Intertek, the massive certification body that holds accreditations from folks like UKAS and ANAB, got caught outright selling consulting services, but don’t worry, they fixed it by removing the claim from their website. Problem solved!
At this link here, Intertek had been boasting of selling ISO 9001 “digitalisation integration advisory and implementation support” in the same paragraph as “certification and system integration” for the new ISO 9001:2026 standard, which, as you know, isn’t even out yet. They are also selling gap analysis services to the Draft International Standard (DIS) version, even though that standard could change before it goes through the next two or three edits and becomes a final standard in 2026.
Because I know exactly how they roll, I screenshotted it; this is what the website said around 17 September 2025:
Naturally, as soon as I posted about this on LinkedIn, Intertek took a (well-deserved) rash of shit and immediately changed their website. Mind you, they’re still selling the services, they just altered the wording on the website. Here is how it appears as of today:
No, they didn’t send me a polite thank-you letter for helping fix their mistakes.
The Intertek page also includes some outright false information on the new standard, claiming it includes new requirements on “digitalisation.”As I wrote here, it does not. Not to be deterred, Intertek insists one of the “anticipated changes” in the new standard is that it will include “digital and intelligent systems: Integration of AI, data analytics, and automation as drivers of QMS excellence.”
None of that is remotely true, as evidenced by the DIS.
You may recall Intertek having fallen into a dust-up earlier this year (here) over shared leadership and senior management between its certification body work and consulting activities, as evidenced by annual reports and other official publications posted online by Intertek itself. In response, Intertek just gaslighted everyone and said the things we see in those published reports — like the company org chart — are not true. In fact, Intertek’s shared management even markets its consulting and certification services under a single branding, called “Total Quality Assurance,” boasting how they can not only “set up” the system they later audit, but also “improve the production system.”
In the latter case, Intertek shoo-shooed away the complaint by invoking a super-magical-invisible “risk assessment” that they claim proves they have no conflicts of interest. They won’t provide the risk assessment, and there’s no evidence anyone ever saw the damned thing, much less that it even exists. This is a common tactic by CBs, who should be forced to make such things public, if only to ensure the public’s trust in ISO certifications. The IAF, as usual, looked the other way because Intertek pays heaps of money to ANAB, UKAS, and the other IAF members.
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
