Guide
How to choose a standard
Management system standards describe how an organisation can arrange its work so that it achieves predictable results - quality, safety, environmental protection, information security. They are internationally recognised and are applied by companies of every size and industry, as well as by municipalities and institutions.
Most of the standards we work with are published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and share a common structure. Others are sector schemes - for example IFS and BRCGS for food, IATF 16949 for the automotive industry - or assessments and audits that customers ask for, such as EcoVadis, SMETA and amfori BSCI. All 35 are on this page.
When an organisation needs a standard
The most common reasons for implementing a standard are concrete and measurable:
- A customer or retail chain requires it
- A public tender sets it as a condition
- The law makes it mandatory - HACCP, NIS2, energy
- Export and new markets
- Order and efficiency as the company grows
- Funding under European programmes
Certificate, consultant, accreditation - who does what
The consultant - such as Baltov Consult - prepares the organisation: it analyses the current situation, builds the system together with the team, trains the people and assists during the audit. The certificate is issued by an independent certification body after an audit, and certification bodies are accredited by an accreditation body.
That is why the consultant and the certification body are different organisations - this guarantees the impartiality of the audit. Some standards are not certified: ISO 31000 contains guidelines, ISO 15189 leads to accreditation, and EcoVadis, SMETA and amfori BSCI end with a rating or a report.
Why several standards in one system
ISO management system standards share a common structure - context, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, improvement. That is why ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO/IEC 27001 can be built as one integrated system: with a common policy, common documents, a common internal audit and a common management review.
This saves the organisation time and money, and a certification audit of several standards at once is shorter than separate audits. The new editions ISO 9001:2026 and ISO 14001:2026 make integration even easier.
How to choose - six questions
- Who requires it?A customer, a retail chain, a tender or the law - the requirement often determines the standard too.
- What is your industry?Food, automotive, medicine, IT - many industries have their own schemes.
- What are the risks?Quality, safety, environment, information - where would a problem cause the greatest loss?
- What do you already have?If you have ISO 9001, the next standard is added faster.
- Certificate or assessment?Some customers want a certificate, others an assessment or an audit on a platform.
- One or several?An integrated system is usually the best value with two or more standards.
What you get from us
- Free initial assessment
- A recommendation on which standards to implement
- Gap analysis
- Documents, procedures and records
- Training for management and the team
- Internal audit and management review
- Support during the certification audit
- Support after certification