At the opening meeting we will also seek to agree the definition of the organisation which you wish to have certificated. This need not have the same boundaries as organisations recognised by company law. The important thing is that the organisation be a sensible operating unit. You cannot exclude parts of the organisation simply because “they are not ready” or because you don’t want to include them. By contrast, the organisation could include parts of several different companies (e.g.: one of your sub-contractors). But whatever the definition, it must be clear before the audit starts.
If you are operating through a number of remote branches, all of which:
- are part of the same organisation;
- are under the same control;
- are doing substantially the same job;
- are under common management, and;
- use the same management system and procedures.
The assessment can be by sampling. However, all the branches have to be assessed at least once over the three years before re-audit. In this case the certificate relates to the organisation as a whole. Auva reserves the right not to accept a certification project for organisations structure in a way that conflicts company law.
Significant changes to your organisation – such as a change in entity or name – must be notified to Auva immediately and in writing.