Frequently asked questions

SQMAS is audited every 12 months and a new certificate issued. This ensure that the system is always up to date. You will be notified 3 months prior to inspection that your renewal date is due. Certificates are issued annually on successful accreditation.

What is SQMAS?

SQMAS stans for SQMAS (Supplier Quality Management Audit Scheme) and is a quality management system standard developed specifically for small to micro sized businesses to provide a cost effective and suitable alternative to ISO 9001.

ISO 9001 is defined as the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system (QMS). Organisations use the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements. It is the most popular standard in the ISO 9000 series and the only standard in the series to which organizations can certify.

ISO 9001 was first published in 1987 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an international agency composed of the national standards bodies of more than 160 countries. The current version of ISO 9001 was released in September 2015.

ISO 9001 contains a set of Quality Principles, which include:

• Customer focus

• Leadership

• Engagement of people

• Process approach

• Continual improvement

• Evidence-based decision making

• Relationship management

This depends on a number of factors, including resources, size of organisation and whether it is done with the assistance of SQMAS, however, it can be achieved in between 3-6 months from initial quality review.

There is no law that requires you to implement a QMS. It may be a stipulation from a customer or to meet procurement requirements, however implementing a QMS can benefit all businesses.

The main benefits include:

• Reviewing current processes to make them more efficient

• Ensuring payment on time

• Ensuring customer satisfaction

• Committing to business improvements

• Cost savings

• Better planning and management arrangements to reduce firefighting and time taken to fix mistakes

• It reduces your business risks

• It helps to ensure legal compliance

Both are based on the same principles of customer satisfaction, leadership, engaging all staff, process approach, continual improvement, data monitoring for evidence based decision making and relationship management with interested parties. See table below for comparison.

Correspondence between ISO 9001:2015 and SQMAS (Supplier Quality Management Audit Scheme)