[The following was submitted anonymously through the ISO Whistleblower Reporting tool. Because of its presentation and information, I thought I would publish this in full as a guest editorial. Meanwhile, we will look into the allegations made herein. — CP]
I have read articles on [Oxebridge’s] work on malpractice and fraud activities done by ISO CBs/ABs/IAF and also consulting companies. There are many such companies in India.
I specifically would like to mention UK-CERT and CDG. If you search UK-CERT in Google images, you will come across many certificates. This company is also operated by Vijay Kumar (as reported here). You can check on [his other companies here]:
- https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11847851/officers
- https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10517947/officers
- https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/09627599/officers
- https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07778747/officers
- https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07043187/officers
It seems they don’t file any tax returns in the UK and instead open another company with a similar name after dissolving the last one.
These certificates are so popular that Government departments also accept them. They issue all types of certificates as per customer requirements.
A second company is CDG. You can search for CDG ISO Certificate. This company offers complete packages for training, consultancy, and certification. They have different companies for different works. You can check http://www.desystem.co.in/ and https://www.bestisocertification.com/
[Editor’s note: the Best ISO certificate does use the CDG logo, and alleges to sell US FDA certification. That should not be possible.]
This company CDG has in the past been accredited by JAS-ANZ and IAS but these were withdrawn. They are still accredited by EIAC.
Another is UQC Global (search UQC Gl0bal ISO Certificate). They do consultancy but also issue ISO certificates. Their website is https://www.uqcglobal.com/ The owner, Mr. Harpreet Singh, was also invited by NABCB for a lecture during World Standards Day celebration in 2019 in New Delhi. [Editor’s note: we cannot confirm that yet, but will update if we get evidence.]
The situation is so bad here in India that if you explain the process to a prospective client to achieve ISO 9001 certification, the client will laugh at you as they are now accustomed to give some info and get the certificate, and all that for the cost of one decent meal. You can search “iso 9001 certification cost in india” in Google and see the rates yourself.
Again, these are not the only CBs indulging in such practices. Even multinational brands issue AS9100, SA8000, and IATF 16949 certificates or a “Letter of Conformance” if you pay them. Get the certificate first, and then the CB will arrange for consulting. This is the understanding between CB and the client.
[The Indian national accreditation body] NABCB knows everything as everything is open. It’s that nobody wants to put their hand in the beehive and ruin the hospitality.Just wanted to share after reading your articles.
