I am not sure what drugs they are doing over at the British Standards Institution, but I do know two things: they are incredibly hallucinogenic and probably ingested via stirring them into some bland Darjeeling.
In a recent official post by BSI, they announced that the changes to ISO 9001:2026 are only “editorial clarifications,” suggesting there are no actual changes to the requirements. If you recall, ISO did this same thing with the ISO 9001:2008 version, essentially re-releasing ISO 9001:2000 with a new date on the cover to grab some quick cash.
The article by BSI is really baffling — thus, the drug jokes — because of a few key points.
First, BSI took over the development of ISO 9001:2026 after TC 176 failed to get its act together. BSI essentially runs ISO and was getting impatient with the incompetence of the committee, so it grabbed control of the TC entirely. Then, it assigned the vapid, intellectually-challenged Sam Somerville to run the show, and her key qualification was that she would do whatever her master at BSI told her to.
So the DIS came out with nearly no changes to clause 8, a few bafflingly bad changes to some other clauses, and the addition of a massive Annex which exists only to pad the page count so ISO can charge $300 per copy of ISO 9001, rather than $180.
But, to be clear, the DIS does have some new requirements, even if they are buried under incomprehensible consultant-speak and meaningless jargon. So it appears that the editors at BSI don’t know what the word “editorial” actually means.
Next, the BSI article then links to an expensive video produced by BSI itself in which it exaggerates those changes, making it sound like the new standard includes more requirements than it actually does. Of course, Somerville appears in that video, slavishly sucking up to BSI and ISO as if her bucket list included “someday be a lapdog for corrupt assholes.”
So which is it, BSI? Are the changes “editorial clarifications” or new requirements? I know you guys drive on the opposite side of the road, but you still need to pick a lane and stay in it, FFS.
The only thing that is clear about this new version is that the marketing has been entirely unclear.
Meanwhile, I am told the FDIS version of the standard will now appear in May or June, putting the planned September 2026 final publication date at risk. I don’t think they will change that date, however, and will merely do what they did last time, and skip the (mandatory) translation and editing steps, forcing the world to vote on an English-language draft that was never proofread.
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
