OUR PROCESS

Certification decision and appeal

Decision process

After the audit, the audit leader makes a recommendation on certification, continued certification, suspension of certification, termination of certification and, where applicable, extension or reduction of scope.

After a Stage 2, certification audit, the audit leader can also recommend that you are not ready for certification.

In most cases of refusal to certify, you have the opportunity to correct deviations within the specified time and then receive a new assessment and recommendation.

The audit leader’s recommendation is assessed by an audit auditor who makes the final decision.

In all cases of refusal of certification, an assessment is made by our audit manager who will forward to the certification committee for final decision.

Appeal of decision

Scandinavian Business Certification’s auditors always strive to make assessments based on the evidence presented during the audit. The Certification Committee bases its decisions on the audit report and other available facts. If you, as a customer, feel that the decision is incorrect, there is always the opportunity to appeal a certification decision.

Appeals shall be made directly to the Review Board by email at: reviewboard@sbcert.se

For the purpose of an appeal, the following information shall always be provided:

Name and organization number
Purpose of appeal
Any supporting evidence for your appeal

Appeals against certification decisions must be submitted within six weeks of the Certification Committee’s decision.

Procedure of appeals

When the Review Board receives the case along with any supporting documents, the case will be prepared.

Once the preparation is complete, the decision documentation will be sent to the relevant parties—the appellant and Scandinavian Business Certification—for review and any additional input.

When all necessary additions have been made to the documentation, the Review Board will review it and provide a written assessment with comments, a decision on the matter, and the basis for that decision.

The decision will be communicated to the appellant and Scandinavian Business Certification. If Scandinavian Business Certification is found at fault, corrective actions will be taken. The Review Board’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Certification Process

The path to your certification follows a series of predefined steps. When planning the audit, we remain attentive to your needs and preferences to ensure the process is smooth and easy to understand.

Transfer to SBcert

If you are already certified, you can easily transfer to SBcert through a transfer audit. The transfer is usually conducted alongside your regular surveillance audit or recertification. No additional time or costs are incurred beyond the standard audit.

Our auditors

In a certification process, the auditor is your key point of contact, both during the planning stage and throughout the audit itself. Our team consists of auditors with extensive expertise and long-standing experience in ISO certification across a wide range of industries.