I sent the email below to UKAS this evening; I will post any feedback I get in due course.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Simon,
I work for a certification body Global Certification, we don't have UKAS accreditation for BRC but we do issue
HACCP certification worldwide. We have an internal target that all visit reports recieved are reviewed and certification issued (provided there are no problems with the audit documentation) within 5 days, currently we average 3 working days for all certification (it is one of our KPI's). The time lag is normally a result of 2 factors
1 - the time taken to translate the audit documentation into English for review. (not a problem for most contributors to this thread)
2 - The time taken to get the corrective actions back from the client and verify actions accordingley.
we use a web based system (similar to FTP) to transfer reports and print the certificates direct from the website at a local office but as far as I know no other CB is this far advaced with IT.
The last
HACCP cert issued by Global (today 24th August) was for the assessment on the 23rd July, the finished file was uploaded to Head office on 21st August This cert will arrive at the client in Tehran on Saturday the 27th August.
Typically we expect the certificate to arrive within a month of the assessment.
Any other CB's please feel free to comment.
By the way, don't expect a reply from UKAS until early November, their standard letter responding to requests from us is "we will contact you within 20 working days to deal with your request"
James Gibb
My Webpage
"arguing with an auditor is like wrestling with a pig in mud, eventually you realise that the pig enjoys it"