FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2003-10-21

ISO 9001:2000 Transition Deadline Stands

ISO 9001:2000 Transition Deadline Stands

OTTAWA - The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) today confirmed the 15 December 2003 deadline for the migration of accredited certificates from the 1994 editions of ISO 9001, 9002 and 9003 to the new ISO 9001:2000 edition, following confirmation of the transition deadline at the 17^th Annual meeting of the IAF.

At its Annual Meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, in September 2003, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) reaffirmed to the market that all accredited registration of Quality Management Systems to ISO 9001:1994, ISO 9002:1994 and ISO 9003:1994 ceases to have validity on 15 December 2003. The decision that this would happen was taken in 1999 by the IAF along with the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) committees on Quality Management (ISO/TC 176) and Conformity Assessment (ISO CASCO) in preparation for the withdrawal of those standards by ISO in favour of ISO 9001:2000 (which came into effect on 15 December 2000).

Organizations that base their purchasing decisions on the fact that their supplier is third party "ISO 9000 certified/registered" are reminded that after 15 December 2003 the only recognized form of conformity of an ISO 9001 Quality Management System will be an accredited certification/registration to ISO 9001:2000. After 15 December 2003, all accredited certifications/registrations to ISO 9001:1994, ISO 9002:1994 and ISO 9003:1994 will have expired. Any use of accreditation marks on such certificates will therefore be in error, and in contravention of the intellectual property rights of the owners of the marks.

The International Accreditation Forum, Inc. (IAF) is the world association of Conformity Assessment Accreditation Bodies and others interested in conformity assessment in the fields of management systems, products, services, personnel and other similar programs of conformity assessment. Its primary function is to develop a single worldwide program of conformity assessment which reduces risk for business and its customers by assuring them that accredited certificates may be relied upon. For more information on the IAF, visit www.iaf.nu.

The Standards Council of Canada is a Crown Corporation with the mandate to coordinate and promote efficient and effective voluntary standardization. It is Canada's representative at ISO and a signatory to the IAF Multi-lateral arrangement for QMS. For more information on the Standards Council of Canada, including its QMS Accreditation Program, visit www.scc.ca.

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