Rules and Regulations for Certification- Multi-site Organization

Introduction

INTERCERT Egypt is a private certification body established to provide independent third-party auditing and certification services to organizations in accordance with internationally recognized management system standards. INTERCERT Egypt operates as an impartial and competent certification body delivering services as INTERCERT EGYPT its approved scopes of activity, with its primary operational activities conducted within the Arab Republic of Egypt. INTERCERT Egypt’s head office is located in Hurghada, Sakala District, directly opposite Seagull Hotel, Red Sea Governorate, Arab Republic of Egypt. In addition, the organization operates a marketing office at 45 Ibn Qutaiba Street, Nasr City, Cairo.

INTERCERT Egypt for Certification and Audit Activities is a private certification body, hereinafter referred to as INTERCERT Egypt, legally registered in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Arab Republic of Egypt under Commercial Registration Number 52667, Unified Commercial Registration Number of the organization: 104400000052667, National id number: 562192166 and Tax Card registration Number 562192166

2.0 Criteria for Granting Certification of a Multi-site organization

2.1 General rules and regulation

  • The rules & regulations specified in the document, PID-01 shall be applicable to all organizations applying for certification to INTERCERT EGYPT .

2.2 Rules and regulation- Multi site 

  • For multi-site organizations the rules & regulations specified in this document, PID-03 shall be additionally applicable. All organizations seeking multi-site certification shall essentially comply with these.

2.3 Eligibility

  • Multi-site organization is defined as an organization having an identified central function (central office) at which certain activities are planned, controlled or managed and a network of local offices and branches (sites) at which such activities are fully or partially carried out. 

  • A multi-site organization need not be a unique legal entity, but all sites shall have a legal or contractual link with the central office and be subject to a common management system. The management system is laid down, established and subject to continuous surveillance and internal audits by the central office. This means that the central office has rights to ensure that the sites implement corrective actions when needed at any site.

  • The processes at all the sites have to be substantially of the same kind and have to be operated to similar methods and procedures. Where some of the sites under consideration conduct similar, but fewer processes than others, they may be eligible for inclusion provided that the site or sites, which conduct most processes or critical processes, are subject to full audit . All the sites should be in the same country.

  • Organizations, which conduct their business through linked processes in different locations, are also eligible for certification under multi-site. Where processes in each location are not similar but are clearly linked, the sampling plan shall include at least one example of each processes conducted by the organization (e.g. fabrication of electronic component in one location, assembly of the same components – by the same company in several other locations)

  • The organization’s management system shall be under a centrally controlled and administered plan and be subject to central management review. All the relevant sites including the central office shall be subject to the organization’s internal audit program and all sites have been audited prior to certification audit. 

  • The central office has established the management system in accordance with the relevant ISO or other standard and the whole organization meets the requirements of the standard including relevant legal regulations.

  • The organization should demonstrate its ability to collect and analyze data (system documentation and changes, management review, complaints, corrective actions, internal audit, legal requirements etc) from all sites including the central office and its authority and also demonstrate its authority and ability to initiate organization changes if required.

  • If all the sites of an organization where the activity subject to certification is performed are not ready to be submitted for certification at the same time, the organization shall be required to inform INTERCERT EGYPT in advance of the sites that it wants to be included in the certification and those which are to be excluded.

2.4 Nonconformities.

  • Whenever any non-conformity is found at an individual site, either through the organization’s internal auditing or auditing by INTERCERT EGYPT  , the organization shall investigate whether it leads to a system deficiency affecting all other sites or limited to the particular site only. If it is found a system deficiency correction and corrective action should be performed both at central office and at the individual sites. If the corrective action is limited to only the site where the nonconformity has been reported, the organization should be able to demonstrate to INTERCERT EGYPT, the justification for limiting its follow up corrective action. 

  • At the time of the decision making process, if any site has nonconformity pending the certification shall be denied to the whole network pending satisfactory corrective action. 

  • It shall not be admissible that, in order to overcome the obstacle raised by the existence of non-conformity at a single site, the organization seeks to exclude from the scope the “problematic site “site during the certification process. Such exclusion can only be agreed in advance as stated in section 2.3.8. 

2.5 Certification Document

  • INTERCERT EGYPT  shall issue the certificate after completing the procedural requirements (PID-01) and the sites included in the certificate are either individually audited or audited as per a sampling scheme as defined in  INTERCERT EGYPT  procedure.
  • INTERCERT EGYPT shall withdraw the entire certificate if the central office or any of the sites does not fulfill the necessary provisions for the maintenance of the certification.
  • As the list of sites need to be updated by INTERCERT EGYPT  , the organization shall inform INTERCERT EGYPT  about the closure of any of the sites covered by the certification. Failure to provide such information will be considered by INTERCERT EGYPT as a misuse of the certification and INTERCERT EGYPT shall initiate appropriate action for suspension as specified in PID-02.
  • INTERCERT EGYPT shall grant additional sites to the existing certification either through the routine surveillance, special audit or re-certification audit.

2.6 Sampling

  • The number of sites selected for certification shall be based on the norms framed by INTERCERT EGYPT to meet the requirements of the applicable standard.

  • It is not necessary to select the sites before starting of the audit process, but can also be done after the audit of the central office.

Note: This document should be read in conjunction with general Rules & Regulations for Certification specified in PID-01.