The success guarantee · the Sterling Promise on certification engagements
ISO certification guarantee: the Sterling Promise, and the work that stands behind it.
The Sterling Promise is the commitment behind the ISO certification engagements we run: on-time completion and success, each at 100%, across 8,100+ client engagements. It rests on an agreed scope, a dated plan and consultants who stay with you through the certification audit, and it never takes the accredited body's decision for itself. We ensure successful certification for our clients.
- Backed by the engagement itself: scope, plan, implementation, internal audit and audit support, delivered by expert and experienced consultants
- The same accountability under Design™ and Drive™, inside one all-inclusive proposal, with the terms that apply set out in your engagement proposal
- The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements. Sterling does not certify; an accredited body audits and decides
- 100% on-time completionA plan with milestones, owners and a target audit window from the first fortnight, reviewed against progress every month.
- 100% successSterling stays engaged, answering each finding with you, until the certification outcome agreed at the start is reached.
- 8,100+ client engagementsOne engagement team and a weekly working session, so problems are raised and settled while they are small.
- An independent decisionSterling does not certify. An accredited certification body audits your system and decides; the promise never replaces that.
Where the promise applies
The promise travels with the standard you certify to.
The Sterling Promise sits on Sterling's certification engagements, whichever management system standard your customer, tender or regulator has named, alone or as one integrated system. These are the standards clients most often bring to us. Whether it also covers an attestation, an assessment or another outcome is stated in the engagement proposal for that work.
- ISO 9001Quality management
- ISO 14001Environmental management
- ISO 45001Health & safety
- ISO/IEC 27001Information security
- ISO 22000Food safety
- FSSC 22000GFSI food safety
- ISO 13485Medical devices
- ISO 22301Business continuity
- ISO 50001Energy management
- ISO/IEC 20000-1IT service management
- ISO/IEC 27701Privacy management
- ISO 37001Anti-bribery
- All standards & frameworksThe full catalogue, with sector schemes
The engagement, step by step
How the promise is kept, stage by stage.
A promise about time and success is only as good as the method under it. Every Sterling certification engagement runs on Sterling OS™: five stages, each with deliverables you can hold us to, a decision owner and a weekly session with your consultant. This is what each stage contributes to the promise, and what it asks of your team.
- 01
Agree the outcome and the plan
Weeks 1 to 2What happens
Before anything is promised, it is defined. We settle the standard and edition, the activities, sites and headcount in scope, and what your customer or tender expects, then measure today's practice against the standard. The result is the outcome we are both working towards and a dated route to it.
You receive
- The agreed scope of the certificate
- A gap analysis report, every shortfall with an owner
- An implementation plan with milestones, owners and the target audit window
Your side
A project owner, access to your process owners and sites, and the scope decisions that only management can take.
- 02
Build to the plan
Weeks 3 to 12What happens
The management system is built with the people who will run it, on Sterling's template sets, and each part goes into use as soon as it is agreed. Milestones in the plan are the yardstick: if one is at risk, it is raised in the weekly session, not discovered at the audit. Training starts for everyone in scope.
You receive
- The documented management system, fitted to your operation
- The registers your standard calls for, populated and in use
- Sterling Academy training records with Certificates of Completion
Your side
Process owners at the weekly session and the agreed changes carried into daily work.
- 03
Prove the system runs
From week 8What happens
A certification auditor looks for evidence that the system works over time. Your consultant watches that evidence build in Effivity, requirement by requirement, and corrects course early, because a gap found in month two costs days while a gap found at Stage 2 costs the timetable.
You receive
- Evidence dashboards in Effivity, by process and by requirement
- A monthly progress review against the plan
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
Your side
Working the way the system says, and telling your consultant plainly where it does not fit.
- 04
Test before the auditor does
Weeks 14 to 18What happens
Success at the certification audit is prepared, not hoped for. A complete internal audit, conducted or facilitated as agreed, and a management review that takes real decisions put the system under pressure first. We raise the findings before the certification body can, and close each one with evidence that the fix holds.
You receive
- The internal audit programme, checklists and report
- A management review record with decisions and actions
- Accredited certification bodies compared and the audit dates booked
Your side
Your management at the review and your audit team on the internal audit.
