Client FAQs
Find answers to the frequently asked questions about MSECB and its services.
Last updated on August 31, 2021
Note: These are the most frequently asked questions about MSECB, and this document will be updated constantly.
ISO Certification is a seal of approval from a third-party body that an organization is in conformance with the requirements of one of the international standards developed and published by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO).
ISO Certification is not mandatory; however, it helps organization to improve the business credibility and authority as well as the overall efficiency of the business. Also, ISO Certification may be a client-imposed mandatory requirement.
If you are interested in getting your organization certified with MSECB you can initiate the process by contacting us at [email protected] or by filling out our Free Quotation Form. To have a better understanding of how our audit and certification process work, please click here.
Having your management system audited by an accredited certification body, such as MSECB, can be a useful tool in identifying any shortcomings of your existing systems with the purpose of having these shortcomings adequately addressed. Once it is determined that the organization’s management system does comply with the targeted standards, validation and certification will take place.
Receiving an internationally recognized certificate establishes your organization as an adaptive and flexible organization that is in pace with global best practices, which furthers customer trust in the products and/or services that you provide. These benefits can have a multifaceted impact on your business, ultimately cascading to an increase in market share.
Management Systems Certification cost depends on a range of factors such as: number of employees, number of locations, standard(s) being audited, economic activity. Based on this information, we determine the audit duration which is a pre-requisite for determining the cost.
Payment is due after the completion of audit with a payment term of 30 days.
An Integrated Management System (IMS) is the general term for a documented management system that addresses more than one standard. ISO Standards often have similar clauses and requirements, which allows an organization to create efficiencies in the common areas of the standards.
No, persons involved in consultancy services cannot be assigned as auditors for the same client.
Accreditation is the formal recognition by an ‘accreditation authority’ to the technical and organizational competence of a conformity assessment body, to carry out a ‘specific service’ in accordance with the standards and technical regulations, as described in their ‘scope of accreditation’. It provides a means to identify a proven, competent evaluator so that the selection of a laboratory, inspection or certification body is an informed choice.
Certification is the procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a product, process, system, or person conforms to specified requirements.
There is no fixed duration for all audits; it depends on several factors like the standard against which the audit is going to be conducted; size of the company – sites and number of employees within scope; complexity of the management system; industry in which the organization operates; has the organization previously been certified or not; etc.
It depends on the outcome of the audit and the ability of the organization to respond to possible nonconformities raised during the audit. Under normal circumstances, the certificate may be issued within 2 weeks.
Yes, MSECB is an accredited Management System Certification Body by the International Accreditation Service (IAS) under ISO/IEC 17021 – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems (click to see the certificate) and also an accredited Product Certification Agency under ISO/IEC 17065 – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services (click to see the certificate).
Yes. Being accredited by IAS, which is part of the IAF MLA, gives our certificates global recognition.
MSECB is specialized in the certification of management systems on a wide range of international standards, including but not limited to Information Security, Privacy, Quality, Business Continuity, Anti-bribery, Sustainability, HSE, etc.
An MSECB Certificate is valid for three years, and it is subject to annual audits.
Organizations that obtain certification by MSECB can use the management systems logo to show their achievement (e.g., ISO 9001 Certified). You will be provided with a certification logo for the relevant Management Systems your organization is certified against. Please see the Certification Marks Guidelines that show how to use the logo when you place it on relevant materials.
Yes, to transfer your certification to MSECB you would need to send us the filled application form, your valid certificate, and the latest audit report. Please see the steps that you should follow by clicking here.
To maintain the certificate, your organization will be subject to two surveillance audits. The first surveillance audit will take place no longer than 12 months from the initial audit. Meanwhile, the second surveillance audit will take place no longer than 12 months from the first surveillance audit.
You can always reach out to us when the time comes, however, MSECB will notify you well in advance before the next audit approaches.
If the surveillance audit is not completed on time, your certification will be suspended with a timeframe to correct reasons for suspension. If this does not happen, the certificate will be withdrawn.
Yes, the certificate can be restored after suspension if the audit is completed within the given timeframe after suspension.
To adjust to the COVID-19 situation, MSECB is doing remote audits to ensure the safety of its auditors and staff involved in the audit, but at the same time ensuring that clients are maintaining their management system. To know more about remote audits, click here.
No, the audit duration is intended to meet certification scheme requirements, therefore, the duration will be the same. This is applicable only for surveillance and recertification audits, meanwhile for initial audits a verification visit is requested. For more information, please contact us at: [email protected].
Yes, to change the scope of certification the client should send the request for scope extension/reduction to MSECB, by filling/updating the application form. MSECB will evaluate the request and provide an amended estimation of the audit duration.
If non-conformities are found during the audit, you are requested to provide root cause analysis, correction, and corrective actions to resolve the non-conformities. These must be reviewed, verified and accepted by the auditor.
