Certifications are becoming increasingly important: Not certified? No order

In the world of construction, themes such as quality, safety, the environment and sustainability are hot items. Certificates in this area are therefore increasingly playing a role in tenders. Not certified? No contract. The NCI brings order to the forest of certificates and tells you what to look out for when going up for a certificate.

Text | Liliane Verwoolde  Image | NCI

Most of the certificates fall under the so-called "management certificates" and guarantee a well-functioning management system. Certificates that fall under this heading include VCA, ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 and 27001 and the CO2 performance ladder. Emerging is the Safety Culture Ladder, which indicates the extent to which the culture within a company is focused on safety and health. This standard does not fall under the "management certificates.

Hanneke de Vries: "A certificate has to live within an organization."

Timely preparation

If you are a construction company going up for certification, then thorough preparation for the certification process is a must, emphasizes Hanneke de Vries, director of the NCI: "Start by deciding whether you are going to take charge of setting up the management system yourself or with the help of a consulting firm. Then set aside sufficient time for preparation. The external audit by a certifying body is preceded, among other things, by an internal audit and a management review. These reveal whether the management system implemented is suitable, appropriate and effective. Also remember that certification of a management system is only possible three months after implementation of this system! Register with the certification body in good time. Once the date is fixed, you will have a stick and be motivated to complete the preparations for certification."

Valid for three years

A management certificate obtained means a commitment for the period of three years. In the first year you go through the audit in which the total management system is assessed. In the second year, some of the components are re-audited at random. In the event of a positive assessment, the certificate retains its validity. In the third year, the remaining components are examined, after which - if positively assessed - the certificate is valid for another year. After three years, recertification is required.

A we-feeling

De Vries: "As a certifying body, we realize that certification requires commitment. This is why we send the organization in question an audit plan two weeks in advance, detailing how and when the audit will take place and who will conduct it. Although the NCI is not an advisory body, our auditors are committed to creating a we-feeling, the feeling of 'Together to a higher level'."

Recurring pitfalls

As a rule, the majority of certification processes are successful. But De Vries also sees recurring pitfalls: "Organizations misjudge the fact that the implementation has to be carried by management and employees. It doesn't work if you appoint one person to do this, who bears full responsibility. A certificate has to live within the organization. Everyone should be working on it throughout the year with the intention of all being better for it. Of course I understand if organizations want to obtain their SCC quickly in order to be able to participate in a tender, but even then intrinsic motivation remains necessary."