When developing alternate short-ter

When developing alternate short-term methods of assessment the CAB should take into consideration the following limitations: a) First Surveillance Audit Normally, the first surveillance audit after initial certification is to be within 12 months of the last day of the initial stage 2 audit (ISO/IEC 17021:2011, 9.3.2.2). However, providing that sufficient evidence has been collected as above, to provide confidence that the certified management system is effective consideration may be given to postpone the first surveillance for a period not normally exceeding 6 months (18 months from date of initial certification). Otherwise the certificate has to be suspended or the scope reduced. b) Subsequent Surveillance Audits There may be specific circumstances by which a CAB can justify adjusting the timing of a subsequent surveillance audit. If an organization has to shut down completely for a limited period of time (less than 6 months), it would be reasonable for a CAB to postpone an audit that had been scheduled to occur during the shutdown until the organization resumes operations. The organization should inform the CAB when operations resume so that the CAB can conduct the audit promptly. c) Recertification Audits Normally the recertification audit must be completed and the recertification decision made prior to expiration to avoid loss of certification (ISO/IEC 17021:2011, 9.1.1.2). However, providing that sufficient evidence has been collected as above, to provide confidence that the certified management system is effective consideration may be given to extend the certification for a period not normally exceeding 6 month beyond the original expiry date. The re-certification should be carried out within this permissible extended period. Otherwise, a new initial audit should be performed. The expiration of the renewed certification should be based on the original recertification cycle. d) Information to the AB All deviations from the established certification program should be justified, documented and made available to ABs upon request.