HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

How to hire an ISO consultant in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

An ISO consultant builds the system; a separate body certifies it. Here is how to plan, check and price the work.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an ISO consultant in five steps

  1. Check what your customers or tenders requireWhich standard, and whether accredited certification is asked for.
  2. Choose the standardQuality, environment, information security or several together.
  3. Agree consultant daysGap analysis, documents, internal audit and audit support.
  4. Budget for the certification bodyIts audit fees and yearly surveillance audits are separate.
  5. Plan staff timeThe system only works if your people use it.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses ISO consultants in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Experience with your standard and sector, references and a clear number of days are the checks.

Ask the ISO consultant for clients certified to the same standard.

Tender requirements

Public contracts are advertised with their own requirements; a buyer may ask for a particular certificate as a pass or fail test. Check the notice before choosing a certification route.

Read the tender documents on Contracts Finder or Find a Tender and note the exact certification wording. gov.uk →

Information security systems and data

An ISO 27001 project deals with how you protect information, including personal data, which data protection rules enforced by the ICO already require you to keep secure.

Ask the ISO consultant how the system will cover your data protection duties. gov.uk →

Cyber Essentials alongside ISO

Cyber Essentials is a separate government-backed scheme with five technical controls; some customers ask for it as well as, or instead of, ISO 27001.

Check which your customers ask for before buying both. ncsc.gov.uk →

VAT

ISO consultancy is standard-rated, so a registered ISO consultant adds 20% to the consultant days and the internal audit; the certification body bills its own audit. Registration becomes compulsory once an ISO consultant has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the ISO consultant for the VAT number with the proposal and for VAT on the consultant's days alone. gov.uk →

“Which ISO standards have you helped businesses like mine certify to?”

A good answer: Named standards and sectors, with a client reference.

“How many consultant days does the fee include?”

A good answer: A number, broken down by stage.

“Is the certification body's fee included?”

A good answer: Usually not; the ISO consultant should say so clearly.

“How much staff time will we need?”

A good answer: An honest estimate for meetings, records and internal audits.

“Will you support us through the stage 1 and 2 audits?”

A good answer: Yes, and what that support includes.

“Will the documents fit how we actually work?”

A good answer: Procedures adapted to your business, not a generic manual.

“What happens after certification?”

A good answer: Surveillance audits each year and any ongoing support.

Getting the quote right

  • Standard and scope
  • Who actually attends to your management system: the ISO consultant named, an employee, or a subcontracted auditor
  • Consultant days by stage
  • Documents and records to be produced
  • Internal audit and audit support
  • Certification body fees shown as separate
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the consultant days

Walk away if

  • Promises certification by a set date regardless
  • Offers to certify you themselves
  • A generic manual with your name added
  • Hides the certification body's fees
  • No internal audit before certification
  • Pushes extra standards you do not need
LOW
£2,000
TYPICAL
£5,000
HIGH
£11,000

What an ISO consultant costs: £2,000–£11,000 per project

ISO consultants usually quote a project fee from the number of consultant days; the certification body's audit fees are separate. ISO Certification Consultant price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

ISO consultants near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Gap analysisCurrent practice compared with the standard.
  2. Management systemProcedures, policies and records written or adapted.
  3. ImplementationStaff use the system and records build up.
  4. Internal audit and reviewAn internal audit and management review.
  5. Certification auditsStage 1 and stage 2 audits by the certification body.

Management system
The documented way a business meets a standard.
Gap analysis
A check of where you fall short of the standard.
Certification body
The independent organisation that audits and certifies.
Stage 1 and stage 2 audits
The certification body's two-part initial audit.
Surveillance audit
The yearly check that keeps the certificate valid.
Scope
The activities and sites the certificate covers.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the system runningRecords, reviews and internal audits through the year.
Prepare for surveillance auditsThey come every year in the three-year cycle.
Update customers and tendersUse the certificate and scope wording accurately.
Write the reviewYour review of the ISO consultant can only follow a booking on Locufy. Below four stars, you can send the problem to them first and we follow it up before the review appears.

STEP 1Complain to the ISO consultant directlySay what was agreed, what went wrong and the fix you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats a trader's service as including reasonable care and skill; where the ISO consultant fell short of that, you can ask for the work to be redone free or for money off.
STEP 2Bring in LocufyWhen you rate the ISO consultant under four stars, you decide whether the problem goes to them first. We follow it through, then the review is posted.
STEP 3Where to report itIf the ISO consultant ignores you, ring Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060 or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 (Northern Ireland). Each can pass a complaint to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Small claims, as the last stepUnresolved money disputes with the ISO consultant fit the small claims routes: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an ISO consultant: questions people ask

Not in any part of the UK; there is no licence, register or required qualification.

No. A separate certification body audits and certifies; the consultant helps you prepare.

Not by law, but buyers set their own requirements; read the tender notice.

£2,000–£11,000 per project, typically around £5,000. The standard, business size, number of sites and existing documentation set the fee. The ISO consultant price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above to compare ISO consultants near you.

No. Cyber Essentials is a separate government-backed scheme with five technical controls.

Three to twelve months, depending on size and readiness.

MORE GUIDES

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ISO consultants near you

ISO consultants in LondonISO consultants in ManchesterISO consultants in BirminghamISO consultants in GlasgowISO consultants in BelfastAll iso consultants on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Contracts Finder
  2. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  3. NCSC — Cyber Essentials overview
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register