INTRODUCTION

WQA certification enables organisations whose quality management system complies with the requirements of the relevant standard e.g. ISO 9001:2015 to be certified by WQA and to display the WQA logo in accordance with the document ‘How to display the WQA Logo (WQA13) which forms part of these conditions.

These conditions of business, of which this introduction forms an integral part, are expressly understood and agreed to be made in respect of all locations of whatever description out of which either the Company or WQA may carry on business, where or not the said locations are within the jurisdiction of England and Wales. The quotation overleaf is expressly understood and agreed to be an integral part of these Conditions of Business.

THE STAGES OF CERTIFICATION

Enquiry

Following your enquiry, WQA will provide you with a quotation for our services based on the number of effective employees and complexity of operations.

Application

As acceptance of our quote you will be required to:
• Agree to these conditions by signing and returning your quotation If you require additional application information WQA will provide this on request.

Assessment

To enable us to establish confidence that your quality system meets the requirements of the relevant standard, we require you to:

  •  Make provision for examining documentation and access to all areas, records and personnel for the purpose of assessment, re-assessment and resolution of complaints
  •  Advise us of any changes that might affect the quotation
  •  Have conducted a full internal audit and management review which meet the requirements of the relevant standard.
  •  Pay the assessment fees in accordance with the quotation when invoiced by WQA.
  •  Demonstrate compliance with the relevant standard and theseconditions.
  •  Nominate a deputy management representative.

Note : the WQA procedures for all types of assessment are available on request.

Certificate issue

When you have satisfied the requirements of the relevant standard we shall agree a scope of registration describing the assessed activities and their locations. As evidence of compliance you will receive a certificate which may be accompanied by appendices. Where we are not satisfied with compliance WQA can at its absolute discretion refuse to issue a certificate.

Scope Expansion

Expansion of the scope of a certified company is a company activity to expand or add to the scope of work or company activities and add additional scope to its company activities which is then re-certified by WQA.

To expand the scope of the certified company, WQA will carry out audit activities to ensure that the documentation and operational activities for the scope to be expanded by the customer are in accordance with the implemented management system.

Scope Reduction

Scope reduction activities are company activities to minimize or reduce the scope of work or activities of a certified company which is then re-certified by WQA.

Reduction of company scope is based on:

  1. Parts that cannot meet the management system requirements imposed by the company
  2. The customer repeatedly or seriously fails to meet certification requirements as part of the scope of certification.

Continuing assessment

To enable us to maintain confidence in your fitness as a certified company you must advise us in writing if at any time you do not comply with the requirements of the relevant standard or if there are any changes or reductions in your scope of certification.
We will visit your site to conduct continuing assessments to ensure you still comply. The duration and frequency is as decided by WQA in accordance  with ISO and IAF documents. You will be notified in advance of our plans. A triennial performance review (re-certification assessment) will be conducted to evaluate the performance of your quality system in monitoring  conformance to the standard. The duration of Re-certification Assessments will vary from continuing assessments and may be as long as the initial assessments.

PUBLICITY AND PROMOTION

In order to maintain the integrity of our service, you will make no misleading statement concerning your application or certification and will use your best endeavours that no one connected with you gives any such misleading impression. Furthermore you will not allow reference to your management system certification to be used in such a way to imply that the certification body certifies a product (including service) or process.

It must not imply that the certification applies to activities that are outside the scope of certification You must conform to the requirements of the certification body when making  reference to your certification status in communication media such as; the internet, brochures or advertising or other documents. Your company must not use or permit the use of a certification document or any part thereof, in a misleading manner.

You must not use the certification in such a manner that would bring the certification body and/ or certification system into disripute and lose public trust.

ACCOMODATING THIRD PARTY OBSERVERS

It is a condition of WQA’s Accreditation body that from time to time we, ourselves (WQA), have to be assessed by them. In the furtherance of this, they sometimes wish to assess us performing assessments at specific clients. It is therefore a WQA requirement that you will allow us to bring along  a third party observer from Accreditation body to an assessment to enable him to assessa WQA employee. In the event that they request to visit you, we will inform you. If such a visit is unacceptable to you this will give WQA time to make alternative arrangements.

CONFIDENTIALITY

WQA, its staff and agents will keep confidential all information relating to your business and shall not disclose to any third party information unless required to do so by law. WQA staff and agents have signed confidentiality agreements that continues even after termination of this contract.

