AS9120 certification for aerospace distributors that primes and MROs can approve.

What it is

What is AS9120 and what is it used for?

AS9120 is the quality management system standard for distributors serving the aviation, space and defence industry. It is owned by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG), which also owns AS9100 and AS9110, and is built on ISO 9001.

For a distributor, the certificate is independent evidence that its quality system meets the requirements the aerospace industry has agreed for its supply chain.

Current edition. The IAQG's 9120:2016 is the edition in force. It is published in the Americas as SAE AS9120B and in Europe as EN 9120:2018. The IAQG has released summaries of the key changes planned for the next revision, which will carry the designation IA9120; its publication date and the transition period will be set by the IAQG, and until then certification continues to 9120:2016.

Who it is for

Who needs AS9120 certification?

AS9120 is the member of the 9100 family written for distributors; design and production organisations look at AS9100, and maintenance organisations at AS9110. Distributors usually come to Sterling from one of four directions:

• A customer has made it a condition of approval. A prime, a tier-one supplier or an MRO shop has told you that its approved supplier list now requires a 9100-series certificate in OASIS.
• A tender or defence programme asks for it. Government and defence bids often score supplier quality credentials, so confirm the standard and scope the bid expects.
• You are moving from ISO 9001 into aerospace. An industrial or electronics distributor adding aerospace lines usually already holds ISO 9001 and needs to add the aerospace controls on top.
• Your group has certified sites and yours is next. A parent company or sister warehouse holds AS9120 and wants one approach across locations.

Requirements

What are the main AS9120 requirements?

AS9120 keeps the ISO 9001 structure, clauses 4 to 10, and adds aerospace requirements for distributors. The lines below give the clause titles in plain language; during the programme your system is checked against the standard itself.

• Clause 4 Context of the organisation: define the business, the customers and regulators whose requirements apply, and the product lines and warehouses the system covers.
• Clause 5 Leadership: give quality clear ownership at the top and keep on-time, conforming delivery on the management agenda.
• Clause 6 Planning: identify the risks in sourcing, storage and shipment, and set quality objectives you measure.
• Clause 7 Support: provide competent people, suitable storage conditions, calibrated equipment where it is used, and controlled documents and records.
• Clause 8 Operation: plan and control the processes that deliver customer orders, including external providers, with the aerospace requirements the standard adds for distributors.
• Clause 9 Performance evaluation: track delivery and quality performance, audit the system internally and review it at management level.
• Clause 10 Improvement: deal with nonconforming product and complaints, find root causes and improve continually.

Certification process

How do you get AS9120 certified?

You build and run the system; an accredited certification body under the IAQG scheme then audits it. The audit, the decision and the OASIS entry belong to that body.

1. 01
   Confirm the standard and the scope.Check that AS9120 is the right member of the family, then settle the product lines, warehouses, headcount and customer requirements the certificate will cover.
2. 02
   Gap analysis: compare your current system with AS9120.Your existing ISO 9001 system or working practice is measured against every requirement; effective controls stay, and gaps get an owner, a date and a plan.
3. 03
   Implement and run the controls.The agreed controls are put into daily use, people are trained and records build up.
4. 04
   Audit internally and close the findings.An internal audit that follows your processes and a management review test the system; we raise the findings before the certification body can, and each is closed with evidence.
5. 05
   Pass the certification audit and keep it.The body's Stage 1 readiness review and Stage 2 audit follow the 9101 method; after certification come annual surveillance audits and recertification in the third year.

Before you sign with a certification body, check that it is accredited for the IAQG aerospace scheme and that its certificates appear in OASIS, and confirm its accreditation with the accreditation body. A certificate your customer cannot find in OASIS will not get you approved. How to choose a credible AS9120 provider · The certification buyer's checklist

Cost

How much does AS9120 certification cost?

There is no single AS9120 price, because distributors differ widely. A single-site distributor with sound ISO 9001 practice has far less to build than a multi-site one starting from scratch. What never changes is a proposal with every component listed and one all-inclusive proposal.

Timeline

How long does AS9120 certification take?

Plan in months, not days. The duration depends on the starting point, the number of sites, the time your people can give and the certification body's calendar, and we set it out at the gap analysis.

If a customer has given you a date, tell us on day one. We will say accurately whether it can be met and which decisions must come early.

Your engagement

What your AS9120 engagement includes

One team and one all-inclusive proposal cover the full route. Sterling does not certify; an accredited certification body audits and decides. Sterling OS™ sets out how we work: Design™ is guided support, where your team builds the system with our method, templates and reviews; Drive™ is managed support, where our consultants do most of the build alongside your people. You choose one of the two. After the certificate, Sustain™ keeps the system current, and Automate™ is Effivity, the software the system runs in.

• Scope, gap analysis and plan

  Owners, dates and decisions agreed before the work begins.

• Distribution processes and documents

  Built with the people who do the work.

• Effivity ISO & GRC software

  Your aerospace QMS in Effivity from the first week, included with the engagement at no additional cost.

• Training for your people

  Internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, and preferential Sterling Academy access, including complimentary awareness training for your people as part of the engagement.

• Internal audit and management review

  Run or facilitated as agreed, with findings closed before the certification audit.

• Certification readiness

  Preparation for Stage 1 and Stage 2, and support until the certificate is issued.

Certification decisions remain with the independent certification body.

Often combined with

Standards organisations pair with AS9120

• AIAG core toolsAutomotive core tools implementation and training: APQP, Control Plan, PPAP, FMEA, MSA and SPC applied on your live parts.
• AQAP 2110AQAP 2110 compliance for defence suppliers: what the NATO contract requirement covers, AQAP 2105 quality plans, government quality assurance and an all-inclusive proposal.
• AS9100AS9100 certification consulting for aerospace and defence suppliers: ISO 9001 plus product safety, configuration and FAI, ready for an IAQG scheme audit.
• AS9110AS9110 certification for aviation maintenance organisations: the 9110 requirements, the IAQG audit route, cost and timeline factors, and Sterling's support.
• CMMC 2.0CMMC 2.0 certification consulting for defence contractors handling FCI and CUI: controls, SPRS score and evidence ready for self or C3PAO assessment.
• EASA Part 145 / Part 21EASA Part 145 approval and Part 21 POA and DOA readiness: gap assessment, manuals, safety management, training and mock audits.