Purpose
This instruction sets out how certificates are prepared and delivered to organisations that earn them through our certification process.
Scope
It applies to the certificates issued as a result of General Group Co.’s management-system certification activities.
How a certificate is issued
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Decision
A certificate is issued only after a positive decision by the Decision Committee, with the audit report and decision attached to the issuing cover letter.
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Contract
A management-system certification contract is signed by your authorised representative and countersigned by our Director; Planning controls the contract.
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Delivery
The signed certificate is issued and sent to you shortly after the decision; on request it can be prepared in another language.
What each certificate carries
- Your organisation’s name and address, and the addresses within the certified scope.
- The certified standard, the scope of certification, and the certification and validity dates.
- A unique, sequential, non-reproducible number — type, scope, serial and year (for example, MS-QMS-001-26).
Changes & revisions
- Any change — a correction or a change in content — is made only by a decision of the certificate committee, and the certificate is re-numbered under a controlled revision (for example, …-R-01).
- If a certificate is suspended or withdrawn, it’s handled under the nonconformity-management procedure; copies and contracts are retained and archived under our record-management and archive rules.