Guide
UKAS-accredited ISO certification: why it matters and how to check
Updated
Two certificates can both say ISO 9001 and be worth very different amounts. The difference is accreditation: who checked the checker. In the UK that is UKAS, and it is the first thing a serious buyer looks for.
What UKAS is
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the national accreditation body appointed by government under the Accreditation Regulations 2009 (legislation.gov.uk). UKAS does not certify companies; it accredits the certification bodies that do, auditing their competence, impartiality and processes against international rules. A UKAS-accredited certificate means the body that issued it is itself independently checked.
Accredited vs non-accredited certificates
| Question | UKAS-accredited certificate | Non-accredited certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Who checks the certification body? | UKAS, the government-appointed national accreditation body | Nobody independent, or a private scheme of its own invention |
| Accepted in public-sector and large-company tenders? | Yes, this is the certificate tender questions normally mean | Frequently rejected or challenged |
| Audit rigour | Mandatory minimum audit times, qualified auditors, three-year cycle | Varies; some issue certificates with little or no real audit |
| Price | Reflects real auditor days | Can look very cheap, which is exactly the warning sign |
Non-accredited certification is not illegal, and a handful of niche schemes are legitimate. But if the point of certifying is to win work, a certificate a buyer will not accept is money spent twice: once on the cheap certificate, then again on the real one.
Certificate mills: the pattern to recognise
- A certificate offered in days, with no stage 1 or stage 2 audit, is not accredited certification; genuine audits take auditor days that must be paid for.
- Prices far below every other quote usually mean no UKAS accreditation; check before you compare them against real quotes.
- Some sellers imply ISO itself certifies companies. It does not: ISO publishes the standards, and independent certification bodies certify against them (iso.org).
- Logos are checkable. A body claiming UKAS accreditation appears on UKAS's own records, and certificates can be verified through UKAS's CertCheck service (ukas.com).
How to check before you buy
- Ask the certification body directly: "Is this certificate issued under your UKAS accreditation, and for this scope?" Bodies can hold accreditation for some standards and not others.
- Verify the body and the certificate via UKAS (ukas.com), including the CertCheck certificate database.
- If a buyer or tender is driving the certification, check the exact wording they use; most specify accredited certification, and some name UKAS.