According to a source, the Nadcap scheme owner PRI (Performance Review Institute) has bought out the Colorado-based certification body Platinum Registration.
The transition is likely to be rough for clients, as Platinum was largely seen as an ISO 9001 and AS9100 certification body with a lighter touch and reasonable daily rates, whereas PRI is reported to be much more difficult to work with and with a generally higher day rate. PRI is reportedly trying to allow former Platinum clients to keep their auditors, suggesting that PRI will absorb Platinum’s auditor pool.
Platinum faced years of controversy over conflicts of interest between it and the consulting firm Cavendish Scott. Platinum was owned by Kerri Williams and Cavendish by her husband, Colin Gray. Oxebridge had learned that Cavendish used its connections with Platinum to win consulting clients, and Gray openly worked as a Lead Auditor for his wife’s CB. This continued even as Platinum claimed to have a “Guaranteed” policy against conflicts of interest. The relationship was reported to Paltinum’s accreditation body, ANAB, who refused to investigate.
PRI holds a monopoly over aerospace special process accreditation, as the sole accreditation body for Nadcap. Nadcap accreditation is often made a requirement when selling to defense industry customers, raising questions over free trade rights since there are no alternative vendors for the service.
There does not appear to have been an official announcement by either party to date.