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) has established the IAF CertSearch Database so that accredited management systems certifications from around the world can be validated digitally. Please click here to find out more.
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Auditor FAQs
Find answers to the frequently asked questions about MSECB Auditor Certification Program.
Last updated on August 31, 2021
Note: These are the most frequently asked questions about MSECB Auditor Certification Program and this document will be updated constantly.
Main requirements of becoming MSECB Auditor are:
- Holding a recognized and valid Lead Auditor certificate for a specific scheme
- At least 5 years of related professional work experience
- Have performed at least four complete audits, the total duration of which should be a minimum of twenty days.
For more information related to the requirements, please click here.
By contacting us at [email protected] and sending your CV and any valid Lead Auditor Certificate(s).
Yes, however if you don’t have experience in auditing you will be approved as a Trainee Auditor. As soon as you gain the necessary experience, you can upgrade your status.
Yes, the application process is free of charge.
Yes, you can be approved for multiple standards depending on your experience and certificates you have.
MSECB is accredited under ISO/IEC 17021 to provide audit and certification services of management systems, so MSECB Auditors would conduct only third-party audits.
MSECB has two statuses that can be obtained by auditors: Interim MS Auditor and Fully Approved MS Auditor.
After successfully completing the application process, Auditor Documentation Package and the Online Interview, the applicant will get approved as an Interim MS Auditor. The interim period will be valid for one year. In order to upgrade to the Fully Approved MS Auditor status, the Interim MS Auditor will need to:
- Complete the PECB Certified Management Systems Auditor (CMSA) Training Course.
- Be witnessed (observed) while conducting an audit on behalf of MSECB.
The main difference is that Interim MS Auditors can conduct audits on behalf of MSECB as a sole auditor or as part of the audit team but cannot lead an audit team, meanwhile Fully Approved MS Auditors can conduct audits on behalf of MSECB as a Lead Auditor and as well as lead an audit team.
The interview is approximately 20-30 minutes long and there will be questions regarding audit experience and general knowledge in auditing.
The Certified Management Systems Auditor (CMSA) Training Course is designed for participants who want to develop the necessary knowledge to plan and perform management systems audits in compliance with the best practices, including the guidelines and requirements from ISO 19011:2018 and ISO/IEC 17021.
This training course will:
- prepare you for future professional challenges,
- help you enhance your personal development,
- build networking opportunities, and achieve worldwide recognition.
In addition, the CMSA Training Course is one of the mandatory requirements that needs to be completed in order to obtain the Fully Approved MS Auditor status.
Each auditor will need to be witnessed (observed) in order to become a Fully Approved MS Auditor. Frequency of witness audits will be based on all monitoring information available (previous observation, review of audit reports, feedback from clients, etc.).
In general, the witness audit session is conducted once, regardless of the standards the Interim MS Auditor is approved for, and it is conducted on the first audit mandate of the Interim MS Auditor. Nonetheless, it is up to MSECB discretion to decide whether another witness audit is required.
The MSECB Auditor Certificate is valid for three years. It can be renewed for another cycle +/- six (6) months before expiration. Meanwhile, the Interim MS Auditor Certificate is valid for one year (pending to completion of the CMSA Training and Witness Audit).
There is no fee included for auditors in order to maintain the MSECB Auditor Certificate.
In order to get recertified, the MSECB Certified Auditor should have performed a minimum of three complete audits with at least ten (10) audit days during the last three years. For MSECB Certified Lead Auditor, one of the audits should be in the capacity of a Lead Auditor leading a team of at least one other auditor.
The recertification process can be performed within the six (6) months period, prior/after the expiry date of the MSECB Auditor Certificate. However, if the recertification has not been performed within this period, the MS Auditor may be required to pass an additional observation.
There is no fix fee as this depends on many factors like the location of the client, the standard(s) to be audited, the duration of the audit, etc.
The audit plan should be submitted to MSECB two weeks before the audit begins.
The audit report will be prepared by the MS Auditor and it is recommended to be submitted to MSECB within 1-3 days after the completion of the audit.
The MS Auditor can only provide recommendation to the certification body regarding the certification of the audited organization, however, they are not allowed to provide specific solutions or recommendations to the auditee. Nonetheless, auditors can share best practices with the auditee as this is not considered consultancy.
Our MSECB Auditors are not allowed to be part of an audit team or audit organizations to whom they have provided consultancy services in the past two years.
Becoming a Certified MSECB Auditor includes amongst others the following benefits:
- Establish a reputable image as a professional MS Auditor in our network and conduct audits through a continual interaction with MSECB.
- Well-paid audit mandates.
- Opportunity to conduct audits worldwide.
- Improve audit expertise in the respective certification field.
- Work by applying best auditing practices.
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