ISO 9001: quality as a method, not a binder.
ISO 9001 asks a company to know its processes, measure them and improve them, with the customer at the centre. It is the most widely used management standard in the world, and since 16 September 2026 there has been a new edition.
What it is
A system for doing things right, every time.
The standard doesn’t tell you how to make your product or deliver your service: it requires a management system that delivers conforming products and services and satisfied customers, and that proves it. Context and interested parties, risks and opportunities, processes with their indicators, competence, suppliers, internal audits and management review. It applies to any organisation, of any sector and size.
Who needs it
- Companies bidding in tenders, public or private
- Contractors on public works with SOA certification (Italy’s qualification for public works)
- Suppliers to large clients who require it from their suppliers
- Anyone who wants to build other standards on top of it: 14001, 45001, 27001 and 22301 share its clauses
What it brings you
In Italian tenders above the EU threshold, the bid guarantee and the performance guarantee drop by 30%. This does not add to the 50% reserved for SMEs, and it does not apply below the threshold.
D.Lgs. 36/2023, art. 106 c. 8 and art. 53 c. 4-bisFor SOA certification from class III upwards, a quality system certified by an accredited body is required.
D.Lgs. 36/2023, allegato II.12, art. 4It is a language customers recognise everywhere: more than a million certificates in 189 countries.
ISO, ISO 9001:2026 pageIt is the basis of an integrated system: ISO management system standards have the same structure, the same common text and the same definitions.
ISO, Management system standards
The path
From analysis to certificate, in four steps.
- 1
Gap analysis
What the company already does is compared with what the standard requires, point by point.
- 2
The system, written and lived
Policy, objectives, processes, documents and records. Then a period of real operation, because the certification body wants to see evidence.
- 3
Internal audit and review
Before calling in the certification body, an internal audit and the management review show whether the system holds up.
- 4
Certification audit
The accredited body carries it out in two stages, the second at the company’s premises. The certificate lasts three years, with a surveillance audit every year.
10ISO
How 10ISO will help you
The agents will do the work that repeats itself; decisions stay with you and whoever supports you. 10ISO is coming soon: this is what we’re building.
- What’s missing, requirement by requirement, from clause 4 to clause 10Coming soon
- The consultant’s procedures and forms, adapted to the company’s processesComing soon
- Records collected where they arise: complaints, suppliers, training, calibrationsComing soon
- The transition from 2015 to 2026, requirement by requirementComing soon
Questions
The first questions people ask about ISO 9001.
Is my ISO 9001:2015 certificate still valid?
Yes, but not forever. From 31/03/2028 new certifications are issued only against ISO 9001:2026, and anyone certified to the 2015 edition must complete the transition by 30/09/2029. It is usually done during a surveillance audit or at renewal.
Is ISO 9001 mandatory?
No, the standard is voluntary. In Italian public works, however, it is required for SOA certification from class III upwards, and in tenders above the threshold it cuts the guarantee by 30%.
What changes with ISO 9001:2026?
ISO points to more clarity, more weight on quality culture and leadership, risks and opportunities treated separately, and better alignment with the other management system standards.
Sources
Every reference on this fact sheet comes from one of these sources, checked on 28/09/2026. If a law or a standard changes, the fact sheet is updated.
Sources
- ISO — ISO 9001:2026, Quality management systems (opens in a new tab)
- Global ACI — Global ACI publishes transition requirements for ISO 9001:2026 (opens in a new tab)
- D.Lgs. 36/2023, art. 106 — garanzie per la partecipazione (Normattiva) (opens in a new tab)
- D.Lgs. 36/2023, art. 53 — contratti sotto soglia (Normattiva) (opens in a new tab)
- D.Lgs. 36/2023, allegato II.12 — qualificazione SOA (testo della GU n. 77 del 31/03/2023) (opens in a new tab)
- Accredia — Regolamento RG-01-01, rev. 04 del 15/04/2026 (ciclo di certificazione) (opens in a new tab)
- ISO — Management system standards (opens in a new tab)
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