 In
this issue of intouch, we invited the professional Contractors
Group (PCG) to comment upon their innovative approach to ISO9001
certification for small consultancies.
One of the many challenges
facing small consulting firms today is the growing number
of corporations and public sector bodies
that insist on their suppliers having ISO9001 certification.Now,
thanks to a groundbreaking scheme introduced by the Professional
Contractors Group (PCG), small businesses have access to
IS09001 certification at a fraction of the cost of any credible
alternative.
The PCG (QS) scheme was designed to help small contracting
and consulting businesses to compete with larger providers
for public
sector and corporate projects. It was developed and is being
delivered in partnership with BVQi; the independent certification
body of
Bureau Veritas.
PCG (QS) bundles all the mandatory components for ISO9001:2000
in a single, comprehensive package designed explicitly to suit
freelance consultants and contractors. It includes:
•
A fully hosted Electronic Quality Management System (EQMS) with
technical support
•
Initial one-day induction and training programme
•
Instructional materials, templates and checklists
•
Remote online internal quality auditing
•
Mandatory certification audit
•
Ethical code of conduct
•
The option of business loan facilities
Over 20 member businesses
have already achieved certification through the scheme; they
operate in a variety of sectors, including information technology,
aerospace, engineering, transport and rail safety.
PCG member Stephen Sharp is one of three consultant engineers
running Airframe Designs; a company established in 2005 to
provide stress analysis services to the aircraft and space
industries.
Based in Switzerland, with offices in the UK and the Netherlands,
it focuses on fatigue and damage tolerance, static analysis
and design of composite structures and a full suite of finite
element
analysis capabilities, including birdstrike, explosion and
production simulations.
Airframe Designs achieved certification through PCG (QS) in
April 2006. “PCG should be applauded for recognising the value
of IS09001 certification in a wide range of industry sectors,” says
Sharp, “and for introducing a purpose-built and cost-effective
scheme to help the smallest consultancies compete on a level
playing field. “
The contract that we have with our most important client; a large
aerospace engineering company, was a direct result of achieving
ISO9001 certification. In addition, we are in negotiations with
three other clients and this is possible only because we have
been able to demonstrate that we operate to the required standard.
Several potential clients tell us that they regularly receive
approaches from small companies who claim to be 'in pursuit of
ISO 9001' or 'committed to quality'. Talk is cheap. All our clients
and prospective clients are impressed when they see our certificate;
without it, they simply would not deal with us. ISO9001 has become
the minimum quality standard in many sectors.”
PCG chief executive John Thomas says, “We aim to promote
the commercial interests of our members and this scheme allows
them not only to compete for business from which they would
otherwise be excluded but also to demonstrate credibility and
quality.
PCG (QS) fulfils a clear need in the marketplace; many participants
had evaluated other schemes and rejected them either because
they were too expensive or because they were simply not relevant
for small consulting businesses. We are confident that this
innovative scheme will have a positive impact on many freelance
consulting
businesses.”
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