Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

PJR boasts of having registered many Fortune 500 companies, but works with firms of all sizes and types to promote our approach to auditing as a “win-win” situation. The registrar-client relationship is a long-term one, developed through a combination of communication, auditor expertise and service. We also offer the following advantages:

• No application fee
• No mandatory preliminary site visit
• No penalty for changing schedules (with reasonable notice)
• No hidden costs
• No overtime charges
• One complimentary certification plaque per client
• Detailed preparation done off-site
• Minimal auditor expenses, no travel mark-up, all expenses at cost
• Local auditors used whenever possible
• Client press releases written at no additional charge
• 24-hour hotline
• FREE training
• FREE webinars
• Weekly updates on what is happening in the industry

Yes, the logo may be used and is supplied in the form of both electronic and camera-ready artwork (camera-ready upon request). The logo, however, may not appear on your company’s product. Logo-use guidelines are provided along with the certificate and camera-ready artwork.

Clients are routinely quoted for surveillance visits every six months, unless they ask for the annual surveillance schedule. In either case, recently issued guidelines from the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) require that the total audit time for reassessment purposes be equal to two-thirds of the time devoted to the initial registration audit. Reassessment time may vary from the mandated 2/3 figure based on “significant factors that uniquely apply to the organization”, including, but not limited to, these contained in Annex 2 of the IAF Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC Guide 62. The Guidance document is available on the IAF website at http://www.iaf.nu under ‘Documentation.’

Most PJR clients choose the continuous (every-six-months) surveillance option due to its inherent advantages. Under this method, your quality system remains under ongoing maintenance. With shorter intervals between audit visits, your system has less of a chance to break down. In this way there is far less of a chance that auditors will find any major nonconformances, which can be time-consuming and expensive to correct.

The registration certificate is valid for three years. At the end of the three-year period, a reassessment will be scheduled to renew the certificate. Between the time of the initial registration audit and the certificate renewal at 3 years, clients are audited periodically based on their choice of surveillance schedules: continuous (audits every six months) or annual (audits once per year). See the next question and answer for more details.

PJR abides by the stringent requirements of ISO/IEC 17021 regarding auditor expertise and experience.

Complaints will be handled through our Customer Service Department in accordance with PJR’s complaint procedure; this may require the intervention of both the President and the Audit Program Manager. They can also be submitted through our “Lodge A Complaint” feature.

Changes to the team may be arranged if necessary; PJR remains flexible. Your APC can work with you to provide detailed biographical information on prospective auditors if desired.

Yes. PJR’s internal audits are conducted twice per year. The audit scheme follows the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021 for both quality management system (QMS) audits and environmental management system (EMS) audits.

PJR has been an accredited registrar since 1994; formal accreditation came in January 1995 by ANSI/ANAB.

Perry Johnson Registrars, Inc. has been accredited by seven different international bodies, is recognized by IAOB, and has an audit staff of over 250 auditors, averaging 15 years of auditing experience and 18 years of experience in the quality industry.

PJR is the largest registrar in North America, based on individual companies registered.* However, in the unlikely event that PJR goes out of business or loses its accreditation, PJR will have established a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with an accredited registration body. This will maintain your status as a registered company.

*As reported by reported by IAAR (Independent Association of Accredited Registrars) 2012, 2013 and 2014.

PJR auditors boast an average of 15 years of auditing experience and an average 18 years of experience in quality assurance. Auditors undergo a thorough qualifications process, which includes not only interviews, background checks, and references, but mandatory training modules, technical competency exams, observation and supervision audits, and annual auditor training.

By conducting extensive evaluations of prospective auditors prior to hiring, PJR ensures that only the highest-quality candidates make it onto the PJR team. A combination of work experience, training, education, and audit days are required for PJR auditors to claim competence in a particular EA sector prior to auditing for a client. Many professional PJR auditors are industry experts who also teach classes on auditing skills for other auditors.

PJR has issued more than 10,000 registration certificates. New registration audits are scheduled daily; PJR contracts with more than 200 new companies every month.