- 05
Stay until the decision
Weeks 16 to 24What happens
This is where the promise is tested. The certification body carries out its Stage 1 readiness review and then the Stage 2 audit. We prepare your people for both, attend as agreed and work through the response to every finding with you until the body reaches its decision and issues the certificate.
You receive
- Stage 1 preparation and a response to its observations
- Stage 2 support and the closure of any nonconformities
- The certificate on the body's public register, for the scope agreed in stage 1
Your side
Your people doing their jobs as normal while the auditor observes.
Who does what
Choose how much of the work Sterling carries.
The Sterling Promise does not change with the delivery model. Design™ gives your team the structure, templates and coaching to implement with Sterling's advice and supervision; Drive™ has Sterling consultants carry the work under your approval. The accountability and the all-inclusive proposal are the same in both, and the work shared between us is agreed in writing.
| Task | Design™ guided | Drive™ fully managed |
|---|---|---|
| Scope, gap analysis, plan and target audit window | Sterling | Sterling |
| Process mapping and documentation | Together your team drafts on Sterling's templates, Sterling reviews | Sterling with your process owners |
| Registers your standard requires | Your team coached in the weekly session | Sterling populated with your data |
| Awareness and practitioner training | Sterling through Sterling Academy | Sterling through Sterling Academy |
| Putting the controls into daily use | Your team | Your team Sterling checks the evidence |
| Monthly progress review against the plan | Sterling with your project owner | Sterling with your project owner |
| Internal audit | Together your trained auditors, Sterling facilitates | Sterling conducted for you |
| Stage 1 and Stage 2 preparation and findings closure | Sterling | Sterling |
| Certification decision | The independent, accredited certification body never Sterling | |
Under either model the promise is Sterling's, and so is the responsibility for raising a risk to the timetable as soon as we see it. Organisations with a lead who can give the programme a few hours a week usually choose Design™; those without that capacity, or facing a fixed deadline, usually choose Drive™.
What you receive
What the promise gives you, in writing and in use. Nothing charged separately.
- A defined outcomeThe scope of the certificate agreed at the start, so success means the same thing to both sides.
- A dated planMilestones, owners, the weekly session calendar and the target audit window, the measure for on-time delivery.
- The management systemPolicies, processes, procedures, forms and records on Sterling's template sets, fitted to how you work.
- Effivity, configuredDocuments, registers, audits, actions and training records in one workspace, included at no additional cost.
- Trained peopleAwareness for everyone, practitioner courses for system owners and internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard.
- A tested systemInternal audit and management review completed, with every corrective action closed on evidence.
- Support to the decisionAccredited bodies compared, Stage 1 and Stage 2 prepared, and every finding answered until the certificate is issued.
- The terms in writingDeliverables, responsibilities, assumptions and exclusions stated in the engagement proposal before you commit.
Effivity · included with the engagement
Your system runs in software from the first workshop.
Effivity is the ISO and GRC automation platform built by the Sterling group and used in 50+ countries. Your consultant configures it within the agreed scope, so evidence accumulates as people do their work and the certification auditor reviews a live system rather than a binder. Sterling consulting clients get their subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost.
ISO & GRC softwareSterling Academy · included with the engagement
Your people learn the standard, not just the forms.
E-learning with practice checkpoints, a final exam and a numbered Certificate of Completion for each learner, verifiable online, with progress by department for the certification audit. Sterling consulting clients get preferential course access and special pricing, including complimentary awareness training for their people as part of the engagement.
Contact us about Academy accessHow we price
One all-inclusive proposal. Every component visible. No surprises, ever.
The Sterling Promise is not a separate product with a separate price. It sits inside the same all-inclusive proposal as the rest of the engagement, and the terms that apply to it, with the responsibilities on each side, are written into that proposal. Total investment depends on the standard, the maturity of your processes, the scope, the locations and the number of employees, so the proposal is built for your organisation.
- One all-inclusive proposal for Sterling's work, software and learning. Consulting, Effivity and Sterling Academy access in one figure; the fee does not move when the work takes longer than we planned.
