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Certification body

A certification body (CB) is an independent organisation that assesses whether your management system meets a standard or scheme and issues a certificate on that basis.

Explanation

A certification body carries out audits at your organisation, assesses the findings and decides whether you receive a certificate. This concerns standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 and schemes such as VCA. Once certified, the body returns periodically so that your certificate stays current.

A certification body has to be independent and impartial. That is why it does not advise you on setting up a system that it will later assess itself. Many bodies are accredited by an accreditation authority, in the Netherlands the Raad voor Accreditatie. Whether that is required depends on the scheme and on your client.

A certification body is therefore different from a consultancy, which helps you set up the system. You choose the body yourself, although your client or the scheme may set requirements on which bodies may certify. Request quotes and compare what the audits cover and how the planning works.

Example from practice

An installation company wants to obtain VCA certification and requests quotes from several bodies. After choosing one, that body plans the audit and assesses the findings.

© 2026 BrydgeOne. General information, not legal or other professional advice. No rights can be derived from this explanation.

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Where you work with Certification body

Audit-ready checkSee what is still missing, clause by clause. AuditsPlan internal audits and log findings. ISO 9001Quality ISO 14001Environment ISO 45001Health and safety VCASafety for contractors
Knowledge base

Keep reading

Preparing for a certification audit: checklist for the final weeks and the day itselfPreparing for a certification audit is mostly about making sure you can show what you already do. This guide gives a checklist for the final weeks and audit day, describes what auditors often ask and explains how to handle findings. Preparing for VCA certification: a checklist for your organizationDo you want to become VCA certified or keep your certificate? Then you want to know in advance what an auditor looks at and what evidence you need at hand. This checklist helps you approach the preparation in a practical way.
Glossary

See also

CertificationCertificationInternal auditInternal auditISO 9001ISO 9001 Quality management systemsVCASafety, Health and Environment Checklist for ContractorsBeing audit-readyBeing audit-ready

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