Bureau Veritas’ alternative solutions to minimise disruptions during the COVID-19 Outbreak

From this unprecedented situation caused by the COVID-19, we hope that everyone is keeping safe. As the situation is evolving, we are closely monitoring instructions received from the IAF and our Accreditation Bodies on how to continue delivering our services while taking stringent measures to reduce the impacts of COVID-19.

We at Bureau Veritas take the issue very seriously and our priority is the health of our staff and business partners. We are here to help you and will take all necessary actions to minimise disruption to your business and ensuring that your certification is not at risk.

What it means for our clients:

If your next audit cannot be conducted as per initial plan due to COVID-19, the audit can either be conducted using remote auditing alternatives OR be rescheduled to a later date OR a combination of the two.

If your certificate(s) expires shortly, we are allowed to give you a 6 month extension.

Regardless of the scenario and selected approach, a dedicated Risk Assessment must be completed by the Bureau Veritas Account Manager and the client to confirm Risk Level.

FAQ

Can the audit be conducted 100% remotely?

If the risk is deemed to be low (from Risk Assessment), the full audit may be conducted remotely only if all the requirements of the standards can be evaluated remotely, including observation of activities.

Therefore, this is not applicable if the company has shut down during the crisis or sent all employees to work from home. This is also not applicable if the client does not have the appropriate technology to enable remote auditing (e.g. live streaming, videoconferencing, etc.). In these particular cases, a portion of the audit may be done remotely (e.g. management system administration) while a site visit is required to be conducted within 6 months to verify the remaining elements.

Please get in touch so our team can better understand your circumstances and elaborate a tailored solution with you.

We will continue to provide updates as the situation evolves and will work with you through the most pragmatic approach possible. Contact us now for more information.