- Certification-body fees identified separately. The body's audit days, travel and surveillance arrangements are shown as their own line, so the full programme cost is comparable across proposals.
- Payment milestones tied to deliverables, not to the calendar: the gap analysis report, the documented system, the internal audit, the certificate.
- Deliverables, responsibilities, assumptions and exclusions in writing, and nothing to sign to receive the proposal.
To prepare your proposal we need
- The standard, or the customer or tender requirement behind it
- The activities and sites the certificate should cover
- An approximate number of employees
- Any management system or certificate you hold today
- The date you need the certificate by, if there is one
That is enough for a scoped, all-inclusive proposal from a Sterling consultant in your region. There is no need to prepare a manual first.
Request a scoped proposalA Sterling consultant replies within one working day.
Standards
Standards this service covers
- ISO 9001ISO 9001 certification consulting: a quality management system built with your people, evidence prepared and support until an accredited body certifies you.
- ISO/IEC 27001ISO/IEC 27001 certification consulting: an ISMS built with your people, evidence prepared, and support through Stage 1, Stage 2 and surveillance audits.
- ISO 14001ISO 14001 certification consulting: aspects, impacts and compliance obligations controlled, with support until an accredited body certifies you.
- ISO 45001ISO 45001 certification consulting to prevent work-related injury and ill health, with an OH&S system built with your people and audit-ready, in 60+ countries.
- ISO 22301ISO 22301 certification consulting to keep delivering through disruption: impact analysis, continuity plans and exercises, prepared for an accredited audit.
- ISO 13485ISO 13485 certification consulting for medical device makers: design controls, risk, traceability and complaints, prepared for an accredited audit.
- ISO 22000ISO 22000 certification consulting: PRPs, a validated hazard control plan, traceability and recall readiness, built with your teams for an accredited audit.
- ISO/IEC 20000-1ISO/IEC 20000-1 certification consulting for IT services delivered to agreed requirements: incident, change, capacity and supplier control, audit-ready.
Don’t be fooled by certification scams
Sterling against the alternatives.
The market offers four ways to a certificate. Three of them leave you with a system that does not run, a certificate that fails a customer's check, or both. This is what each route actually gives you.
| What you get | Template kit, do it yourself | "Certified in 10 days" seller | Body-shopping consultant | Sterling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A system built around your operation | Only if your team has the time and the expertise | No: a template with your name on it | Depends on the individual assigned | Yes, with your process owners, on Sterling's template sets |
| Your people trained | Not included | Not included | Sometimes, at extra cost | Included: awareness, practitioner and internal auditor training |
| Software to run the system | Paid for separately | None | Paid for separately | Effivity, included at no additional cost |
| Internal audit and management review before the audit | If you know how | A formality, if at all | Usually | Always, with findings closed on evidence |
| Certificate from an accredited body | Your choice | Often not accredited, or not for your scope | Usually | Always: accreditation checked before you sign |
| Who is accountable if the audit goes badly | You | Nobody | The individual, if still available | Sterling, under the Sterling Promise, until you are certified |
| Fee transparency | Kit price only | One invoice for consulting and certificate | Day rates, open-ended | One all-inclusive proposal; certification-body fees shown separately |
| After the certificate | On your own | Gone | Another contract | Sustain™: surveillance, internal audits, refreshers, transitions |
Sterling's position. Sterling does not certify. We consult, train and prepare you; an independent, accredited body audits and decides. We do not sell certificates without implementation, and we tell you when an offer you have received is one. All ten warning signs of shortcut certification · How to check any ISO certificate
Client experience
On the record: what clients say about working with Sterling.
The ISO project manager writes that every project milestone was met within the agreed timeframe and to the stated objectives, and that the team's expertise, meticulous planning and collaborative approach were instrumental in a smooth and efficient implementation.
The technical services manager and the vice-president for operations report that five of the company's sites received ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification, with the project completed ahead of schedule and beyond expectation.
The managing partner thanks Sterling, on behalf of the firm, for guiding it through the process of achieving ISO 9001 certification, and records that the firm completed and passed the certification audit with no major nonconformity.
The ISO manager writes that the quality of Sterling's service exceeded the company's expectations.
