What You Need To Know…

Cost varies depending upon the size and complexity of the business. The key benefit we offer is use of experienced, high-performing professionals on a part-time, as-needed basis for a fraction of what a comparable qualified employee would cost.

According to PayScale.com (01/25), an experienced, high-tier Quality Assurance Director earns a salary of $188k (after Bonuses and profit Sharing), which is far more than most micro, small, and medium-sized businesses can justify! We can typically take a company through full implementation of ISO 9001, AS9100/AS9120, ISO 13485 or IATF 16949 to initial certification at a fraction of the cost (typically less than 15% of what an experienced Quality Assurance Director earns annually).

Some managers, unfamiliar with the requirements for achieving certification, often choose to assign the task to an existing internal resource, such as an Office Administrator, Human Resources Specialist, Engineer, or Regulatory Compliance Specialist. These individuals, lacking the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities, struggle with the process, leading to these common scenarios:

1. The employee, uninterested in the task, reverts to their primary job and delays implementation, prompting management to find a replacement.
2. The overwhelmed employee, rather than risk failing at the task, seeks a new job, causing delays and additional expenses for hiring and training.
3. The employee attempts to learn independently (e.g., reading books & online articles and/or watching videos) but eventually realizes they need help. This may involve obtaining generic QMS documentation templates or subscribing to an online service, both of which rarely suit the company’s specific needs and add unnecessary bureaucracy. Alternatively, the company may hire a consultant for assistance.
4. The employee perseveres and the company obtains certification, but the employee struggles during audits due to limited expertise, resulting in a continuous cycle of nonconformities and stress. This can lead to the employee seeking other positions or leaving the company.

In all cases, relying on inadequate in-house resources for certification proves costly, causes delays, and may result in missed business opportunities and revenue loss.

When a company appoints a Quality Manager to implement a QMS, they often face challenges as the standard’s ambiguous language leads to varied interpretations. This frustration prompts many Quality Managers to seek clarifications online but find inconsistent answers. In response, management may hire consultants with varying expertise to navigate these complexities. While consultants endeavor to train in-house staff, their effectiveness varies, with those conducting CB audits showing superior insight. Also, during CB audits, consultants are not allowed to interact with the auditor (they may only observe) because the objective of the audit is to verify the company’s understanding and compliance (NOT the consultants).

This dynamic leaves Quality Managers struggling to meet audit expectations due to differing interpretations of the standard by auditors. To effectively host audits, personnel must possess advanced knowledge and skills, akin to a defense attorney defending their application of the standard. Further, if the company has implemented modern quality concepts (e.g., Lean Six Sigma), the Quality Manager’s ability to educate the CB auditors on how these concepts are aligned with the standard is crucial. The departure of knowledgeable personnel leads to this cycle repeating, as new staff must grapple with the challenges posed by both the standard and the QMS.

We’ve had several clients seek out our services after expensive consultants proved unable to help them “pass” their Stage 1 audit! And we’re typically forced to throw out everything that the consultants developed because it is completely unusable (due to their lack of knowledge with the certification process and understanding of what the auditors will be seeking).

While we DO offer consulting services, we generally only provide these services to experienced clients with Quality Professionals that need assistance in areas beyond their normal scope of work. 

Yes. As part of our commitment to support veterans, we offer discounts to Veteran-owned OR Veteran-managed businesses (i.e., businesses that hire veterans to serve in management positions).

The cost of the Certification itself will vary depending upon the:

• Certification Body (CB) selected (typical Audit Day Rates range from $1,300 – $1,800 per Audit Day)
• Number of Audit Days (determined by the number of employees at each site – using a standard chart common to all of the CBs)
• Scope of Certification (discounts are provided when elements of the standard are not applicable to the scope – e.g., sec. 8.3 covering “Design & Development”)
• Annual (fixed) fee charged by the CB covering the “Certification Management” (aka, “Certificate Administration”, “Maintenance Fee”). While this fee varies from one CB to the next, these average approx. $500 per year for each certificate/site (±$250). For AS91xx certificates, there is an additional $500 annual fee (for IAQG OASIS database maintenance).
• Travel & Living Expenses (T&L) incurred by the Auditor(s). While some CBs provide quotes inclusive of T&L expenses, most CBs invoice clients for the actual costs incurred. IF you select a CB with local auditors, this can save hundreds each year.

Yes. Many medium-sized companies already have staff fulfilling Quality Control (QC) roles (e.g., Inspection activities). However, QC personnel often lack the knowledge, skills, and experience to efficiently manage the QMS “Certification Process”.
Rather than QC personnel sacrificing time from their day-to-day activities (and your customers) to learn about the standard(s) and the certification process (often learned through trial and error), we can supplement your QC function by managing the QA function…. leading to QMS Certification. Once the Certification is achieved, we can continue to support maintenance of the Certification; rather than the QC staff being distracted from their day-to-day activities by preparing for and hosting the annual Certification Audits.