Update from the General Manager

During the COVID-19 pandemic, NQA and our entire industry saw significant growth in the use of remote auditing. We leveraged guidelines from the IAF (International Accreditation Forum) to continue to bring you auditing services during this unfamiliar time.

A process for the future

Remote auditing can be effective and efficient in certain scenarios. However, it has limitations. We now need a “post-pandemic” sustainable approach that incorporates remote auditing while maintaining the integrity of the audit process.

Now that we’re back in “normal” times, I want to update you on our policy for remote audits going forward:

Remote auditing will be offered as a potential option, but only if requested by you, the client.

For each request, the rationale, the capability and risk for doing the audit remotely will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

If approved, the virtual portion of the audit will be limited to those processes deemed lowest risk, and not dependent on a physical location.

For instance, an audit of elements such as leadership, planning, internal audit, and corrective action lend themselves to a remote review, while a production area may not. An onsite audit of hands-on areas such as production will be required during some of your scheduled audits, including the reassessment.

If your company is virtual

Some of our clients are fully virtual. They have no physical location – such as an IT company which simply provides a service.

Alternatively, a particular site of a company may be a virtual location where 100% of the work is provided irrespective of physical location. In these cases, remote auditing would be the only choice.

Unforeseen circumstances

Going forward we will also consider single or recurring remote audits when circumstances beyond our control – such as flooding, earthquake, political instability, or another pandemic – make it impossible to audit onsite.

Special standards and schemes

It should be noted that certain standards and schemes impose limitations on the extent and conditions under which remote auditing can be applied. Additional justification, documentation, and approval may be required.

Looking forward

We’ve been through the pandemic together and emerged with new ways of doing things.  

Our NQA auditors are currently undergoing additional refresher training to ready them to conduct future remote audits should they be approved and planned.

Should you have questions, or need further support, our team is on hand to help. Please call your Client Support Representative, or dial 800-649-5289 to discuss your specific requirements, or contact us online.

Today and always, we feel privileged to be your registrar, and we will continue in our commitment to give you world class service.