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About Us

Learn more about Citation ISO Certification

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Supporting businesses on their journey to ISO compliance

So far, we’ve helped our clients put in place over 30,000 management systems.

Our consultants take a practical and pragmatic approach to developing management systems so that they work to your benefit. Over the years, this approach has helped us win numerous service awards.

We are now one of the UK’s leading ISO certification bodies and look forward to working with you.

Citation ISO Certification in numbers

30k+

CERTIFICATES ISSUED

4.9/5

AVERAGE RATING ON FEEFO

50+

EXPERT CONSULTANTS

25+

YEARS IN BUSINESS

Our history

1993 - QMS Founded

QMS was established in 1993 based on a pioneering methodology which combined consultancy and certification into a single service offering. Until that time, it had been common for consultants and certification bodies to work independently, which was often expensive, and effectively excluded most small and medium sized businesses from implementing a quality management system. QMS changed all of that by introducing a ‘keep it simple’ methodology, operating a consultancy service and separate certification service all under one roof.

1999 - Launch of ISO 14001

Up until 1999, QMS International had focused on offering ISO 9001, the Quality Management Standard. As environmental issues started to become a growing concern for businesses, QMS added ISO 14001, the Environmental Management Standard, to their portfolio.

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2000 - Accreditation with the IAC

QMS International attain formal accreditation to ISO 17021 – Conformity Assessment. We were audited by the IAC (International Accreditation Commission) who confirmed we met the requirements of the Standard with regards to the auditing and certification of Management systems.

2011 - Arch of Europe Award

QMS received the Arch of Europe award during the International Quality Convention in Frankfurt, on 26th and 27th

June 2011.

The Arch of Europe Award was established by BID in

1986, it is one of the world’s most prestigious awards recognising the quality and excellence of companies. It is awarded to companies that invest a great effort in improving their products and services, emphasising the management of leadership as the main factor for achieving this.

2011 - Green Apple Award

QMS was awarded the Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice, presented in the House of Commons on Monday November 14th 2011 with other winners including Jaguar, VW, Fiat, Nissan as well as NHS Hospitals, Local Authorities.

The Green Apple Awards aim to “recognise, reward and promote environmental best practice around the world.” The awards are hosted by the Green Organisation, an independent, non-political, non-activist, non-profit environment group which is funded by memberships and sponsorship.

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2012 - 20,000th Certificate issued

Wednesday 15th August QMS International plc announced its 20,000th certification, only a short time after reaching 19,000 earlier that year.

20,000th certificate was presented by Steve Dean from QMS to Nira Fulton and Rachel Lindner of Lexington Catering Limited after they achieved the ISO 14001 Standard for environmental management.

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2013 - Launchpad introduced

Introduce Launchpad, providing our clients with a range of useful tools and templates to help them with the ongoing management of their ISO Management System.

This online platform allowed clients to host their Manuals, Certificates and Contracts, as well as access a library of badges, templates, tutorial videos and more.

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2014 - Platinum World Commitment Award

On 25th October 2014, accompanied by recognised Business leaders from 26 countries, Jonathan Chapman CEO of QMS International, attended the BID (Business, Initiative, Directions) awards at the Hyatt Regency in Paris, France.

QMS received a Platinum World Commitment Award in recognition for their commitment to Quality, Leadership, Technology and Innovation.

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2015 - Accreditation with ASCB

QMS becomes accredited and audited to ISO 17021 : 2015 by the ASCB (Accreditation Services for Certification Bodies) – a most respected, UK based, accreditation organisation.

To date ASCB has accredited over 90 Certification Bodies and registered over 3500 Assessors, Auditors and quality related personnel achievements.

Focused on being technically outstanding while delivering a swift path through to compliance, ASCB work in accordance with the requirements of the ISO Standards, free of government and political interference.

2015 - Bought by Citation

QMS International were acquired by Citation, the health and safety, employment law and HR service experts.

Citation’s acquisition of QMS International was the next natural step for QMS, and enabled both companies to improve their service offering to their clients.

2015 - Gold Trusted Merchant 2015

QMS International was presented with the Feefo Gold Trusted Merchant Award.

Created by Feefo, the award is given to businesses collecting genuine customer ratings and reviews and recognises those businesses for delivering exceptional experiences.

2017 - Gold Trusted Service 2017

In May 2017, QMS International Limited was presented with the Feefo Gold Service Award, an independent seal of excellence that recognises businesses for delivering exceptional experiences, rated by real customers.

Created by Feefo, Trusted Service is awarded to businesses that use Feefo (a third party) to collect genuine customer ratings and reviews. A true badge of honour, this accreditation remains unique because it is based purely on the interactions that take place between Feefo and QMS’ verified customers.