IMPARTIALITY

WQA ASIA PACIFIC offers a certification service that is designed through its organisational structure and auditing processes to ensure impartiality. WQA-APAC recognise the importance of impartiality in carrying out its management system certification activities and manage any possibilities for conflict of interests through documented analysis to minimize such threats. WQA-SEA would welcome any enquiries relating to any perceived breaches of impartiality or conflicts of interest which will be made available to its governing committee for investigation and resolution.

FEES

Fees for assessment are non-refundable but are only charged after the full assessment has been completed. All other fees are charged at 1/12 of the annual fee each payment due monthly or following each assessment. Details of assessment charges and associated man-day requirements will be made available on request.
Failure to pay any fees by the due date is considered contravention of this contract.

OWNERSHIP OF WQA CERTIFICATION

The certificate and right to use the WQA Logo shall remain the sole rights of WQA and can not be sold, lent or used as an asset of the company. Should the certified business become bankrupt, go into liquidation, receivership or be taken over then WQA must be notified as we may have to cancel certification, we will consider individual circumstances.

CANCELLATION OF ASSESSMENTS

In the event that a client cancels a pre-arranged assessment within 1 month of the assessment date then the whole fee will fall due for payment.

FREEZING / SUSPEND

Suspension of certification can occur in the following cases:

  1. The client’s certified Management System failed to completely meet the certification requirements, including the management system requirements
  2. The certified client does not allow surveillance or recertification to be carried out at the required frequency, or
  3. Certified clients request freezing voluntarily
  4. Clients who do not carry out surveillance audits no later than the 12th and 24th months will be given freezing status.
  5. The time set for the freezing period is in the 13th month to the 15th month, the 25th month to the 27th month.
  6. If the client submits an application for an extension of the freezing period and or a force major occurs, the suspension can be extended with the provision that the freezing period is up to the 18th month for Surveillance 1 and the 30th month for Surveillance 2.
  7.  Discrepancies in audit results are not followed up (submit corrective actions) or exceed the stipulated time limit and the time extension (3 months) given

REVOCATION

Failure to resolve the underlying issue of the suspension within the stipulated timeframe may result in revocation or reduction of the scope of certification. The grounds for revocation of certification status include:

  1. The client does not carry out a surveillance audit during the freezing period and it has passed 3 (Three) months since the certificate status was frozen and 6 months if the client submits a surveillance resignation and or in a force major condition.
  2. If the client submits a formal revocation request.
  3. If the client abuses the logo and or certificate.
  4. Corrective actions on non-conformances submitted by clients that are inadequate / closed in the case of clients during the certificate suspension period.
  5. The client has not completed the administration (payment) according to the specified time
  6. Based on the results of the short notice audit found negative recommendations (complaints/changes)

TERMINATION/WIDTHDRAW

WQA reserves the right to terminate certification immediately you fail to comply with these conditions or have acted in a way to bring your certification into disrepute and have failed to rectify this breach within one month of receiving written notice of the breach by WQA.

WQA can also terminate this contract for any reason by giving you three months notice of termination in writing.
You may terminate this contract at any time by giving WQA two months notice in writing and upon termination you must immediately cease to use the WQA logo in any advertising matter and return all certificates to WQA.

SAFETY

You are responsible for the safety of all persons who enter your site and have adequate protective equipment for them to wear. Where specialist training is required this must be reported to WQA from the outset.

INDEMNITY

Each of us shall indemnify the other for damages and costs directly arising from our respective acts or omissions, but neither shall be liable to the other for indirect, consequential or purely economic losses.

INSURANCE

Each of us shall maintain sufficient third party liability insurance to a level that is appropriate to our business. Such insurance may be in the normal form for the risks involved and provide for indemnity of the other, such indemnity shall continue for a reasonable time after the liquidation of the other party.

LAW

Updates to these conditions may be made from time to time upon reasonable notice from WQA.
These conditions are subject to Law and any disputes must be resolved in accordance with Law. We both agree to resolve any dispute between us and the appeal procedure, so that either of us will only resort to legal action where other means have been exhausted.


COMPLAINT & APPEALS PROCESS TO WQA APAC

If clients are dissatisfied with the service and have exhausted the WQA complaint system through WQA-APAC, then the right exists to appeal directly, through the WQA-APAC, to WQA’s Technical Committee. Should the written appeals, directly email to jakarta@wqa-sea.com

WQA ASIA PACIFIC
Worldwide Quality Assurance – Asia Pasific
An Agency of Worldwide Quality Assurance Limited – UK