Auditing

Under the principles & definitions set by ISO, there are three categories of auditing.

First, second & third party.

First & third party audits are a requirement of the management standards, whereas second party auditing is at the discretion of an organisation to audit those interacting within the supply chain, i.e. suppliers.

All of which must be conducted by an auditor that is:

Competent
Impartial

Audits are conducted at varying stages throughout the certification process.

The frequency of audits can vary for a number of reasons:

Scheduling
Reacting to issues, identified risks
Customer/Supply chain relationships
To meet requirements

So what do we need to know about auditing, and how can we at IPAS UK help your business?

Lets look into it.

First Party Auditing

This type of auditing is more commonly referred to as "Internal Auditing" as is a strict requirement of ISO management systems. It must be conducted by or on behalf of an organisation with the aim to establish the effectiveness & suitability of their own management system. It is used to evaluate compliance with the given standard as well as the company's own processes & procedures, identify areas for improvement, and ensure readiness for external certification audits.

The organisation is to decide how to apply resource to this area. Either by training staff within the workforce as internal auditors, or by hiring a third party to act on behalf of the company to conduct these audits.

No matter the direction you may choose to take, IPAS is here to help.

We apply our considerable experience to provide our clients with a great service no matter what their needs.

We regularly conduct internal audits on behalf of our clients, delivering efficient and compliant assessments that meet regulatory requirements and help ensure the continued conformity of your management systems, whilst identifying any areas for potential improvements.

We also offer both 1-2-1 and group internal auditor training, tailored to meet the needs of our clients. To find out more about internal auditor training, please visit the click here.

Second party auditing

Often referred to as "supply chain auditing" is not a requirement of ISO management systems, but can be very useful for an organisation to gain confidence in a suppliers ability to meet standards.

A second party audit can form part of the initial supplier approval process or can also be a response to evaluate the abilities of a supplier, if the performance is brought into question.

The organisation is to again decide how to apply resource to this area. Either by utilising their own, trained & competent internal audit team or by hiring a third party to act on behalf of the company to conduct these audits.

At IPAS we have a wealth of knowledge & experience to apply in this area.

We can carry-out and/or advise how to audit your critical suppliers and sub-contractors. This may be to provide confidence in your own resource supply or meet the needs of your customer requirements.

.To discuss how we can help with second party auditing, please get in touch.

Third party auditing

Third party auditing is the type of audit undertaken by certification bodies to establish whether an organisation is able to meet the requirements of the standards. Should the requirements be met, the auditor will recommend to the certification body that the organisation should be granted to certification.

Certification audits can also be referred to as external audits.

These audits follow a specific three year cycle that must be adhered to for a business to maintain its certification.

We use our experience as qualified lead assessors to assist you in choosing a suitable certification body to fit your needs and support you through the audit process.

Certification Audit

An entire system audit to either certify or re-certify a business.

Surveillance Audit 1

A sample audit to verify continued conformance to the standard.

Surveillance Audit 2

A sample audit to verify continued conformance to the standard.