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2018 - Gold Trusted Service 2018

For the second year in a row, QMS has earned the Feefo Gold Trusted Service award for providing a high quality service to customers. Only the highest rated companies, as voted for by their customers, can earn this reward.

Feefo is a Google recognised, third party who collect feedback and service ratings from verified QMS International customers. They run the Trusted Service Awards annually, presenting the best performing companies who have received an average review score greater than 4.0/5.0.

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2018 - One to Watch 2018

Thanks to the commitment and dedication of our team, QMS has made it onto the Best Companies Ones to Watch list.

Best Companies perform employee surveys on behalf of organisations across the UK, asking questions based around engagement within a business. Best Companies collates the answers and anonymises the information to help protect employee confidentiality – increasing the likelihood of the employees providing honest, valuable feedback. This subsequently helps the organisation to gain a better understanding of the employee experience and improve performance.

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2019 - Gold Trusted Service 2019

2019 sees the third year in a row that QMS has earned the Feefo Gold Trusted Service award. The award is given for providing a high quality service to customers and only the highest rated companies, as voted for by their customers, can earn this reward.

Created by Feefo, the annual Trusted Service Awards is presented to the best performing companies and the coveted gold award is only given to companies with an average score of at least 4.5.

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2019 - One to Watch 2019

For a second year in a row, QMS has made it onto the Best Companies Ones to Watch list. This has been achieved by maintaining ‘good’ levels of engagement, whilst increasing the BCI (Best Companies Index) score.

Best Companies carry out employee surveys on behalf of organisations such as QMS, asking questions based around staff engagement. Best Companies collates the answers, helping to protect employee confidentiality and increase the likelihood of honest, valuable feedback. By asking for feedback in this way, organisations gain a better understanding of the employee experience and can improve their performance.

2019 - QMS Connect launched

QMS launches QMS Connect, an online ISO Management System Platform.

This cloud-based solution allows clients to implement, manage and stay compliant with ISO Standards from anywhere, 24 hours a day.

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2021 - QMS awarded 1* rating in the Best Companies survey

As a result of the surveys, which were completed by 88% of our employees, QMS International scored an excellent mark of 681.4, up from their previous score of 644.2.

This earns QMS a 1* rating, which signifies ‘very good’ engagement among its staff. This also places QMS among the top 75 companies in the East of England, as well as the top 30 for Consultancy Companies, a fantastic achievement.

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2023 - QMS International becomes Citation ISO Certification

We entered a brand-new chapter with a new look and a new name as QMS International became Citation ISO Certification. Our new name reflects that we’re part of something bigger – a family of powerful services that can bring more value, time, and solutions to our clients. And with our refreshed purpose – to create a world where businesses and the people in them are set up to own the future, we’re empowering businesses to be ready for anything.

Our mission

Back in 1993, our founders pioneered a service that combined ISO consultancy and ISO certification in a single, affordable process.

We believe in a ‘Keep it Simple’ approach which creates clear, straightforward ISO management systems that provide genuine support for businesses.

Since then, we’ve developed our services to help thousands of organisations implement a range of management systems and certifications. We are now one of the UK’s leading ISO certification bodies, having helped our clients put in place over 30,000 management systems.

Customer testimonials

Our management team

Citation ISO Certification and the wider Citation Group

We are proud to be part of the Citation Group.

Everything we do is centred around the needs of our customers and working as part of a larger group of businesses allows us to provide them with all the services they need to keep their staff and businesses safe and legally compliant.

More information can be found on the additional services offered by the different businesses that make up the Citation Group on our Additional Services page.

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Accreditation and certification

Citation ISO Certification operates two clearly divided departments as part of its operations: a consultancy department and an independent Certification and Auditing department. All relevant activities operate to the ISO 17021 : 2015 standard and Citation ISO is accredited by the ASCB, an Accreditation Body which is respected for its integrity and impartiality throughout the World.

To date ASCB has accredited over 90 Certification Bodies and registered over 3500 Assessors, Auditors and quality related personnel achievements.

To verify the accreditation of Citation ISO Certification (t/a QMS International), please view our certificate of accreditation.

Join our team

At Citation ISO Certification we’re on a mission to make businesses better and we believe it’s our great people that power our business forward.

Our people are the heart of our company, so we show it. We promote a nurturing culture that values the happiness, wellbeing, and development of all our employees. We’re all about standing out and we’re ready when you are.

Want to join one of the UK’s top 25 consultancy firms to work for? (That’s us!) Visit our careers page to view our latest job opportunities.

VISIT OUR CAREERS PAGE