Each account is drawn from a signed letter or e-mail on file and reported in our words, with the signatory's role and organisation attached; the original letters are available on request. Ask for references in your sector before you decide.
- 60+countries where Sterling has delivered certification
- 21countries with a Sterling office, eight regions, one coordinated team
- 2003the year the group began implementing ISO management systems; the same method, refined, since
- 8,100+client engagements across the group, from single-site SMEs to multinationals
FAQs
Questions clients ask before they engage us.
How the Sterling Promise works for your organisation is confirmed in the discovery call and the proposal. These are the general answers.
What is the Sterling Promise?
The Sterling Promise is Sterling's commitment on its certification engagements: 100% on-time completion, 100% success and 8,100+ client engagements. It is backed by the way the engagement runs, with an agreed scope, a dated plan, a weekly working session, an internal audit before the certification audit and support until the certification body decides. Sterling does not certify; an accredited body audits and decides.
Does Sterling guarantee that we will be certified?
Sterling commits to success, but the certificate itself can only come from an independent, accredited certification body. Under the Sterling Promise we prepare your system and your people, then stay with you through Stage 1 and Stage 2, working through every finding until the certification outcome agreed at the start is reached. No consultant can take the body's decision for it, and one that says it can is offering paper.
What does 100% on-time completion mean in practice?
It means the engagement is run to the dated plan agreed in the first two weeks: milestones, owners and a target audit window. Progress is reviewed against that plan every month and risks are raised in the weekly session as soon as they appear. The certification body's own scheduling of Stage 1 and Stage 2 is part of the calendar, and the exact terms for your engagement are set out in the proposal.
What happens if the certification audit finds nonconformities?
We work through them with you. Minor nonconformities are closed with a corrective action the certification body accepts; a major one must be closed before the certificate is issued. Under the Sterling Promise your consultant supports the root-cause work, the corrective action and the evidence for each finding, and stays engaged until the body makes its decision.
Is the Sterling Promise a money-back guarantee?
This page does not describe refunds or other commercial remedies, because they are not general terms. What applies to your engagement, including the deliverables, the responsibilities on each side, the assumptions and any exclusions, is written into the engagement proposal, and there is nothing to sign to receive it. Read those terms before you commit, and ask your Sterling consultant about anything they do not answer.
Does the promise depend on what our team does?
Every stage of the engagement has a part only your organisation can play: scope decisions, process owners at the weekly session, the controls used in daily work, management at the review. Those responsibilities are written into the proposal alongside Sterling's, and how they relate to the Sterling Promise for your engagement is set out there too, so both sides know what is expected before work begins.
Does the promise apply under both Design™ and Drive™?
Yes. Design™ and Drive™ are alternative levels of support, not stages, and the accountability and the all-inclusive proposal are the same in both. Under Design™ your team implements with Sterling's advice and supervision; under Drive™ Sterling carries the work under your approval. What changes is who drafts and who audits internally, not what Sterling commits to.
How is this different from a provider that guarantees a certificate?
A consultant cannot issue a certificate, so a provider that sells consulting and the certificate together is selling shortcut certification. The Sterling Promise is a commitment about the work: implementation, training, internal audit and audit support, delivered by expert and experienced consultants. The audit and the decision stay with an independent, accredited body whose accreditation you can check on the public registers before you sign.
How do we see the promise's terms before we commit?
Ask for a scoped proposal. Share the standard, the sites, an approximate headcount and your deadline, and a Sterling consultant in your region replies within one working day. The proposal sets out Sterling's fee, the certification-body fees as their own line, the deliverables, the responsibilities on each side and the terms of the Sterling Promise for your engagement.
Keep exploring
More Sterling services
Talk to a consultant
Ask for the Sterling Promise in writing.
Tell us your goals, locations and target date. We’ll help you define the scope, timeline and next steps.
hello@sterling-grc.com+1 201 263 4443 (global headquarters) · your nearest office and its number are at the top of this page
What would you like to achieve?
Choose a starting point. The enquiry form takes about a minute.
Book my free discovery callContinue to the enquiry form to share your details. Please do not include passwords, sensitive personal information or confidential files. A Sterling consultant replies within one working day. Privacy notice