AIUK accreditation, explained properly.
The Certification People Ltd is accredited by AIUK (Accreditation International UK) under registration number ATB 21227. Here is what accreditation actually checks, who AIUK is, how it differs from the other bodies you will come across, and what it does and does not do for your certificate.
The basics
Accreditation is a check on the checker.
Your certificate is issued by us. Accreditation is an outside body examining how we work — before it lets us put its name on your certificate.
Competence
That the people making certification decisions are qualified, that audits are long enough, and that the body knows the standard it is auditing against.
Impartiality
That the body does not audit its own work, does not sell consulting alongside certification, and keeps a formal route for complaints and appeals.
Ongoing oversight
That someone outside the body re-checks it on a cycle — so accreditation can be suspended or withdrawn if standards slip.
Who AIUK is
- AIUK (Accreditation International UK) was formed in 2007 by three professionals from the training and certification sector to accredit small and medium third-party training, teaching and certification bodies.
- It is a not-for-profit organisation and acts independently of any national government, including the UK Government.
- Certification bodies are assessed in line with ISO/IEC 17021:2015, the international standard for how certification bodies must operate.
- Accreditation runs in three-year cycles, with surveillance audits each year and a full reassessment at the end of each cycle.
- AIUK's assessors include people who have previously worked for UKAS and comparable bodies.
- AIUK is not a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), and states that it stays independent of it.
Our accredited scope covers ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 27001 and 50001. Every certificate we issue states the accreditation and carries our registration number.
How it differs from the other bodies
Three things sell ISO certificates: a UKAS-accredited body, an AIUK-accredited body like us, or nobody at all. Here is the honest difference.
| AIUK — our accreditation | UKAS | No accreditation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who they are | An independent, not-for-profit UK accreditation body, set up in 2007 to accredit small and medium certification bodies. | The UK's sole national accreditation body, formally recognised by the UK government. | Nobody. A body with no accreditation issues certificates under its own name alone. |
| Who checks the checker | AIUK's own assessors audit us to ISO/IEC 17021:2015. Many of them previously worked for UKAS and similar bodies. | UKAS is peer-evaluated by the international accreditation community (EA, ILAC and IAF, now Global ACI). | No external check of competence or impartiality at all. |
| How the body is watched | Three-year cycle, surveillance audits every year, full reassessment at the end of the cycle. | The same model: regular surveillance and periodic reassessment. | Nothing. The status can never be withdrawn because there is nothing to withdraw. |
| International standing | AIUK is not an IAF member. Recognition of our certificates abroad is decided by each country's own process, and by the customers who accept them. | UKAS signs mutual recognition arrangements with EA, ILAC and IAF, so its certificates are accepted by default in many markets. | Often rejected outright by procurement and tender teams. |
| What it does to your bill | Low overheads, so the fee stays close to the cost of the audit itself. | Accreditation overheads are typically passed on in audit fees. | Cheap — and often worthless to the people you need to convince. |
One thing we will not pretend: if a tender, customer contract or regulator names UKAS specifically, an AIUK-accredited certificate will not satisfy that clause. Send us the wording before you pay and we will tell you honestly whether we can meet it.
What the accreditation obliges us to do
Accreditation is not a logo. It is a set of rules we have to follow on every single audit.
- Every certification decision is reviewed and signed off by a qualified IRCA-certified lead auditor — software never issues a certificate.
- The auditor who audits you cannot be the person who consulted for you, and cannot tell you how to fix a finding before it is raised.
- Certification is only issued once corrective actions for raised findings have been reviewed and closed.
- Complaints and appeals are handled through a documented route, by someone impartial.
- Certificates state the accreditation status, and can be checked at any time on our public verification page.
Raised a concern? Use our complaints and appeals route, or read the accreditation, security and policy documents in our Trust Centre.
Questions people actually ask
Are you UKAS accredited?
No. We are accredited by AIUK under registration number ATB 21227, and we never describe ourselves as UKAS accredited or UKAS-oversighted. If a tender or customer policy names UKAS specifically, tell us and we will say straight away whether we can meet it.
Can I check your accreditation myself?
Yes. Search reference ATB 21227 on the AIUK register to see our accredited scope, and check any certificate we have issued on our verification page. Both are public and neither needs an account.
What does the AIUK mark on my certificate mean?
It shows the certificate was issued by a certification body holding live accreditation, and the registration number must appear with it. If our accreditation were ever suspended, we would have to stop issuing certificates carrying the mark immediately.
Will an AIUK-accredited certificate satisfy my tender?
It depends on the wording. Where a tender asks for accredited certification from a recognised body, ours normally fits. Where it names UKAS specifically, ours will not. Read the clause, or send it to us before you pay — we would rather lose the sale than sell you the wrong document.
Who decides whether my certificate is issued?
A qualified human auditor. AI organises and pre-reviews evidence, but every finding, review and certification decision is signed off by an IRCA-certified lead auditor who never consulted for you.
Start with something accredited.
Get an instant price for ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 27001 or 50001, or transfer an existing certificate to us in days.