The fix is in. The other day, TC 176 held its latest vacation “official meeting” on ISO 9001:2026 in Mexico, pretending to go over details and comments, etc. But snuck into the proceedings was this little nugget: that TC 176 has already set the official publication date for October 12, 2026, and will hold the “publication celebration” at BSI’s new headquarters in London.
The only problem is that the standard is still at the DIS stage, and still has to undergo disposition of hundreds of comments from ISO member nations, make it through the FDIS voting stage, and then a final vote for the “IS” release, or the official final version.
But, no. ISO and BSI have already decided that the standard will be published regardless of any user opinions, official ISO member nation feedback, WTO regulations, and ISO’s own procedures. They have the party’s venue already booked!
It’s also a horrible look that BSI is holding the “publication celebration” at their headquarters, since they have been trying — poorly — to dodge the obvious truth that they, through their hand-picked goon Sam Somerville, are the real architects of this disastrous update. Remember this point, because later, when ISO 9001:2026 is recognized as a complete trainwreck, BSI will insist they had nothing to do with any of this. And Sam Somerville will, like Nigel Croft before her, disavow all responsibility.
What’s worse is that they are laser-focused on extraneous content that no one cares about: the drafting of the introductory material (clauses 0 through 3) and the monstrous, growing-by-the-minute “Annex” that tries to give consulting advice. The requirements section (clauses 4 through 10) remains largely untouched, with nearly no changes to clause 8, where operations actually happen. This is because Somerville and her BSI gang have no practical shop floor experience and are only interested in selling consulting services, not making a QMS standard that reflects the current state of the quality management profession.
Who’s happy? Tinpot dictator and future shampoo denier Sergio Mujica, ISO’s Secretary-General, who needs to get ISO 9001 published before his term ends this year. Having failed to get nominated for the UN Secretary-General slot, despite shoving “climate change” into every ISO management system standard, Mujica needs a win before he steps down. Assuming he does step down, as rumors are now circulating that he won’t, since he has no job lined up. Tinpot dictator, as I said.
So whatever happens between now and October is entirely performance theater, designed to fool you into thinking you have some say in any of this. They have never listened to professionals and subject matter experts, and the DIS reflects this. The early TC 176 meetings were a snakepit, with consultants arguing between themselves, and BSI took over and circled the wagons. An absolute, total, incomprehensible mess.
On another note, as she is insisting that she and BSI are open to stakeholder feedback, that corrupt hag Somerville blocked other critics and me on LinkedIn. She can’t even pretend to care about anything but herself.
Christopher Paris is the founder and VP Operations of Oxebridge. He has over 35 years’ experience implementing ISO 9001 and AS9100 systems, and helps establish certification and accreditation bodies with the ISO 17000 series. He is a vocal advocate for the development and use of standards from the point of view of actual users. He is the writer and artist of THE AUDITOR comic strip, and is currently writing the DR. CUBA pulp novel series. Visit www.drcuba.world
