Certification Body request copies of all our QMS documentation

[Abed]

Hi everyone,
I have found this platform immensely informative and useful with highly experienced contributors.
We are a small company and had our first surveillance audit six months ago for ISO9001:2015 certification.
We passed the audit with few observations and closed them off. Now our certification body sent me an email saying it is a requirement that has been placed on them to obtain copies of all our QMS documentation including quality manual.( 22x SOPs and documents).
I am just concerned to disclose this information as they have already seen all our documentation during the audit and I feel it does not make sense to request this six months later. Any of you guys have been in this situation?, is it ok to send them just the quality manual instead?
Thanks for your advice in advance.
Abed

 

[ChrisM]

I am a little confused - surveillance audits take place following the awarding of your Certificate - have you already been fully assessed and are in possession of an ISO9001 certificate? If so, then there should be no need for you to send in copies of all your QMS documents. If however you are still being assessed in advance of being awarded ISO9001, then yes they do need to see a copy of your Quality Manual and procedures.

It may be that you have your ISO9001 certificate but they forgot to ask to see a copy of your Quality Manual and procedures, in which case the request will be part of a corrective action that they are undertaking.

 

[QuinnM]

Hi, - Additional question for this forum -
Is it common for the notified body to request documentation to be sent to them? I thought notified bodies only wanted to review documents during the audit, and these documents were returned after the audit.

 

[ChrisM]

For an initial assessment in preparation for certification, the CB/NB will usually (in my experience) want you to send them a full set of procedures plus the Quality Manual where relevant, in advance of any visit to site. These will usually be retained as their evidence of what was in place at the time.

 

[Randy]

Hi everyone,
I have found this platform immensely informative and useful with highly experienced contributors.
We are a small company and had our first surveillance audit six months ago for ISO9001:2015 certification.
We passed the audit with few observations and closed them off. Now our certification body sent me an email saying it is a requirement that has been placed on them to obtain copies of all our QMS documentation including quality manual.( 22x SOPs and documents).
I am just concerned to disclose this information as they have already seen all our documentation during the audit and I feel it does not make sense to request this six months later. Any of you guys have been in this situation?, is it ok to send them just the quality manual instead?
Thanks for your advice in advance.
Abed

Before going any further take a look at the contract you signed with them. Many of us here work for CB's and they might tell you the same as I am, it's a load of garbage requirement and not a normal practice with actual accredited CB's.

Again, look at your contract and ask where the requirement originates and ask for a copy of it.

 

[Sidney Vianna]

Now our certification body sent me an email saying it is a requirement that has been placed on them to obtain copies of all our QMS documentation including quality manual.( 22x SOPs and documents).

A certification body does not sends emails. Someone did. Was it a full time employee or a contract auditor? Over the years, I have seen unscrupulous consultants who moonlight as part time contract auditors for CB’s requesting copies of a registrant’s documentation to use them as material for their “consulting clients”, after a little massaging. If people only knew how many consultants and CB’s have incestuous relationships out there, there would be a congressional hearing

 

[Hendi]

Considered spearfishing?