ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 are the international standards for quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems. A contractor certified to them has had its management system audited by an independent certification body against the requirements of each standard.
A certificate is evidence about how a company manages itself. It is not a statement about any single project, and it is only as reliable as the body that issued it. This article sets out what each standard covers, how to check a certificate in a few minutes, and what has changed in 2026, when two of the three standards received new editions.
What each standard covers
The three standards share a structure built around the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, which is why a contractor can run them as one integrated system.
| Standard | What it governs | Current edition (October 2026) | Transition |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | Quality management system | ISO 9001:2026, published 16 September 2026 | UKAS requires certification bodies to move certified customers across by 30 September 2029 |
| ISO 14001 | Environmental management system | ISO 14001:2026, published 15 April 2026 | UKAS requires certified customers to have transitioned by 30 April 2029 |
| ISO 45001 | Occupational health and safety management system | ISO 45001:2018, reviewed and confirmed in 2024 | A revision is in development, and ISO’s FAQ gives 2027 as the planned publication year |
ISO 45001 covers leadership commitment, worker participation, hazard identification and risk assessment, legal compliance, emergency planning, incident investigation and continual improvement. In February 2024 all three standards received a climate action amendment, which adds a requirement in clause 4.1 to assess the relevance of climate change to the organisation’s operations.
What a certificate does and does not tell you
A valid certificate tells you that an independent body audited the contractor’s management system against the standard, and found that it conformed within the scope and dates on the certificate. That is a useful baseline, and it is why prequalification questionnaires ask for it.
It does not tell you how a particular project will be run. ISO itself does not certify organisations, and it does not accredit the bodies that do. Certification is carried out by certification bodies, and national accreditation bodies, such as UKAS in the UK, accredit those bodies.
ISO 45001 is also different from the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP). SSIP is a central platform, and its member schemes carry out the health and safety assessments. A supplier registered with a member scheme can have its assessment information accessed by clients through the free SSIP Portal. One is a certified management system and the other is a prequalification assessment, so a client can ask for either or both.
How to check a certificate
UKAS has reported a rising number of counterfeit management system certificates, some of which appear to meet every requirement. A check takes a few minutes.
- Check the certification body’s accreditation. Confirm the certificate was issued by a body accredited by a national accreditation body. For UKAS-accredited bodies, use the UKAS “Who’s Accredited” search, and confirm the body’s scope covers the standard on the certificate, because a body may be accredited for other systems only.
- Search the certificate on IAF CertSearch (iafcertsearch.org). It is the International Accreditation Forum’s global database and includes only accredited certificates. It is incomplete, so a certificate missing from it is not proof of fraud.
- If it is not listed, contact the certification body directly, using the contact details on its schedule of accreditation and not those printed on the certificate you are checking.
Questions worth asking beyond “do you hold ISO?”
- Which edition does the certificate cite, and when does it expire?
- Does the scope wording cover the work you are commissioning, such as main contracting, and not only a part of the business?
- Who is the certification body, and does its UKAS schedule list this standard?
- When was the last surveillance audit?
- What is the company’s plan for moving to the 2026 editions?
What the 2026 changes mean for a certificate you are handed
The 2015 editions of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 are being replaced in stages, and during the transition a certificate to the 2015 edition is not out of date. Each certified company moves to the new edition at a point agreed with its certification body, no later than the final dates in the table above.
ISO 14001:2026 was published on 15 April 2026. UKAS began transition assessments on 4 May 2026, certification bodies stop new certifications to the 2015 version from 31 October 2027, and certified customers must transition by 30 April 2029.
ISO 9001:2026 was published on 16 September 2026. ISO describes greater emphasis on leadership, a culture of quality and ethical behaviour, clearer treatment of risks and opportunities, and adoption of the latest Harmonized Structure for management system standards. UKAS expects to begin transition assessments from 1 November 2026, and certification bodies stop accepting new applications against the previous version on 16 March 2028.
One point is worth noting if a 2026-edition ISO 9001 certificate is handed to you in the coming months. UKAS’s bulletin states that ISO 9001:2026 certificates issued before UKAS has granted the certification body’s transition must not be presented as accredited. Check the body’s schedule before treating such a certificate as accredited.
Our own certificates
Bespoke Construction Group holds all three certificates, issued by Auva Certification, with certificate numbers 2411, 2412 and 2413. You can check them the same way. Our credentials page sets out the rest of what we hold, and you can discuss a project with us directly.