[ Assessment & Certification Process ]
The CPC Assessment and Certification Process comprises the following:
On receipt of an enquiry for certification, information will be requested in order to determine whether CPC can provide the required service. If it can the enquirer will be provided with a quotation for the service and the CPC application form.
On receipt of a completed application form arrangements will be made for the two stage initial assessment process. The key objectives of the Stage 1 process will be an evaluation of the organisation’s documentation and preparedness to enable the Stage 2 assessment to proceed. This will normally involve a site visit and a discussion with company management. The principal objective of the Stage 2 assessment is to verify the implementation of the management system in accordance with the requirements of the relevant standard(s) and to provide confirmation of the effectiveness of the system. Reports of both assessments are provided to a certification decision maker for review and sent to the client organisation’s management representative detailing the requirements of the process for corrective action (if appropriate) to enable the certification process to be completed. The decision to grant or refuse certification will be taken after a review of the information provided by the applicant, the assessment report(s), corrective actions and the recommendation of the assessor.
Certification will be granted where the assessment process confirms that the management system conforms to the requirements of the standard(s). If CPC is unable to grant certification, the applicant will be advised of the reasons for refusing certification and the action required in order for a favourable certification decision to be made. In order to maintain certification, an annual surveillance programme will be prepared incorporating a recertification assessment in the third year. CPC will take action against certification if the client’s certified management system has persistently or seriously failed to conform to the requirements of the standard(s), or if the client does not allow surveillance or recertification assessments to be conducted at the required frequencies. In such cases certification will be suspended for a period during which the client will an opportunity to take appropriate action. A certified client may also voluntarily request a suspension. In most cases, the period of suspension will not exceed six months.
CPC will restore the suspended certification if the issue that resulted in the suspension is satisfactorily resolved. If the client fails to resolve the issue in the time provided certification will be withdrawn or the scope reduced as appropriate.
Management System Certification
CPC provides quality management systems (ISO 9001), environmental management systems (ISO 14001) and health & safety management systems (ISO 45001) certification to construction companies and suppliers of construction products. Product certification is also available for the producers of construction materials.
CPC Certification Mark
Certified clients are licensed to use the CPC Certification Mark. The terms and conditions governing use of the Certification Mark and references to CPC are set out in the licensing agreement.
Complaints, Appeals and Information
CPC has a formal procedure for dealing with complaints, which may fall within the following categories: – Complaints from customers of certified clients regarding compliance with a declared standard, or a failure of a certified organisation’s management system. These are dealt with by the Certification Manager. – Complaints from clients relating to CPC’s certification activities. These are dealt with by the Chief Executive or the independent Chairman of QSRMC. On receipt of a verbal or written complaint, the Chief Executive will provide full details of the procedure and information required to enable the complaint to be investigated. Certified organisations have the right of appeal against any decision of the Chief Executive or Certification Manager. The Chief Executive will acknowledge the appeal and ask the appellant to set out the grounds on which he bases his appeal in writing. The appeals process is set out in the QSRMC Regulations (Appendix D, part 9). Requests for information should be directed to the Certification Manager.
Impartiality
CPC’s commitment to impartiality is set out in the company’s Quality Policy Statement.