a meeting at our new office facilities location in Hamble SO31 4RF – we’ll also provide some biscuits.
Are you a UK limited company?
Yes we are. ISO Accelerator is a trading name of PT Results Limited. Our company number is 7318411.
Are you VAT registered?
Yes we are. Our VAT number is GB 109496982. This can be verified here
- As we are an international company there are some important points regarding VAT.
We encourage any customer who may qualify for VAT exemption to contact us before purchasing through our on-line shop. In the 1st instance we can issue a 0% VAT rated proforma invoice that can be paid via credit card here or via bank transfer. Satisfactory evidence of exemption must be provided. - When you order from the on-line shop you will receive a receipt of sale – this is not a VAT invoice. We will follow up with a VAT invoice.
All sales through the on-line shop are charged VAT @ the prevailing rate.
Should any customers purchase through the on-line shop that would qualify for VAT exemption then they would be refunded the VAT amount. Satisfactory evidence of exemption must be provided.
Are your Management System consultants and ISO Certification auditors competent to provide the services that you offer?
Absolutely. As an example - our Global Assurance Director is degree educated. Before taking on the role of Global Assurance Director at ISO-Accelerator they had gained over 10 years of experience being the Office Manager within our ISO consultancy division.
Will ISO-Accelerator issue me with a certificate defining with ISO standard(s) I have registered for?
Of course. As soon as your compliant remote audit report has successfully be approved through or technical review process, a certificate will be issued. Details on how your certificate will look and how it can be validated are shown here.
How do you keep your prices so low?
By working smartly. From day 1 we were set up to work remotely. We do not have the large overheads that other certification bodies can carry such as London based offices, or a fleet of company cars to purchase, fuel and maintain. We simply use up-to-date communication methods and use remote ISO assessments eliminating the need for time-consuming on-site audits. The reality is that by simply eliminating travel and working remotely our team can support more than one client in a day. We simply pass these savings on. This is how we are competitive.
If you already hold an ISO certification with another certification body and have recently been remotely audited by them – did they charge you the same for a remote audit as they would for a site audit? Most probably the same… they still have to fund their overheads. Perhaps it’s time to think about transferring certification body.
If you already hold an ISO certification with another certification body and have recently been remotely audited by them – did they charge you the same for a remote audit as they would for a site audit? Most probably the same… they still have to fund their overheads. Perhaps it’s time to think about transferring certification body.
Can you provide ISO certification for all companies?
Sadly not. We are only accredited to provide certification services for SMEs. We can however provide our services worldwide.
Do you offer on-site consultancy?
No, but we can help. The whole concept behind ISO-Accelerator was to work remotely with our customer to provide safe, secure and sustainable ISO certification. We have achieved this with a 100% success rate. Should you feel that you would benefit from on-site consultancy we can help and to put you in contact with a consultant. Please be aware that these services would be contracted directly between yourself and your consultant of choice. Please contact us.
Are you overseen by International Organization for Standardization (ISO)?
No. But don’t worry - this is normal. ISO themselves do not have anything to do with overseeing or providing certification services. Their role is to develop and to publish international standards.
Are you a member of the British Standards Institute (BSI)?
Yes we are. Our membership certificate number is 47777969. As an organisation, being a member brings us and our clients great benefits. See more about our membership here.
What is the difference between certification and accreditation?
Certification: As a conformity assessment body, we conduct third-party audits on our clients management systems to confirm that they adhere to the relevant ISO standard(s). This is often termed as a ‘Certification Body’ or ‘Providing certification services’.
Accreditation:We do not provide accreditation services (don’t fall out of your chair). We are overseen by USAS who are an independent accreditation service. Here is our certification of accreditation.
Accreditation:We do not provide accreditation services (don’t fall out of your chair). We are overseen by USAS who are an independent accreditation service. Here is our certification of accreditation.
Are you a member of the International Accreditation Forum?
No. It is a closed shop. The IAF will not let independent Accreditation Bodies such as USAS join. They will only let one Government appointed body from any one country to join – its how they attempt to remove competition from the world of accredited certification.
To help level the playing field and to bring competition to the market place, our independent accreditation Body – USAS, is a founding member of the International Accreditation For Digital Certification [IAFDC]. The IAFDC is there to support independent accreditation bodies who promote certification bodies who only provide digital certification in a safe, secure and sustainable manner.
It really is that simple, the IAF will only recognise certificates issued by their members, and other associations like the IAFDC, will only recognise certificates from their members. Statements like ‘one certificate – accepted everywhere’ is misleading. Certificates are only deemed ‘valid’ within their own schemes (Associations). It would be the same for any such programme. It’s called competition.
To help level the playing field and to bring competition to the market place, our independent accreditation Body – USAS, is a founding member of the International Accreditation For Digital Certification [IAFDC]. The IAFDC is there to support independent accreditation bodies who promote certification bodies who only provide digital certification in a safe, secure and sustainable manner.
It really is that simple, the IAF will only recognise certificates issued by their members, and other associations like the IAFDC, will only recognise certificates from their members. Statements like ‘one certificate – accepted everywhere’ is misleading. Certificates are only deemed ‘valid’ within their own schemes (Associations). It would be the same for any such programme. It’s called competition.
Is the difference between USAS and a government appointed accredited body?
Yes there is. This is really important – please read ALL the below.
The bottom line is that our business model of Digital Certification to provide safe, secure and sustainable ISO certification has been very disruptive, and brought competition to the traditional world of accredited certification.
It is important to understand that there is no law or regulation dictating who should provide you with your ISO certification services. You should find the best fit to suit you and your customers’ requirements.
There is a huge myth in the world of certification that all certification bodies must be accredited by the government appointed accreditation body … this simply is not true.
If you understand the difference between an independent certification body (like us), and one that has been accredited by a government appointed accredited body you’ll understand that there are huge, yes huge cost savings to be gained.
If we were not right – we wouldn’t have 100’s of happy customers.
So how will you know if you need ISO certification issued by a certification body that has been accredited by a government appointed accreditation body? Simple - It will say so on your contract. If it does not state this then you can start saving money now and use independent certification body (like us).
Certification bodies that have been accredited by a government appointed accredited body will always try to sell you their services. But remember - it is not always required. It is only needed if there is a specific requirement for it. If you are in any doubt please ask us and we can advise.
The bottom line is that our business model of Digital Certification to provide safe, secure and sustainable ISO certification has been very disruptive, and brought competition to the traditional world of accredited certification.
It is important to understand that there is no law or regulation dictating who should provide you with your ISO certification services. You should find the best fit to suit you and your customers’ requirements.
There is a huge myth in the world of certification that all certification bodies must be accredited by the government appointed accreditation body … this simply is not true.
If you understand the difference between an independent certification body (like us), and one that has been accredited by a government appointed accredited body you’ll understand that there are huge, yes huge cost savings to be gained.
If we were not right – we wouldn’t have 100’s of happy customers.
So how will you know if you need ISO certification issued by a certification body that has been accredited by a government appointed accreditation body? Simple - It will say so on your contract. If it does not state this then you can start saving money now and use independent certification body (like us).
Certification bodies that have been accredited by a government appointed accredited body will always try to sell you their services. But remember - it is not always required. It is only needed if there is a specific requirement for it. If you are in any doubt please ask us and we can advise.
