Editorial · September 5, 2015
ISO 9001 Revision: What Suppliers Need to Know
The ISO 9001 revision has reached its final stage. Voting on the final draft closes on September 9. Once ISO publishes the new edition, suppliers certified to the current one will have three years to move to it. Until then, ISO 9001:2008 is still the edition to meet.
Our editors suggest you use the wait to check your certificate. Also ask the certification body that issued it about its plans.
What the new edition changes
ISO 9001 gives requirements that help a company show it can offer customers consistent, good quality products and services. In November 2014, ISO said ISO 9001 had more than 1.1 million certificates worldwide.
ISO says the new edition will follow a new, higher level structure. The goal is to make it easier to use with other management system standards. ISO adds that the new edition will give risk more importance.
Nigel Croft chairs the ISO subcommittee revising the standard. In November 2014 he said the new edition rests on three core ideas:
- the process approach, which worked well in the 2008 edition
- the plan-do-check-act cycle
- risk-based thinking, which is new and aims at preventing undesirable outcomes
BSI issues ISO 9001 certificates. Its July 2014 FAQ said, with some confidence, that the final text would keep the draft's new structure. It said the same of the clause numbering and of added requirements on organizational context and leadership.
Where the vote stands
On November 5, 2014, ISO reported that a vote on an earlier draft won nearly 90 percent approval. It said its experts would go through the comments and write a final draft for another vote.
That final draft is called a Final Draft International Standard, or FDIS. Voting on it began on July 9. ISO member countries have until September 9 to cast their votes. Once the draft is approved, ISO says, the standard can be published.
As of March 31, ISO's revision page said the new edition was due by the end of 2015. BSI expected September 2015, in its FAQ and again on its site as of April 26. The FAQ warned that ISO timelines are subject to change. None of these pages names a day. The date matters, because the transition clock starts at publication.
How the three-year transition works
ISO says organizations get a three-year transition period after the revision is published. The clock starts at publication, not at the vote. If publication comes this month, the window would close in about three years.
BSI's July 2014 FAQ gave more detail. It said the 2008 edition would be recognized and could be audited to until the window ends. At that point, it said, certificates to the 2008 edition would no longer be valid.
The FAQ also said BSI would stop issuing new 2008 certificates twelve months after the new edition is published. That is earlier than the end of the three years. Plans can change, and another certification body may pick other dates, so ask yours.
A supplier does not have to wait for the deadline. BSI said a client may upgrade at a recertification next year. Its system must meet every requirement of the new edition.
If you also hold an ISO 14001 environmental certificate, ISO is revising that standard too. ISO members had until September 2 to vote on its final draft. That is a week before the ISO 9001 vote closes. As of April 26, BSI's site said both revisions were due to publish in September 2015. Its July 2014 FAQ told clients who run one system for several standards to plan each transition with care.
What buyers may ask suppliers
A buyer can start with the certificate. ANAB, the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board, which accredits certification bodies, says to look for:
- the name, address and mark of the certification body that issued it
- the standard and its edition, such as ISO 9001:2008
- the scope, meaning the product or service covered
- the name and location of the certified company
- the issue date and the expiry date
- a unique ID number or code
ANAB says the certification body, not ANAB, is the one to ask whether a certificate is valid. It also says ISO/IEC 17021 requires certification bodies to keep a directory of valid certifications. The body must make it public or share it on request.
With the revision close, buyers may add a few questions. These are our suggestions, not ISO rules:
- Which edition does your certificate list, and when does it expire?
- When will your certification body audit you to the new edition?
- Has that body set a cut-off date for the 2008 edition?
- Do you supply a sector that has its own quality documents inspired by ISO 9001?
ISO notes that ISO 9001 has inspired documents for specific sectors. They include the automotive and medical sectors and local governments. If a customer works under one, ask what it expects of you.
What suppliers can do now
Our editors suggest this order:
- Read your certificate. Write down the edition, the scope and the expiry date.
- Ask your certification body for its transition dates and any cut-off for the 2008 edition.
- Keep meeting the 2008 requirements until ISO publishes the new edition.
- Ask your national member body how the final draft is moving, as ISO recommends. When the new edition is out, compare it with your system.
- Tell key customers your plan before they ask.
BSI's FAQ advised companies working toward certification to continue as planned. It said they would still have a full three years once the standard is published.