ISO Certification (End to End)
ISO certification without the paperwork taking over your business
A customer has asked for an ISO certificate, or a tender requires one. We take you from gap analysis to a certification audit with an accredited body, and build a management system your team can actually run.
What this service is
ISO certification is usually triggered by a customer, a tender or an investor. The deadline is real and the process is unfamiliar. Our job is to get you through it efficiently and to leave you with a management system that is useful rather than a shelf of binders that only come out at audit time.
We are consultants and coordinators. We do not issue certificates. Certificates are issued by independent certification bodies after their own audit of your organisation. We prepare you for that audit, help you choose a suitable certification body, coordinate the audit and support you through surveillance audits in the years that follow.
We cover quality (ISO 9001), environment (ISO 14001), occupational health and safety (ISO 45001), information security (ISO 27001), food safety (ISO 22000 and HACCP), medical devices (ISO 13485), energy (ISO 50001), IT service management (ISO 20000-1) and educational organisations (ISO 21001), individually or as an integrated system.
Important: We do not issue certificates
AK Employer Shield is a consultant and coordinator. ISO certificates are issued only by independent certification bodies after their own audit. We prepare you for that audit and coordinate it; the decision to certify is the certification body's alone.
Who it is for
Suppliers asked for a certificate by a customer
Automotive, engineering and electronics buyers around Chennai routinely require ISO 9001 from their vendors. We get you certified on the buyer's timeline.
Companies bidding for tenders
Government and large private tenders frequently list ISO certification as a qualifying criterion. We help you meet it with a certificate that will be accepted.
IT and services firms handling client data
ISO 27001 is increasingly a condition of doing business with larger clients. We build the information security management system and prepare you for audit.
Manufacturers, food businesses and healthcare suppliers
Environmental, safety, food safety and medical device standards each have specific requirements. We implement them alongside your existing operations.
Colleges and training institutions
ISO 21001 gives educational organisations a management system framework. We support institutions seeking it for accreditation and reputation.
What is included
- Assessment and planning
- Gap analysis against the chosen standard
- Scope definition and certification roadmap with dates
- Advice on IAF-accredited and non-accredited certification, and which your customer or tender actually requires
- System build
- Policy, manual, procedures and records designed around how you already work
- Risk assessments, legal registers and objectives as the standard requires
- Templates and formats your team can maintain without us
- Implementation and training
- Awareness training for staff and role-specific training for process owners
- Internal auditor training for your nominated team members
- Implementation support until records show the system is running
- Audit and certification
- Internal audit and management review
- Certification body shortlist, quotation comparison and application
- Support during Stage 1 and Stage 2 certification audits
- Closure of non-conformities and surveillance audit support
IAF-accredited or non-accredited certification: which do you need?
Not all ISO certificates carry the same weight. The difference lies in who accredits the certification body, and it decides whether your certificate will be accepted by the customer, tender or regulator asking for it.
IAF-accredited certification
Recommended for most businesses
Issued by a certification body accredited by a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). In India, NABCB is the national accreditation body under the IAF. Accredited certificates are recognised internationally and are what most large customers, government tenders and regulators mean when they ask for ISO certification.
Best for
- Supplying to large Indian or multinational customers
- Government and PSU tenders that specify accredited certification
- Export markets and international buyers
- Any situation where the certificate will be verified
Be aware
- Costs more and takes longer than non-accredited certification
- Certification bodies audit rigorously, so the system must genuinely be running
- Annual surveillance audits are mandatory to keep the certificate valid
Non-IAF certification
Issued by a certification body that is not accredited by an IAF member. It can be quicker and cheaper, and it may be adequate for internal discipline or for a customer who has not specified accreditation. It is often not accepted for tenders or by larger buyers, and some certificates in this category offer very little assurance.
Best for
- Internal process improvement where external recognition is not the goal
- A first step before pursuing accredited certification
- Customers who have confirmed in writing that accreditation is not required
Be aware
- May be rejected by tenders, large customers and regulators
- Quality of certification bodies varies widely; some offer certificates with minimal audit
- Can create a false sense of compliance if the system is not really implemented
Our recommendation in almost every commercial case is accredited certification. We will tell you when non-accredited is genuinely sufficient for your purpose, and we will never present a non-accredited certificate as equivalent to an accredited one.
How the engagement works
Nine steps from first meeting to certificate. A single-standard ISO 9001 project for a small company typically takes three to four months; timelines depend on your readiness and the certification body's schedule.
- 1
Gap analysis
We visit, review what you have, and report what the standard requires that you do not yet do.
- 2
Planning and scope
Scope, responsibilities, timeline and certification body approach are agreed in writing.
- 3
Documentation
Policies, procedures, formats and registers are drafted with your process owners, not for them.
- 4
Implementation
The system goes live in day-to-day operations. Records start accumulating as evidence.
- 5
Training
Staff awareness sessions and internal auditor training so that the system does not depend on us.
- 6
Internal audit
We audit the system as a certification body would and report findings.
- 7
Management review
Leadership reviews audit results, objectives and resources, and records decisions, as the standard requires.
- 8
Certification audit
The certification body conducts Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits. We are present and handle any non-conformities raised.
- 9
Certificate and surveillance
The certification body issues the certificate. We support annual surveillance audits and recertification.
What you receive
- Gap analysis report with a costed roadmap
- Complete management system documentation in editable formats
- Training records and trained internal auditors
- Internal audit and management review records
- Certification body comparison and application support
- Non-conformity closure support and surveillance audit preparation
Questions owners ask us
Often combined with
- Statutory Compliance & Labour LawsPF, ESIC, professional tax, gratuity, Shops & Establishments, contract labour, POSH, registers, returns, inspections and Labour Code transition, handled month after month.
- Employee Onboarding, Training & Development, Goal SettingAppointment letters, day-one statutory enrolment, induction, training programmes and KRA, KPI and OKR frameworks that make performance measurable.
- HR Technology & HRMS ImplementationIndependent implementation of Zoho People and Payroll, Darwinbox, SAP SuccessFactors and eSSL biometric attendance, from selection to go-live and support.
Ask for an ISO gap analysis
Tell us which standard you need and why, and by when. We will reply within one working day, schedule a site visit for the gap analysis, and give you a fixed consulting fee and realistic timeline in writing.