Implementation walkthrough
How to implement ISO 29001 and API Spec Q1: video walkthrough
A walkthrough of implementing the oil and gas sector's quality management systems, ISO 29001 and API Spec Q1, for manufacturers, fabricators and service companies.
Key takeaways
- ISO 29001 contains all of ISO 9001:2015 plus oil and gas supplements.
- API Spec Q1 adds disciplines such as contingency planning and management of change.
- ISO 29001 is certified by an accredited body; API Spec Q1 is registered by API through APIQR.
- API expects the system to have run before it accepts a Q1 application.
- The API Monogram is a separate licence that requires a Q1-conforming system.
Two quality systems written for the oil and gas supply chain
The oil and gas supply chain runs on evidence. An operator qualifying a vendor wants to see how risk is assessed, how special processes are validated, who is competent for which task and how a change is controlled before it reaches the field. Two quality management system standards are written for that. ISO 29001, prepared by ISO's oil and gas committee, reproduces every requirement of ISO 9001:2015 unaltered and adds sector-specific supplements. API Specification Q1, from the American Petroleum Institute, covers organisations providing products to the petroleum and natural gas industry and adds disciplines such as contingency planning and management of change.
This short film walks through how a supplier implements these systems, whether it needs one, the other or both.
Different routes to recognition, one way of working
Implementation starts by defining what the certificate or registration needs to cover: products, services, sites, in-house and outsourced processes, headcount, the customer specifications and API product standards in play, and whether ISO 9001 is already certified. A gap analysis then measures the current system clause by clause, identifying which documented processes exist, which are practised but unwritten and which are missing, and agrees actions with owners and dates.
The system is then built and run long enough to produce records: risk assessment, contingency planning, supplier control, special process validation, competence profiles, inspection and test plans and management of change. Internal audit and management review follow. The recognition routes differ: ISO 29001 is certified by an independent certification body accredited for it, while API Spec Q1 registration is issued by API itself through APIQR after an on-site audit by an API-designated auditor, and API also requires the system to have run for a period before it accepts an application. The API Monogram is a separate product-marking licence that requires a Q1-conforming system.
Sterling's expert and experienced consultants support preparation and implementation with your plant, quality and engineering teams under Sterling OS™. The decisions belong to the certification body and to API.
ISO 29001 at a glance
- Purpose
- Quality management for suppliers to the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries: all of ISO 9001 plus sector supplements for supply-chain risk
- Relevant to
- Manufacturers, fabricators, service companies, contractors and distributors supplying operators, EPC contractors and the tiers between
- Edition
- ISO 29001:2020, with Amendment 1:2024 on climate change; written as a supplement to ISO 9001:2015, whose text it reproduces in full
- Certification
- Assessed and decided by an independent certification body accredited to ISO/IEC 17021-1 with ISO 29001 on its schedule
- Sterling's role
- Consulting with your team, Effivity, training, internal audit and certification readiness, then Sustain™
- Cost and timing
- Total investment for an ISO 29001 QMS depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 4 to 8 months
ISO 29001: questions people ask
What is the difference between ISO 29001 and ISO 9001?
ISO 29001 contains the complete text of ISO 9001:2015, reproduced unaltered in boxed text, and adds supplemental requirements and guidance for suppliers to the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries. The additions mostly require documented processes, records and a risk basis for the depth of control: a defined risk method, competence validated to task risk, documented maintenance and measuring-equipment processes, inspection and test plans, supplier performance assessment, validated processes, traceability, management of change with customer notification, and risk-based audit intervals.
Do we need ISO 9001 certification before ISO 29001?
Not as a rule of the standard: ISO 29001 includes every ISO 9001 requirement, so a first-time implementer can build to ISO 29001 directly. In practice most organisations either hold ISO 9001 and add the supplements, or have both audited together. Ask the certification body how it structures the audit and certificates for your scope.
ISO 29001 or API Spec Q1 and Q2: which one does our customer want?
They are different schemes. ISO 29001 is the ISO standard, certified by accredited certification bodies. API Spec Q1 is the American Petroleum Institute's quality specification for manufacturers, now in its 10th edition, and API Spec Q2 its specification for service supply organisations; registration to both comes only through API's own registrar, APIQR, and API Spec Q1 is also the system requirement behind an API Monogram licence. Many suppliers hold ISO 29001 and API Spec Q1 or Q2 on one system; we map both schemes to one set of processes.
Which documented processes does ISO 29001 make mandatory?
Where ISO 9001 lets you decide what to document, ISO 29001 requires documented processes for risk and opportunity, management of change, maintenance, measuring resources, competence, document control, contract review, design, external providers, process validation, traceability, preservation, release, nonconforming outputs, data analysis, corrective action and continual improvement, plus the records showing each runs. The gap analysis lists which you already have.
Does Sterling issue the ISO 29001 certificate?
No. Sterling provides consulting and hands-on support. An independent certification body, accredited to ISO/IEC 17021-1 with ISO 29001 on its schedule, conducts the Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits and makes the decision. A provider offering to implement and certify on one invoice is offering paper.
Keep exploring
Related to this video
The complete guide
Everything on ISO 29001
Start with the ISO 29001 page · API Spec Q1, or go straight to the guide you need.
On the ISO 29001 page
- What are the main ISO 29001 requirements?
- How do you get ISO 29001 certified?
- How much does ISO 29001 certification cost?
- How long does ISO 29001 certification take?
- Who needs ISO 29001 certification?
- How ISO 29001 supports supplier qualification and reliable delivery
- Frequently asked questions about ISO 29001
Guides
Often combined with ISO 29001
More videos: Construction, energy, oil and gas
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- ISO 19650 requirements explainedTwo-minute brief · 2 min
- How to implement ISO 55001Implementation walkthrough · 3 min 15 s
- ISO 55001 requirements explainedTwo-minute brief · 2 min
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