Two ISO offers can carry the same standard on the first page and cover different work. One may include help preparing your company. Another may begin with the certification audit and assume that preparation is complete. The lower total tells you very little until those responsibilities are clear.
Start by giving each provider the same brief: the buyer’s written requirement, the activities and sites involved, and the system your company already has. ISO recommends evaluating several certification bodies and checking their practices and accreditation. A common brief makes their answers easier to compare. ISO’s guidance on choosing a certification body
Put the offers on the same basis
Use the questions below to expose differences in the work. Record an unanswered question as something to clarify with the provider; an empty line in the offer does not tell you whether the item is included.
| Compare | Why it matters | Ask before accepting |
|---|---|---|
| Standard and buyer requirement | Offers may address different objectives. | Does each offer address the exact requirement I received? |
| Activities and sites | A narrower scope changes the comparison. | Which operations and locations are included? |
| Preparation and certification | These are different responsibilities. | Who prepares the system, who audits it, and what is excluded? |
| Issuer and accreditation | The proposed route must match any stated buyer condition. | Which body will issue the certificate and, if accreditation is required, what accredited scope applies? |
| Initial and ongoing work | An initial offer may omit later services. | Are audit stages, surveillance, renewal and travel included or separately quoted? |
To compare your own offers, download the blank comparison workbook (XLSX, English + Arabic). Record up to three providers’ stated scope and the questions each still needs to answer.
Why two quotations can legitimately differ
For quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems, IAF MD 5:2023 links audit-time planning to personnel and other factors, including the operation’s complexity or risk. Headcount alone is insufficient. This document does not set a market price, and its rules should not be assumed to apply identically to every ISO standard. IAF MD 5 audit-time guidance
Those differences should be visible in the quotation. Ask who prepares the system, who conducts the audit and which work your team must complete. If a provider assumes that records, internal audits or corrective work are already in place, establish that before agreeing the timetable. Preparation support versus the certification body’s role
A food producer’s factory and separate warehouse
Consider a food producer with a factory and a separate warehouse. One offer describes manufacturing at the factory. The second includes storage and dispatch at the warehouse as well. Comparing the totals immediately would hide a material difference in the proposed work. First establish which operations and locations the customer expects to see covered, then ask both providers to quote that scope. Understand certificate scope, activities and sites
Resolve differences before accepting an offer
Ask for the final offer to record the agreed scope, responsibilities, exclusions and later work. Changes agreed on a call need to appear there too. Where the buyer requires accreditation, verify the proposed issuer and relevant scope before committing. The certification body makes the certification decision; the buyer assesses whether the resulting certificate meets its requirement. Check what accreditation does and does not establish
For an initial enquiry to IraqCert, share the standard, business activity, sites and buyer wording. We can discuss the preparation support and coordination you need; the independent certification body retains the audit and certification decision. Our cost and process guide explains how to frame a new quotation request. ISO quotation scope and process in Iraq