Is it necessary to conduct an annual audit after passing the ISO certification?

ISO system certification is the "touchstone" for suppliers to enterprises, and to a certainextent, it is the bidding standard for most projects. Some companies may ask if they stillneed an annual audit after passing ISO certification? The answer is needed! If the annual review is not conducted on time, the certificate will become invalid and the bidding opportunity will not be available.

What is an annual review?

For enterprises, certificate annual review is an essential part. At present, mainstream management systems such as ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001, and other certifications have a validity period of three years. Annual review is required by ISO organization regulations, with the main purpose of supervising the system operation of enterprises and maintaining stability. If any problems are found, they should be adjusted and resolved in a timely manner. Just like teachers checking homework every day, certified enterprises also undergo annual audits by certification agencies, which is called annual audits.

Regarding the annual review, the CNCA stipulates as follows:

From the 8th to 12th month after the last audit, the certificate needs to undergo an annual supervision audit. For enterprises that do not undergo an annual audit, if it has beenmore than 12 months since the last audit, the certificate will be suspended from use. During the suspension period, the enterprise may apply for the resumption of effective review; After the suspension period of 3 months, the certificate will automatically be revoked and become invalid.

Once the certificate is revoked and becomes invalid, and the certificate needs to be used again, a new application needs to be made according to the initial review process. Compared to supervised review, this method is a loss for the enterprise in terms of time cost, labor cost, and economic cost.

Imagine what if a project bidding requires an ISO certificate at this moment?

So certified enterprises should remember to participate in the annual audit according toregulations to maintain the validity of the certificate, otherwise they will miss the qualification to participate in orders or even bidding projects, and remember not to pick up sesame seeds and lose watermelons.

Obtaining a certificate is not an end in itself, but a means. Enterprises need to establish a system and integrate it into the enterprise to improve the problems that arise, continuously allowing the enterprise to gradually develop and grow within the system. This is the basic purpose of ISO system certification.