IAF-2026-001 — ISO 2026 Transitions
IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITY FORM 4: ISO 9001:2026 AND ISO 14001:2026 TRANSITION¶
Reference Number: IAF-2026-001
Date: 29/09/2026
Improvement Activity Project Title: Transition of both certificates to the 2026 editions at one recertification
Improvement Methodology: Clause-by-clause gap analysis against a fixed accreditation deadline, delivered as a staged programme
Change Agent: Sean Ashton (HSQE Consultant, Onyx Operations)
Team Members: Aaron Mason (Director), Leanne Mason (Director), Alcumus ISOQAR (certification body)
Issue/Problem Statement:¶
Both standards AMWS is certified to were revised in 2026. ISO 14001:2026 published 15 April 2026 and ISO 9001:2026 published 16 September 2026. AMWS holds certificates to the 2015 editions of both with Alcumus ISOQAR under UKAS accreditation, and both expire on 23 November 2027.
The transition deadlines are set and are not negotiable. Global ACI — the body formed when IAF and ILAC merged on 1 January 2026 — published Global ACI-TECH-3-TR for each standard. Existing ISO 14001:2015 certificates must transition by 30 April 2029 and ISO 9001:2015 certificates by 30 September 2029. From 31 October 2027 and 31 March 2028 respectively, new and initial certifications may only be issued to the 2026 editions.
Without a planned transition the work lands twice: a recertification to the 2015 editions in autumn 2027, followed by a separate transition audit before the 2029 deadlines. That is two visits, two preparations and two fees for one outcome. It also leaves the certificates on a superseded edition for eighteen months while framework clients are asking which edition the system is built to.
Goal/Target Statement:¶
Transition both certificates to the 2026 editions at the one autumn 2027 recertification audit, with the clause-by-clause gap analysis complete and every clause action closed before the auditor arrives. No separate transition audit, no gap in certification, and the shared actions delivered once rather than twice.
Business Case & Possible Benefits:¶
- One visit instead of two — recertification and transition assessed together, with one uplift in audit duration rather than a second audit fee and a second round of preparation
- No gap in certification — the framework clients require current certification and ask which edition the system is built to
- Shared work delivered once — clause 6.3 management of change is a new or strengthened requirement in both standards and is one piece of work on SOP 5.2
- The new material lands on work already done — quality culture has a measure in the HSQE Culture Audit at APP_27, ethical behaviour is covered by the anti-slavery, anti-bribery and whistleblowing policies, and opportunities are already scored on APP_05 by the same method as risks
- Transition before the cutoff dates leaves no restriction on extending certification scope
- The 2027 internal audit cycle runs against the 2026 editions, so the system is tested against the new clause sets by AMWS before it is tested by the certification body
Cost/Benefits of Implementation:¶
- Cost: both standards purchased. Consultancy time sits within the retained Onyx Operations arrangement. The one variable is additional recertification audit duration, which is outside AMWS's control and is the first action below
- Time: thirteen months, 29/09/2026 to the autumn 2027 recertification
- Benefits: avoids a separate transition audit and a second preparation cycle; certification maintained without interruption; the gap analysis is complete and evidenced rather than assembled in the weeks before the visit
Action Plan¶
| Action | Responsibility | Deadline | Budget | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm with Alcumus ISOQAR that both transitions can be assessed at the autumn 2027 recertification, and the additional audit duration. Raise at the Recertification Planning session | Sean Ashton | 07/10/2026 | TBC | Not started |
| Read Annex A of ISO 9001:2026 — informative, expanded, and the clearest statement of what the drafters intended | Sean Ashton | 31/12/2026 | — | Not started |
| IA202617 — ISO 14001:2026 transition pre-audit, testing the APP_25 gap analysis against the live system | Sean Ashton | 30/11/2026 | — | Scheduled in APP_20 |
| Clause 6.3 — strengthen SOP 5.2 and add the change record. Common to both standards, delivered once | Sean Ashton | 31/03/2027 | — | Not started |
| Clause 6.1 (9001) — separate the risk treatments from the opportunity actions in APP_05 | Sean Ashton | 31/03/2027 | — | Not started |
| Clause 6.1.2 (14001) — normal, abnormal and emergency conditions recorded per aspect in APP_06 | Sean Ashton | 31/03/2027 | — | Not started |
| Clause 4.1 (14001) — biodiversity and ecosystem health named in APP_01 and APP_04 | Sean Ashton | 31/03/2027 | — | Not started |
| Clause 8.1 (14001) — environmental criterion for environmentally material suppliers in APP_19 | Sean Ashton + Leanne Mason | 31/03/2027 | — | Not started |
| IA202619 — clause 8 delivery audit, sampling a job file against SOP 5.5 | Sean Ashton | 30/04/2027 | — | Scheduled in APP_20 |
| APP_02 renumbered to both 2026 clause structures — the 9001 clause 10 restructure, the 9.2 split, and the flattened sub-clauses | Sean Ashton | 30/04/2027 | — | Not started |
| FORM_MR_001 and SOP 6.4 — management review outputs becomes results | Sean Ashton | 30/04/2027 | — | Not started |
| 2027 internal audit cycle run against the 2026 edition clause sets for both standards | Sean Ashton | May 2027 | — | Not started |
| Quality culture and ethical behaviour named in POL_HSQE_00 and POL_HSQE_20, and added to the awareness set in MAN_01, at the annual policy cycle | Sean Ashton | 03/09/2027 | — | Not started |
| POL_HSQE_10 wording on the annual policy cycle (14001) | Sean Ashton | 03/09/2027 | — | Not started |
| Transition readiness confirmed at the September 2027 Management Review | Directors | 30/09/2027 | — | Not started |
| Alcumus ISOQAR recertification with transition, both standards | Alcumus ISOQAR | Autumn 2027 | TBC | Not started |
Improvement Programme Start Date: 29/09/2026
Target Finish Date: Autumn 2027, at the Alcumus ISOQAR recertification audit
Target Review Date: Six-monthly, and as a standing item at each Management Review
Overall Responsibility: Sean Ashton (HSQE Consultant, Onyx Operations)
Next Review Date: 31/03/2027
Where the detail is held¶
This form is the improvement project. The clause-by-clause analysis behind it is held in two plans, each carrying the AMWS position today, the state and the action for every clause the new edition touches:
- APP_25 — ISO 14001:2026 Transition Plan — fourteen clause areas
- APP_28 — ISO 9001:2026 Transition Plan — eleven clause areas
The actions above are the consolidated programme from both. Where an action appears in both plans it is listed once here and delivered once.
Risks to the programme¶
| Risk | Control |
|---|---|
| Drift — the deadlines are two years out and that invites deferral | Six-monthly review of this form rather than annual, and a standing item at each Management Review |
| The certification body will not take both standards in one visit | This is the first action and it is deliberately dated before the October surveillance visit. If the answer is no, the programme changes shape and needs to change early |
| The 6.3 action delivered twice | It appears once in this programme. Both plans reference the same piece of work on SOP 5.2 |
| Quality culture treated as a wording exercise | The measure is the HSQE Culture Audit at APP_27, not the sentence in the policy. An assessor will ask what changed, not what the policy says |
| Actions cluster at 31/03/2027 | Five actions share that date. Sequence clause 6.3 and the APP_06 conditions work first — they are the substantive ones |
Approved By:
Aaron Mason, Director
Date:
Document Control:
Issue 1 | Date: 29/09/2026
Next Review: 31/03/2027, and at each Management Review
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