PJR follows the guidelines contained in ISO 19011 to define its qualification criteria for quality system auditors. ISO 19011 details requirements for education, training, experience, personal attributes, management capabilities and continuing education. All Lead Auditors are professionally certified (RABQSA, IRCA and/or PJR) and take part in additional training specific to PJR policies and procedures.

No, but all PJR audit teams will have at least one ANAB-, IRCA- or PJR-certified Lead Auditor. Other team members, all of whom will have considerable quality auditing, teaching and/or consulting experience, are ANAB-, IRCA- or PJR-certified Auditors.

PJR is accredited by ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB – formerly RAB), the Japanese Accreditation Board (JAB), the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), the Italian National System for Accreditation of Certification and Inspection Body (Accredia).

In accordance with our worldwide expansion plans, PJR is working to obtain accreditations with several national accrediting bodies. PJR also has an application pending with the China National Accreditation Council for Registrars (CNACR).

Yes.

See the PJR Programs Overview Brochure. This downloadable PDF includes a company history, qualifications, and full list of available certification programs.

PJR auditors do not include lengthy comments regarding observations. Observations are limited to complete yet concise notes; further comments are made on the final audit report.

Corrective action must be submitted within 60-90 days of the audit by fax, mail or e-mail. PJR does allow on-site corrective action during the audit, provided that the time spent reviewing the proposed corrective actions does not significantly affect the audit schedule or objectives. We advocate caucuses at the end of each day to review corrective action. PJR does not charge for closure of corrective action, except in the event that the closure is for a major nonconformance (since a revisit is required).

Nonconformances are either major or minor. If the registration audit reveals only minor non-conformances, the Lead Auditor will recommend registration – pending the closeout of corrective action. Objective evidence of corrective action can be submitted by mail or fax within 90 days of the audit; once accepted by the Lead Auditor, the registration certificate will be issued (and corrective action verified at the next required surveillance visit). For a major nonconformance, a revisit will be required to evaluate the corrective action, except in rare cases. The revisit will be limited to the area of nonconformance. In any case, the PJR audit will continue, even upon discovery of major nonconformances; you will be notified of any deficiencies in your quality system before the audit team leaves your facility. This written notification is part of the formal audit visit.

PJR wishes to cultivate the best possible relationships with our clients. This includes a willingness to be flexible, even regarding the scheduling of registration audits. However, there is a clause in the PJR contract that addresses a 21-day cancellation window beyond which cancellation can become a punitive issue.

Clients usually contract with a registrar even before beginning the quality system implementation process. The reason is that by contracting with a registrar first, they can establish an early link with the audit team and program. PJR has found that by contracting with PJR prior to quality system implementation activities, clients can typically trim 30-40% off the time normally spent on the registration process. To participate in our “priority scheduling” program, you should contract with us as soon as possible. Our Audit Program Coordinators typically schedule audits 60-90 days in advance. Auditors in the field will tentatively schedule the next continuous or annual surveillance audit while physically on site.

Yes. The client pays for the reassessment, but only for the man-day or days (plus associated expenses) necessary to evaluate conformance to the standard.

If the proposed modification is closely related to the existing scope/quality system, it is usually verified and approved at the next surveillance audit to help minimize costs. If it is a substantive departure from the registered scope, a special assessment may be required for approval.

PJR works with individual clients to promote consistency among audit personnel. We recommend that a minimum of one person from the pre-assessment team be on the registration audit team; however, no guarantees can be made as to auditor availability.

PJR considers the pre-assessment to be a very important step toward a successful registration audit. Although pre-assessments are totally optional, 99% of PJR clients who have undergone pre-assessments pass their registration audits the first time.

PJR recommends that pre-assessments be performed within a 90-day window of the actual registration audit. A longer delay may lead to a deterioration of the quality system due to inattention and inaction.

A pre-assessment is optional; PJR does not require it. However, the benefits of having a pre-assessment are numerous, including focusing your attention on your current quality system weaknesses, allowing you to gain experience and familiarity with an audit and PJR auditors, and increasing your overall chances of passing the registration audit. The pre-assessment usually takes about 60% of the time quoted for the registration audit.

