ISO9

Regardless of the reasons that have driven organizations to pursue ISO 9000 certification, the selection of the registrar who will audit the organization to the appropriate standard is important. Numerous factors should be considered when choosing a registrar. On one hand, a certificate with an accreditation mark has more recognition and credibility than one without. However, a non-accredited registrar is often less expensive and "you get what you pay for" doesn’t necessarily apply.

Reasons for choosing a non-accredited registrar include cost and customer service. Consider the following when choosing a registrar:

Reputation: The registrations granted by larger and more established registrars will often be perceived in the quality industry as having “more value” as these registrars tend to be more consistent in the service they provide and more rigorous in adhering to the standard.

Global presence: A European or Asian location may be important to your organization.

Pre-assessment: Most registrars should offer this service.

Same employees for pre-assessment and first registration audit: Different people have different "hot spots." Problems fixed after the pre-audit could be meaningless to a different set of employees during the first assessment.

Successful registration the first time: Check the average of organizations that passed on the first try and how many of them had a pre-assessment.

Flexibility: You have to follow the standard, but there are a lot of ways to look at the standard and apply it. Certain registrars are more flexible than others.

Instead of risking your organization’s well being by hiring an unqualified registrar, take time to review several candidates, based on your criteria. Here are sample questions to ask a potential registrar:

What are your most frequently found nonconformances?

Do you have a technical help desk? What is the turnaround time for answering

questions?

How many auditors will have experience with my business?

Have you worked with companies my size?

How much does each service cost?

What will be travel expenses?