INTRODUCTION
WQA certification enables organisations whose quality management system complies with the requirements of the relevant standard e.g. ISO 9001:2015 to be certified by WQA and to display the WQA logo in accordance with the document ‘How to display the WQA Logo (WQA13) which forms part of these conditions.

These conditions of business, of which this introduction forms an integral part, are expressly understood and agreed to be made in respect of all locations of whatever description out of which either the Company or WQA may carry on business, where or not the said locations are within the jurisdiction of England and Wales. The quotation overleaf is expressly understood and agreed to be an integral part of these Conditions of Business.

THE STAGES OF CERTIFICATION

Enquiry

Following your enquiry, WQA will provide you with a quotation for our services based on the number of effective employees and complexity of operations.

Application

As acceptance of our quote you will be required to:
• Agree to these conditions by signing and returning your quotation If you require additional application information WQA will provide this on request.

Assessment

To enable us to establish confidence that your quality system meets the requirements of the relevant standard, we require you to:
• Make provision for examining documentation and access to all areas, records and personnel for the purpose of assessment, re-assessment and resolution of complaints
• Advise us of any changes that might affect the quotation
• Have conducted a full internal audit and management review which meet the requirements of the relevant standard.
• Pay the assessment fees in accordance with the quotation when invoiced by WQA.
• Demonstrate compliance with the relevant standard and theseconditions.
• Nominate a deputy management representative.

Note : the WQA procedures for all types of assessment are available on request.

Certificate issue

When you have satisfied the requirements of the relevant standard we shall agree a scope of registration describing the assessed activities and their locations. As evidence of compliance you will receive a certificate which may be accompanied by appendices. Where we are not satisfied with compliance WQA can at its absolute discretion refuse to issue a certificate.

Continuing assessment

To enable us to maintain confidence in your fitness as a certified company you must advise us in writing if at any time you do not comply with the requirements of the relevant standard or if there are any changes or reductions in your scope of certification.
We will visit your site to conduct continuing assessments to ensure you still comply. The duration and frequency is as decided by WQA in accordance  with ISO and IAF documents. You will be notified in advance of our plans. A triennial performance review (re-certification assessment) will be conducted to evaluate the performance of your quality system in monitoring  conformance to the standard. The duration of Re-certification Assessments will vary from continuing assessments and may be as long as the initial assessments.

PUBLICITY AND PROMOTION

In order to maintain the integrity of our service, you will make no misleading statement concerning your application or certification and will use your best endeavours that no one connected with you gives any such misleading impression. Furthermore you will not allow reference to your management system certification to be used in such a way to imply that the certification body certifies a product (including service) or process.

It must not imply that the certification applies to activities that are outside the scope of certification You must conform to the requirements of the certification body when making  reference to your certification status in communication media such as; the internet, brochures or advertising or other documents. Your company must not use or permit the use of a certification document or any part thereof, in a misleading manner.

You must not use the certification in such a manner that would bring the certification body and/ or certification system into disripute and lose public trust.

ACCOMODATING THIRD PARTY OBSERVERS

It is a condition of WQA’s Accreditation body that from time to time we, ourselves (WQA), have to be assessed by them. In the furtherance of this, they sometimes wish to assess us performing assessments at specific clients. It is therefore a WQA requirement that you will allow us to bring along  a third party observer from Accreditation body to an assessment to enable him to assessa WQA employee. In the event that they request to visit you, we will inform you. If such a visit is unacceptable to you this will give WQA time to make alternative arrangements.

CONFIDENTIALITY

WQA, its staff and agents will keep confidential all information relating to your business and shall not disclose to any third party information unless required to do so by law. WQA staff and agents have signed confidentiality agreements that continues even after termination of this contract.

IMPARTIALITY

WQA – APAC
Worldwide Quality Assurance – Asia Pasific
An Agency of Worldwide Quality Assurance Limited – UK