Two-minute brief
ISO 29001 requirements explained: video brief
A two-minute brief on how ISO 29001 builds on ISO 9001 for suppliers to the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries.
Key takeaways
- ISO 29001 reproduces ISO 9001:2015 in full and adds oil and gas supplements.
- Supplements add documented processes, records and a risk basis for control.
- Sector terms include quality specification level and inspection and test plan.
- An existing ISO 9001 system is the starting point, not a separate project.
- Certification bodies need ISO 29001 on their accreditation schedule.
ISO 9001 in full, plus sector supplements
ISO 29001 is the quality management system standard for organisations that supply products and services to the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries: equipment manufacturers, fabricators, coating and heat-treatment contractors, inspection, maintenance and well-service companies, and distributors. Its construction is distinctive. Every requirement of ISO 9001:2015 is reproduced inside it, in boxed text, unaltered and in full; the sector-specific supplemental requirements and guidance sit around it. This short film walks through how the two fit together.
ISO 29001 keeps the harmonised structure of ISO 9001, clauses 4 to 10. Clause 3 adds sector terms, among them quality specification level, competence profile and inspection and test plan. Across most clauses, the supplements add a documented process where ISO 9001 leaves the method to the organisation, a record where ISO 9001 requires only for an outcome, and a risk basis for the depth of control.
What the supplements look like in practice
In clause 4, for example, the supplement asks for records that demonstrate the understanding of context and of interested parties' needs, a documented scope, and the extent of documented information defined from interested parties' requirements. Similar supplements run through leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation and improvement, giving operators the evidence they look for when qualifying a vendor: how risk is assessed, how special processes are validated, who is competent for which task and how change is controlled.
The current edition is ISO 29001:2020, with Amendment 1:2024 on climate change, written as a supplement to ISO 9001:2015. The certificate's scope should describe the products and services customers qualify the supplier for. Certification is assessed and decided by an independent certification body accredited to ISO/IEC 17021-1 with ISO 29001 on its schedule; organisations already certified to ISO 9001 build on what they have.
Where ISO 9001 lets the organisation decide what to document, ISO 29001 requires documented processes for areas such as management of change, maintenance, contract review, design, process validation, traceability and release. It is a different scheme from API Spec Q1, which is registered through 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.
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Related to this video
The complete guide
Everything on ISO 29001
Start with the ISO 29001 page, 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
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- ISO 55001 requirements explainedTwo-minute brief · 2 min
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