Internal Audit - ISO Compliance Services

Transform your internal audits: Expert efficiency awaits.

Boost the value of your internal audits, and ace external audits. Ready to elevate your audit performance?

Our certified internal auditors not only possess the necessary ISO® lead auditor credentials, they also bring decades of practical implementation and compliance experience to keep your internal audits succinct, straightforward, of tremendous value, and boost your external audit readiness.

Tailor Your Audit

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Request a proposal for your next internal audit.
Share your specific requirements such as the different locations that are to be audited, the timeframe the audit has to happen, the scope of your management system, etc.

Secure An Audit

prepay for your audit

Prepay for your internal audit and lock-in your internal auditor.
This fixed-price option is for organizations that:
- Seek a 100% remote audit that is to be completed in seven consecutive days or less;
- Are ISO® certified for two years or more;
- Have a little wiggle room when it comes to scheduling the internal audit.

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Consider using our high-in-demand internal auditing services when you are experiencing:

Lack of in-house expertise: When you don’t have staff with sufficient knowledge of ISO standards or auditing processes.
Resource constraints: Your internal teams are too busy with daily operations or with other audits to conduct a thorough ISO® audit.
Objectivity concerns: You want to ensure an unbiased perspective, free from internal politics or preconceptions.
Preparation challenges for external audits: Our internal auditors can provide insights that better prepares your organization for official certification audits.
A lack of fresh perspective: Our internal auditors might identify issues or improvement opportunities that your staff may overlook due to familiarity.
A complex or a large-scale operations: When the scope of the audit is extensive or involves multiple departments or locations.
Regulatory requirements: In some industries, independent audits may be mandated.
Cost-effectiveness challenges: When it’s more economical to outsource than to train and maintain internal audit capabilities.
A need for specific industry knowledge: When specialized expertise in certain sectors or technologies is required.
Continuous improvement challenges: When you desire to benchmark against industry best practices and gain insights for enhancing processes.
A conflict of interest: When your internal auditors might face ethical dilemmas due to their position within the organization.
The need for supplementing your internal teams: To support and upskill in-house auditors by working alongside our experienced professionals.

Frequently Asked Questions

The short answer is that the duration varies based on your organization’s size and complexity, but usually ranges from 5-7 days for most small to medium-sized businesses.

Size of Your Organization

Several variables play into the determination of the duration of an internal audit when it comes to its size. Think of:

The number of employees that work within the scope of certification
The number of physical locations that fall within the scope of certification

In other words, the more employees take part in the internal audit, or the more locations are to be visited, has an immediate impact on the duration of the internal audit.

Furthermore, most standards have specific rules when it comes to the duration of an external, and therefor also, an internal audit. These requirements are mostly captured in an informative standard such as ISO/IEC 20000-6 or ISO/IEC 27006.

Complexity of the Organization

What is meant by the complexity of the organization are aspects such as:

Its scope of certification and when the scope has recently been changed
The extent to which the organization has outsourced its responsibilities
The level of experience the organization’s staff has when it comes to complying with the ISO® standard and conducting and participating in audits
The nature and the number of internal audit objectives
Its number of regulatory requirements impacting the management system that is to be audited

Other Factors Impacting the Duration

Other common factors that impact the duration are:

The number of auditors conducting the internal audit
The level of experience of the internal auditor(s); this applies not only to the standard, but also to the industry and the market

In conclusion, the duration that is mentioned above can easily double or triple depending on the factors listed.

The disruption is minimal. Our auditors work to accommodate your schedule and require only occasional access to staff, documents, and records.

We communicate and agree on the audit schedule well in advance of the audit. This gives you maximum time to have your staff available at the time of the interview or the inspection.

Furthermore, ideally we request access to your documentation prior to the internal audit. That way, our auditors come best prepared.

First and foremost, you gather the relevant documentation and you make it accessible to the internal auditor.

Second, you inform staff about the upcoming internal audit and its process. You ensure key personnel are available for interviews. And you conduct mock interviews.

And last but not least, you ensure that the evidentiary records can be accessed and shared during the audit. Particularly those records the internal auditor will ask about with high certainty.

Reputable firms providing internal auditor services assign auditors with relevant industry experience to ensure meaningful audits and insights.

After nearly two decades of conducting internal audits, implementing the audit requirements, and training and certifying staff, we have the pleasure of having serviced as good as any industry, in any market, across the globe. We only seasoned industry veterans when it comes to adding to our team of internal auditors.

The internal auditor will document these in an audit report.

Nonconformities are to be mitigated through corrective actions to avoid a recurrence. These corrective actions are to be executed on. Ignoring them may result in a nonconformity during the external audit.
For opportunities for improvement the internal auditor may provide recommendations for these improvements. An opportunity for improvement, in essence is a recommendation. You are not required to execute on the recommendations. However, you are to document what you will do, or not do regarding this recommendation.

Internal auditors are bound by strict confidentiality agreements. Your information remains secure and is not shared with external parties.

We will not initiate the internal audit activities without a non-disclosure agreement in place.

No, to maintain impartiality, the same company cannot perform both internal and certification audits.

ISO 19011 and ISO/IEC 17021 have strict rules when it comes to performing audits. We pride ourselves abiding by them.

Our internal audit reports typically include an executive summary, detailed findings, non-conformities, and improvement opportunities.

As stated earlier, we adhere to the requirements and the recommendations as provided by ISO 19011 and ISO/IEC 17021. This includes what is to be included in an audit report.

Third-party internal audits offer an independent perspective and often bring industry-wide best practices and benchmarks.

Your own internal audit may not always have this fresh perspective and level of objectivity.

Internal audits are to be conducted at least annually. The frequency depends on your needs, but annually is common for maintaining continuous improvement and preparedness for external audits.

Additional internal audits may be the result of a major change to your scope of certification. Or when your organization has gone through some major changes such as a merger, an acquisition, or a major outsourcing initiative.