What certification actually costs.
WCA Global™ publishes three packages, the multipliers that move them, and a list of the costs that are not ours to charge. Build the exact figure for your scope in the quote builder.
Indicative. The figures below model a typical engagement. Certification consultancy is scoped work — headcount, sites, existing maturity and deadline all move the number — so the written quote that follows scoping is the only one that binds either side.
Essential
One standard, one site, documentation-led.
From
$2,400
8–12 weeks · one standard, one site
Best for: Teams under 50 people certifying for the first time.
- Gap analysis against the full standard
- Complete documented management system
- Two remote implementation workshops
- Internal audit programme and templates
- Management review pack
- Certification body introduction and liaison
- On-site days
- Multi-site scoping
- Post-certification retainer
Professional
Most chosenImplementation partner through to the certificate.
From
$6,800
12–20 weeks · one standard, one site
Best for: Organisations of 50–500 with an audit deadline to hit.
- Everything in Essential
- Named lead consultant for the whole engagement
- Risk assessment and Statement of Applicability workshops
- Four on-site or live implementation days
- Internal audit run by our auditor, not just templated
- Stage 1 and Stage 2 audit attendance
- Non-conformity closure support
Enterprise
Multi-standard, multi-site, ongoing.
From
$18,000
Programme-based · one standard, one site
Best for: Group certifications and integrated management systems.
- Everything in Professional
- Integrated management system across multiple standards
- Multi-site and group certification scoping
- Country Partner co-delivery in your market
- Annual surveillance audit preparation
- Quarterly management review facilitation
- Training programme for internal auditors
Published, not negotiated in a room
These are the multipliers the WCA Global quote builder applies. They are published so you can check the arithmetic before you speak to anyone.
Headcount drives how much the auditor has to sample, and how many roles need competence records. It is the single biggest lever.
- 1–25 employees
- base
- 26–100 employees
- × 1.35
- 101–250 employees
- × 1.8
- 251–1,000 employees
- × 2.6
- More than 1,000 employees
- × 3.4
Additional sites add $1,200 each. An accelerated timeline — a deadline inside ninety days — adds 25%, because it means reserving consultant capacity.
Additional standards are quoted at 55% of the first, not 100%.
Clauses 4 to 10 — context, leadership, planning, support, evaluation and improvement — are common to every standard we advise on. Certifying against a second one reuses that spine and adds only its clause 8, its risk model and its specific records. Charging full price twice for work done once is not a discount policy, it is an invoice for something that did not happen.
Worked example
- ISO 9001 — Professional
- $6,800
- + ISO 14001
- $3,740
- + ISO 45001
- $3,740
- Integrated system, three standards
- $14,280
- Three separate engagements would be
- $20,400
Priced individually, added any time
| Item | Detail | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Auditor training | Two days, certificate of attendance. | $480per delegate |
| Lead Implementer training | Five days, exam included. | $950per delegate |
| Additional site | Scoping, sampling and site-specific documentation. | $1,200per site |
| Additional on-site day | Excludes travel outside the UAE. | $900per day |
| Surveillance retainer | Keeps the system audit-ready between visits. | $2,200per year |
| Arabic documentation set | Full documented system in Arabic and English. | $1,400one-off |
What our fee does not cover
Named here rather than discovered later. If a competing quote looks materially cheaper, this list is usually why.
Registrar audit fees
Stage 1 and Stage 2 are billed by the accredited certification body, directly to you. We can introduce and compare bodies, and we never take a commission on their fee.
Surveillance and recertification audits
Years one and two carry a surveillance audit, year three a recertification. Again billed by the registrar.
Accreditation body levies
Some markets add a levy on issued certificates. Small, but real.
Your team’s time
The largest uncosted item in every certification project. Budget for a system owner at roughly a day a week during implementation.
Notice: WCA Global™is a consultancy and advisory firm and is not an accredited certification body. We do not issue certificates and we take no commission from the registrars we introduce. See the standards we advise on.