Costs of certification comprise:

(a) Application Fee of $NZ1,000 (excluding GST), or a total of $NZ1,125 including GST per corporate or site; $250 (excluding GST), or a total of $281.25 (including GST) per product or service type;
(b) Auditor’s fee for completion of the independent audit – this is a matter between the auditor and the applicant;
(c) Royalty fee of 0.5% of net sales (50c in every $100), paid quarterly to Green Tick.

There may also be some costs involved in bringing an operation up to certification standard. Those costs are borne by the applicant.

Timeframe

It can take between 3 months and 2 years for an organisation to achieve certification, depending on the size of the company, what type of certification it is seeking, and how complete its records are.

For a small to medium size business (SME), certification might take between 6-12 months.

For a larger business, certification might take up to 2 years, but 12-18 months is more usual. Businesses which already have well-maintained ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 systems in place may be able to complete certification in a 6-12 month timeframe.

Certification lasts for a minimum period of 2 years, or for a maximum period of 3 years. This is because the International Standards Organisation (ISO) requires that audits be re-done at least every 3 years.

Guide to Process and Costs

Green Tick is working on a free Guide to Process and Costs, including My Certification Plan. This Guide is aimed at helping SME’s achieve certification in a convenient, affordable, and robust manner.

The Guide is not intended to replace independent professional advice that a company may seek to help it gain certification, and use of the Guide does not guarantee that an applicant will pass a Green Tick audit.

The Guide will be available on Monday 25 February 2008 (NZDST).