How To Reduce the Costs of Achieving ISO 9001 Certification

Wondering if ISO 9001 certification is worth it for your business? While this quality management standard can assure potential customers that you deliver high-quality work, many businesses worry about the expense.

The good news is you can plan and manage certification costs effectively with smart planning while still gaining all the customer confidence that can come with it.

Understanding what influences the cost of ISO 9001 certification can help you manage and reduce the expense.

Accredited certification bodies calculate audit time based on established requirements, such as those published by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF MD 5). Factors include the following:

Your industry and the complexity of certification

The nature of your industry and the complexity of your organisation’s activities can influence the cost of ISO 9001 certification.

More complex processes may require additional audit time to verify conformity with ISO 9001 requirements, particularly where regulatory, technical, or risk-related factors are present.

The number of sites and units in your business

The number of business sites affects certification costs. More locations mean more checking time since each site must be assessed.

What your business produces at each site

The products or services offered at each site play a role in determining costs.

Complex or diverse offerings may necessitate additional audit considerations to ensure all aspects of production meet ISO 9001 requirements.

The number of employees across your organisation

The size of your workforce is another factor. Larger organisations with more employees may require more comprehensive audits, as the QMS must be evaluated across all teams and departments.

UKAS-accredited certification bodies follow a set of rules which help them to determine the amount of audit time required, primarily based on the factors above.

Therefore, if you have a large organisation with hundreds of employees spread across multiple sites, delivering complex products or services, you can expect to require more than just a couple of audit days.

However, if you have a small company with a well-defined single product, the number of audit days could be minimal.

You can request a free quote from our expert certification advisers. We are happy to discuss your certification needs, even if you’re only at the early stages of considering ISO 9001 certification for your business.

Beyond audit duration, there are other potential costs to think about:

Building or improving your QMS

Many organisations develop their QMS over time as they grow. Others implement one with the core objective of achieving ISO 9001 certification (often to win contracts).

Understanding these costs helps you decide how to approach this. Fundamentally, you’re choosing between using staff time to develop systems yourself or paying for ready-made solutions or hiring external consultants.

Organisations may choose to review their existing processes and documentation to understand alignment with ISO 9001 requirements.. Many discover they already have procedures, policies, and records that can be adapted for ISO 9001 compliance, minimising the need for extensive new development or purchasing new business tools.

Some organisations find that improvements such as process automation or resource alignment support the efficient operation of their QMS. Well-trained staff can also help reduce the cost of running the system.

Potential cost savings include minimising waste, maximising efficiency, and preventing avoidable mistakes that require correction.

Opportunity costs vs. ISO consultant costs

Established and well-run organisations often have many of the requirements for ISO 9001 already in place, whereas others may need to develop them.

Organisations may wish to evaluate internal resource investment against potential costs of external support when developing a QMS. This refers to the value of the productive work your business loses when choosing to use resources (time, money, staff) for ISO certification.

With this in mind, whether you implement ISO 9001 in-house or bring in external expertise could depend on a number of factors, including:

• Any deadlines you may have set for achieving certification
• The knowledge and experience of existing employees
• The availability of staff to work on the project
• Budgets available to support the project.

Many organisations prefer to create and manage their management systems internally, using existing staff and resources. Others may choose to engage external consultancy services to assist with implementation for some, or all, of the process.

The costs for engaging an ISO consultant can vary depending on factors such as the size of your organisation, the number of sites, your existing management system in place, available  in-house expertise, project timelines, and the level of consultancy support required.

When considering these factors, compare your calculated opportunity cost against consultant fees.

For example, if your team’s time is typically worth £50 per hour on revenue-generating activities and they spend 160 hours on the project, the opportunity cost is £8,000. If a consultant charges £800 per day and the same work takes 10 days, you can compare these costs to determine which option is more suitable for your organisation financially and strategically.

While British Assessment Bureau cannot provide ISO consultancy services (we need to maintain our impartiality as a key requirement of our UKAS accreditation), we work with dozens of highly experienced ISO consultants who provide services for organisations that require help with some part of their ISO management systems. If you would like to receive a list of ISO consultants who may be able to support your needs, complete our short form to request details.

With careful planning, it is possible for a business to manage the cost of implementing ISO 9001. In some cases, organisations may be eligible for grants or external funding specifically to support certification activities.

Funding opportunities for ISO certification

Government and regional funding schemes occasionally provide financial support for organisations seeking recognised certifications like ISO 9001. Eligibility is typically based on factors such as business size, sector, location, and stage of growth.

Information on available funding opportunities can be found through:

• The UK Government’s business support and finance search tools
• Local government authorities or regional enterprise agencies
• Small business support services, agencies, or industry-specific trusts

Where available, these grants can contribute to covering certain costs associated with preparing for certification and undergoing the audit process. Availability and criteria vary, so it is recommended to review current funding programmes directly with the issuing bodies.

Getting help with the costs for business growth

Both local and national governments allocate funding that supports business growth through various schemes and grants.

This funding may be targeted at specific industries or businesses that are at specific stages, such as start-ups.

If you’re interested in possible grants, subsidies and loans, potential funding information and guidance can be found on the government’s business support website and finance support search page.

Local government authorities, small business services, agencies and trusts could also be potential grant providers to help you on your way to ISO certification.

Applying for a grant for ISO certification

When applying for a grant for ISO 9001 certification, begin by requesting detailed information from the grant provider about their eligibility criteria and covered costs. Some grants may support activities such as training, management system development, or certification audit fees.

This initial contact could also help you to establish a relationship with the organisation.

During the application process, consider directly addressing the awarding body’s requirements. You might include comprehensive evidence of your organisation’s track record, detailed cost breakdowns, and a business plan that demonstrates how certification will benefit your organisation’s future development.

In the UK, UKAS is the nationally appointed accreditation body, and there are also many other recognised accreditation bodies worldwide, such as INAB in Ireland and ANAB in the United States.

These bodies are members of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), which operates a global arrangement for mutual recognition. This means that accredited certificates issued under other IAF member bodies hold the same international standing as those accredited by UKAS.

The government, many companies, and industry regulators in the UK only recognise certificates produced by accredited bodies as valid evidence of compliance with standards such as ISO 9001.

However, as the sector itself is not legally regulated: it is possible for anyone, accredited or not, to issue ISO certification in the UK.

Certification from a non-accredited body may mean you later need to pay for a further, recognised certificate for official acceptance or to enjoy the full benefits of ISO 9001 certification.

To avoid unnecessary cost and ensure the certification you buy is widely recognised, consider choosing an accredited certification body.

For UKAS-accredited bodies, this information is publicly available on the UKAS website.

Achieving ISO 9001 certification may require investing time and money into your organisation, but the long-term benefits and return can make the investment worthwhile.

To learn more about ISO 9001, try our free ISO 9001 e-learning course. This awareness level training focuses on explaining standard requirements, certification processes, and general best practices (rather than customised solutions or system development).

If you would like to discuss ISO 9001 certification for your organisation, our certification team can talk you through the process, including expected timescales and cost considerations.

Request a free quote from us today, or fill in our contact form and a member of our certification team will be in touch.