ISO consultant in Gravesend
An independent eye on your Gravesend ISO system
Proportionate, discerning ISO consultants and independent internal audits for Gravesend businesses.
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An independent eye on your Gravesend ISO system
Proportionate, discerning ISO consultants and independent internal audits for Gravesend businesses.
Phone number:
ISO certification and independent audits in Gravesend
Some Gravesend businesses need their first ISO certificate. Some want us to manage their system and carry out the internal audits for them. Others already have a quality manager and want an independent, experienced eye. We help with all three.
As ISO consultants from Ditton, we have supported Gravesend businesses for years, including Locks4Vans. Every system we work on stays proportionate to the business, and every audit we carry out brings a lead auditor's discerning, independent view.
Why an independent eye matters
Even a well-run ISO system benefits from someone outside the business looking at it.
ISO asks for objectivity
ISO 9001 expects internal audits to be objective and impartial. That is hard when the people auditing the system also wrote it.
Fresh eyes see more
After a while, everyone stops noticing the gaps. An independent auditor spots them before your certification body does.
Your quality manager gets back-up
A trusted second opinion for the difficult questions, and someone alongside them on audit day.
A proportionate system, checked by a discerning and independent eye, year after year.
Discerning, local and proportionate ISO for Gravesend businesses
Independent and objective.
A lead auditor's view from outside your business, with every finding explained constructively.
Gaps and improvements are flagged clearly, each with a practical next step.
The same people, year after year.
We visit your premises, and the relationship carries on from one audit cycle to the next.
Locks4Vans worked with Jeanette's father for many years, then with Jeanette.
Support that fits around your team.
If you have a quality manager, we add to what they do without changing what works.
Some clients need a full system, some want us to run it for them, and others need independent audits twice a year.
Case study: Locks4Vans, Gravesend
Where they started
A well-established Gravesend company with a strong Quality Manager and a solid ISO 9001 system. They had worked with Jeanette's father for many years, and Jeanette took over the relationship when he retired.
The proportionate answer
Their system already worked well, so what they wanted was:
- Independent internal audits against ISO 9001:2015
- Practical support during their external audits
- A trusted second opinion for their Quality Manager
The result
No major nonconformities at their third-party audits, more confidence in their system and audit readiness kept up all year, all without disrupting the way they worked.
Three ways Gravesend businesses work with us
Each one is proportionate to your business, and each gets the same discerning eye.
Starting out
No ISO yet, and a customer or tender asking for it.
- A system built around how you work
- Internal audit and management review before certification
- Support through your certification audit
We manage it for you
You hold ISO, but nobody in-house has the time to run it.
- We manage your ISO system day to day
- Internal audits carried out to a planned schedule
- Management reviews and support on audit days
Independent audits
You have your own quality manager and want an objective view.
- Independent internal audits
- A second opinion for your quality manager
- Support on surveillance and recertification audits
We quote for each by proposal after seeing your business. Find out more about having us manage your system or read how we work.
Every audit gives you a clear, independent picture of where your system stands.
Your team keeps running the system, and you go into each certification visit with confidence.
Discerning
- Objective internal audits
- Findings explained, with a next step for each
Local
- Familiar faces from one year to the next
- Visits at your own premises
Proportionate
- Support that adds to your team
- No changes for the sake of change
A family consultancy with roots in Gravesend
Jeanette learned compliance working alongside her father, who supported Kent businesses for around 30 years. Locks4Vans in Gravesend was one of the clients she took on from him.
Jeanette Wessen audits to ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 as an IRCA registered lead auditor, holds NEBOSH, and has a 100% certification pass rate with her clients.
Tim Thompson joined from precision manufacturing and is now studying towards IRCA registration.
From our base in Ditton we also work with businesses in Medway, Maidstone, Tonbridge, Sittingbourne and Bromley.
ISO services for Gravesend businesses
Each service is proportionate to your business and brings an independent, discerning view.
Independent internal audits
An objective view of your system from an IRCA registered lead auditor.
ISO 9001 quality management
From your first certificate through to recertification.
ISO 14001 environmental management
Environmental controls in proportion to your business.
ISO 45001 health and safety
Safe working practices your team can keep up with.
Your first ISO certificate
A proportionate system built around how you work.
Changing consultant
Continuity for your system when your consultant changes.
SSIP accreditation
Support with CHAS, Constructionline, SafeContractor and Achilles.
Outsourced compliance manager
Experienced support for businesses without a quality manager.
Questions from Gravesend businesses
Do you work with businesses in Gravesend?
Yes. We have supported Gravesend businesses with ISO 9001, including Locks4Vans, and we carry out every visit at your premises.
We already have a quality manager. Why would we need an ISO consultant?
Many businesses with a strong quality manager still use us for independent internal audits and support on audit days. We work alongside your quality manager and give them an objective second opinion, without changing what already works. If you do not have a quality manager, we can manage the system and its internal audits for you.
Do our internal auditors need to be independent?
ISO 9001 asks you to choose internal auditors in a way that keeps audits objective and impartial. In a small business, that is hard when the same people write and run the system, which is why many use an external auditor.
Can you support us on our external audit day?
Yes. We can be with your team during the certification body's visit, help with any tricky questions and make sure findings are understood and closed properly afterwards.
How long does a first ISO 9001 certificate take?
Plan for at least three months from starting work to your certification audit. Your system needs to be in use, with an internal audit and a management review completed, before the certification body visits.
How is ISO support priced?
Every piece of work is quoted by proposal, whether that is a full system or two independent internal audits a year. The first 30 minute chat is free.
Talk to an ISO consultant about your Gravesend business
Book a free 30 minute chat, or ring 01732 711674. Tell us where your system is now, and we will give you an honest, independent view.
Get in contact with Next Step Compliance
Looking for ongoing compliance support for your business in Sittingbourne? Want someone to take the management system off your plate? Need to get your ISO system back on track before your next surveillance visit? ISO Consultant in Sittingbourne.
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