Certification: "Why certification is more than a checkmark"

Why do organizations choose certification?

Certification is often an obligation, but there are also organizations that are intrinsically motivated because they want to guarantee their own quality. Most organizations do it because it gives them something to gain:

• Trust and credibility

  Customers and clients know that agreements are demonstrably being met.

• Access to the market

  Certification is often a requirement in tenders and collaborations.

• Structure and overview

  Processes become clearer and more manageable.

• Continuous improvement

  Certification is not a one-time check, but an ongoing cycle.

• Risk management

  Fewer errors, incidents and surprises.

Properly applied, certification helps organizations work more consciously, consistently and professionally. You could say that the common goal of a certifying body and an organization is to ensure quality in the industry.

What forms of certification are there?

Certification takes several forms, depending on what is being tested.

Management system certification

This looks at how an organization is set up and managed. Examples include:

• Quality (ISO 9001)
• Environment (ISO 14001)
• Safety (VCA/SCL)
• Information security (ISO 27001)
• Demolition regulations (BRL SVMS 007)

The standard describes what must be guaranteed, but leaves room for one's own interpretation that suits the organization.

Product and process certification

These certifications focus on specific products, services or activities and test whether they meet established legal and sector-specific requirements. In sectors such as construction, infra, industry and recycling, they are often mandatory or decisive for market access.

Normec Certification carries out a wide range of product and process certifications, including various assessment guidelines (BRLs) within the SIKB system and related schemes. Examples include BRL SIKB 1000, 2000, 2100, 4000, 6000, 7000 and 7500, as well as BRL 2506, 9313, 9321, 9335, 9341 and 9345.

These certifications focus on demonstrable quality and safety in execution and give clients and supervisors assurance about the way work is performed.

Behavior and culture

Increasingly, certification is also about how people work. For example, in the area of safety behavior and safety awareness. It is not just what is on paper that counts, but what happens in practice.

Is certification mandatory?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but it is rarely non-committal. In some sectors, certification is required by law. Often it is demanded by clients or supply chain partners. In other cases, it is necessary in order to compete seriously in the market. Certification is therefore often not a goal in itself, but a precondition for professional entrepreneurship.

What is an accreditation?

An accreditation is formal recognition that a certification body (CB) demonstrably meets international requirements for competence, independence and impartiality, and performs its work within established international frameworks.

A CB with accreditation is rigorously assessed periodically by an independent accreditation body. This includes the expertise of auditors, independence and objectivity, consistency of assessments and assurance of quality and decision-making.

In other words: not only your organization is tested, but also the certification body itself.

Certificate with accreditation

An accredited certificate means that:

• it was issued under the supervision of an accreditation body
• it meets established international standards
• it is widely accepted by clients, governments and regulators

For many tenders and sectors, an accredited certificate is required and not a choice.

Certificate without accreditation

A certificate without accreditation is one that is not issued under the supervision of an accreditation body. This can have several causes. For example, it may be a scheme that is not (yet) included within a formal accreditation framework, or it may be a certification scheme for which there is currently no accreditation option. In some cases, a scheme is under development and accreditation may follow at a later stage, for example, when the market or industry requires it.

An unaccredited certificate can be used within an organization for internal purposes, such as establishing practices or raising awareness. In this regard, external recognition is usually more limited and acceptance by clients or regulators is not a given.

What does accreditation mean for a certification body?

For a CB, accreditation means continuous external review. High requirements are set for knowledge, independence and processes. This ensures transparent decision-making and demonstrable reliability.

Accreditation is intensive and demands a lot from an organization. This is precisely why it is an important quality feature.

At Normec Certification, we work with accredited certifications where accreditation applies. For schemes for which accreditation does not (yet) exist, we apply the same careful working method and high quality standards.

What should you pay attention to as an organization when choosing certification?

When choosing certification, it is wise to ask yourself these questions:

• Is an accredited certificate required in my market or industry?
• Will the certificate be used for tenders or contracts?
• What value should the certificate have for customers and stakeholders?

What does Normec Certification do?

Normec Certification conducts independent assessments for a variety of certifications, including:

• Management system certifications
• Safety culture ladder and sustainable business practices
• Sector and industry-specific schemes

We work with short lines of communication and fixed points of contact, have auditors with industry knowledge and an eye for both compliance and improvement.

As part of the Normec Group, we combine specialist knowledge, while the independence of certification is always guaranteed.