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Because there is no regulating arm in the United States setting rates for consulting fees, those fees vary from consultant to consultant. The lack of regulation also means that there is no regulating or certifying organization to fall back upon when, and if, the decision is made to hire a consultant. The American Society for Quality Control will release a list of consultants who work in the quality field. But unlike the British National Registration Scheme, the ASQC does not screen consultants or offer certification for ISO 9000 consultants.
The lack of similar regulation and standards in the US bothers officials of the US Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB). The American RAB, based in Wisconsin, advises US companies to hire a consultant to learn as much about the consultant as they can ahead of time, not just from brochures and what they have to say. RAB also recommends that you get references from companies that have employed them in the past and ask for companies they have worked for outside of ISO, as well.
Can you avoid hiring a consultant? The answer depends on your company, its makeup and the circumstances surrounding your decision to seek ISO 9000 certification. Many large corporations have sufficient staff to free up several employees, send them to seminars on ISO 9000 certification and work through the implementation process on their own. Small and mid-size companies may not have the option to create an in-house ISO 9000 certification team and may very well need some assistance from a qualified expert.
How should we use an ISO consultant? It's crucial to understand how quality ISO 9000 consultants can assist you. There is no single way or method consultants should adopt, nor can they assist all companies in the same way. But it is possible to determine when a consultant is taking advantage of you through over advising and increasing the workload or may even be under advising or neglecting your concerns.
The consultant as facilitator...As much as possible, consultants should act as facilitators of an in-company process and encourage the client to help itself. A good consultant will not attempt to take over the total pre-certification process to earn higher fees. An effective consultant will realize that quality standards and procedures must...