OVERVIEW
The third-party audit process
Organizations seeking certification to SCS 9001 need to first follow the steps described on the SCS 9001 Registration Process pages. Part of that process involves selecting a CB that will audit their organization to determine if their processes conform to the requirements of SCS 9001.
Before a CB can perform any assessments of conformance to SCS 9001, it must first be accredited by another organization, called an Accreditation Body (AB), to assure that the CB is competent in its assessments. The AB must also be authorized to accredit CBs by TIA QuEST Forum.
For this purpose, ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is the authorized accreditation body that accredits various CBs to perform assessments of conformance to SCS 9001 through audits of the organization's processes.
The TIA QuEST Forum / SCS 9001 model calls for the Accreditation Bodies to be accredited by TIA QuEST Forum. We assure they understand the governance we expect over their Certification Bodies. Once accredited, the AB's can certify CB's. That is, the AB's make sure that accredited CB's are following the rules TIA QuEST Forum defines, together with the global IAF rules, and the rules defined by the AB. Once accredited, the CB then certifies their auditors. TIA QuEST Forum guidance says they need to classify their auditors into one of two categories: Auditor and Lead Auditor. TIA QuEST Forum has identified specific requirements for these classifications but it is the CB's responsibility to follow this guidance. Records showing that the auditors are meeting the defined classifications maintained by the CB and those are periodically assessed by the AB.
To certify the Organization to SCS 9001, the CB performs the audit and, if successful, recommends certification. The audit report is reviewed for compliance by the CB. Samples of audit reports are reviewed by the AB to assure the CB is following guidance. The CB certifies their auditors and issues the certificate.
TIA QuEST Forum maintains all information about ABs, CBs, and SCS 9001 registrations on the Registration Management System (RMS) and much of this information is available to the public through links later on this page.
Selecting one of the links below provides a list with hyperlinks that profiles the various organizations and also provides contact information.
Auditors who perform audits for CBs must also meet rigid standards.
SCS 9001 Accreditation Bodies
AUTHORIZED SCS 9001 ACCREDITATION BODIES
TIA QuEST Forum utilizes authorized Accreditation Bodies (AB) organizations around the world to accredit Certification Bodies (CBs) who in turn certify organizations as conforming to SCS 9001 requirements. The ABs are re-authorized by TIA QuEST Forum every four years. Below is the current authorized AB.
SCS 9001 Certification Bodies
AUTHORIZED SCS 9001 CERTIFICATION BODIES
Certification Body (CB) auditors play a critical role in reaping the benefits of a SCS 9001 registration for an organization. First, they can assess where the organization's processes fully conforms with SCS 9001 requirements, identify weaknesses, and also offer opportunities for improvement.
CB auditors must meet rigid and exacting requirements before being permitted to audit organizations and they must work for accredited certification bodies which also must meet extensive requirements before being authorized to certify an organization as conforming to SCS 9001.
Competence and Experience Requirements for SCS 9001 Certification Body Auditors
LIST OF AUTHORIZED CERTIFICATION BODIES
NQA (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF QUALITY)
Interested in becoming an SCS 9001 Authorized Certification Body? Contact us
SCS AB/CB RESOURCES
AUDIT PRACTICES
ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group
SCS AB OVERSIGHT OF CBs
QFP-016 Accreditation Body Approval_Re-approval Process
SCS 9001 Accreditation Body Implementation Requirements
SCS CB MANAGEMENT
Code of Practice for SCS 9001 Certification Process
SCS 9001 Auditor Qualifications
SCS SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS FOR AUDITING
SCS 9001 Clause Applicability Matrix
CERTIFICATION MANAGEMENT
Management of SCS 9001 Registration Profiles (to be drafted)
SCS Certification Suspension Process (to be drafted)
SCS Late Data Submission Process
AUDIT DURATION
SCS 9001 Time Calculation Tool
Get involved with SCS 9001
Interested in joining our Supply Chain Security Working Group? Join leaders from global network providers, equipment suppliers, cloud solutions providers, software developers, connected device manufacturers and consultants to evolve SCS 9001 to meet the ever changing cybersecurity and supply chain risk management (SCRM) landscape.