Usually not. PJR does not require that documentation changes or modifications be communicated in writing to PJR headquarters. The revisions are reviewed on-site at the next surveillance audit at no additional cost. PJR auditors allow continuous improvement changes to the Quality Policy Manual. However, the quality manual must be submitted 30-45 days before the initial audit so that the Lead Auditor can evaluate the manual and its adherence to the standard.

PJR requires submission of the Quality Policy Manual to the Lead Auditor 30-45 days prior to the registration audit. Typical turnaround time is between 10 and 15 days. The sooner you submit your documentation, the more time you will have for corrective action. Once your contract is signed and accepted, you will be required to submit a Quality Policy Manual for review and approval prior to making and implementing any revision. The Quality Policy Manual must be in a ready state prior to the registrar’s visit. If modifications were not communicated to the Lead Auditor prior to the audit date, they will be reviewed on-site by the Lead Auditor.

Clients are notified of quality system deviations through issuance of nonconformance reports (NCRs) at the time of their audit. Clients have 60-90 days for corrective action submission.

PJR is not in the practice of contracting with any other registrar to maintain its accreditation. However, like other registrars, PJR does work with a subcontract auditor base in addition to its full-time employees. PJR has a rigorous qualification process for contract auditors, which includes ongoing training and evaluation.

PJR, in accordance with ISO/IEC 17021, maintains strict confidentiality of any proprietary client information.

Yes – PJR maintains a Registry of its registered companies. For details, please contact your Project Manager. Some noteworthy clients of PJR include Husqvarna, Mitsubishi Electric, Bridgestone, Bell Textron, 1 800 Flowers, Kikkoman, Dart Container Corporation, Samsung, FedEx, Kyocera, and Coca-Cola.

PJR’s scope of accreditation covers all scope codes in IAF ID1 except No. 11 (Nuclear Waste) and has limited accreditation in 25, 26, and 27 (Electricity, Gas, and Water Supply). We currently hold accreditation to certify clients to the following standards: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, AS9100/9110/9120, Responsible Recycling (R2), RIOS, BA9000, e-Stewards, ISO 13485, ISO 45001, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, ISO 27001, ISO 20000-1, TL 9000, IATF 16949, ISO 26262, ISO 37001, CMMC and ISO 50001.

Clients are notified of any changes to the registration program in writing via our Weekly Recap email; updates are likewise posted on the News page of PJR.com. PJR welcomes comments, encourages dialogue and is more than willing to work through any customer concerns. Typically, ample time is provided to implement any changes. These changes need not be submitted in writing, but rather are monitored by the Lead Auditor at the next surveillance visit.

Yes – please find the process outlined in the documents downloadable from our Registration Document Download page.

• Preparation and initial visit
• Review of Quality Policy Manual
• Review of revisions to the Quality Policy Manual
• Preliminary evaluation
• Pre-assessment
• Report processing
• First-year surveillance
• Second-year surveillance
• Third-year surveillance
• Costs-per-day for on-site visits
• Any other charges

See quotation.

Yes. There is a one-time certification fee (good for the three years’ duration of the certificate):

There is also an annual file maintenance fee based on the same breakdown as above. Special accreditation seals and/or special standards’ requirements may add to your audit costs; see your account executive for details.

Travel, lodging and per diem are billed at cost. Since PJR has auditors all across the country, our aim is always to select the closest auditor to the client’s facility, thereby keeping travel costs to a minimum.

PJR quotes surveillance costs at the time of the original quotation. A surveillance is a sampling of the quality system that verifies continued system maintenance. Generally, a surveillance will require 25% to 33% of the time required for the original audit.

Yes, PJR can supply an estimate prior to the quoting process to give a rough idea of registration costs.

All registrars are obligated to follow international guidelines on man-day requirements for the standard in question. Registration audit quotations are based on the estimated time the audit will take. Major factors used in determining the time include: size of the facility to be audited; number of employees and complexity of the operation (number of shifts, number of product lines, nature of the product produced).

PJR’s standard rate per man-day varies by standard/scope. Please check with a PJR project manager for exact pricing.

No.