With regard to the 2015 changes to the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Standards, there are some very strong proposed improvements which will make them even more relevant to Construction. For main contractors the customer assurance element of ISO Certification is enhanced as generally there will be a greater requirement of their supply chain to demonstrate their ability to meet the needs of their customers, giving a further boost to the growing trend of main contractors demanding that their subcontractors secure ISO Certification. For specialist contractors, the ISO process will assist them even more in setting their businesses up to perform effectively in the markets in which they operate. All of Foy Certification’s customers have gleaned immense value from the ISO process’s compulsion to define your Best Practice. This value is due to the all-encompassing nature of ISO 9001 in particular which provides a framework for what a quality business looks like. The proposed changes have enhanced that framework and will probe deeper and even more purposefully in teasing out business effectiveness.
The intent is for the revised Standards to have a more demonstrably practical impact on certified businesses. “Practicality” has always been the watchword of Foy Certification so this is very welcome and will militate against those ISO consultants who take a slavish-adherence-to-the-standard approach. “Measurable effectiveness” are the buzz words. ISO 9001:2015 is therefore less prescriptive than its predecessor; it is what is produced that is important, are your management processes achieving the desired results? It is this performance base that adds to the vital “customer assurance” element of ISO, as part of the raison d’etre for ISO Certification is to give your potential customers confidence of your organisation’s ability to offer conforming products and services. This brings in another new requirement, that of understanding the “context” in which the organisation operates, which represents an obligation for specialist contractors to demonstrate an understanding of what the modern construction industry demands of them and an opportunity for main contractors to define those demands and assess the response to them, to the benefit of both parties.
Foy Certification still has limited availability for our programme “Guaranteed ISO Certification by Christmas”
This is for specialist contractors, starting in September 2015, and guarantees Triple ISO Certification by Xmas 2015 for those committed to do so.
Please register your interest via andrew@foycertification.com or laura@foycertification.com
