A multicriteria approach for selecting consultancy and certification services related to Quality Management

Abstract: The implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS) in any organization requires efforts, planning, and everyone’s involvement. The selection of consultancy services (if needed), and certification services through an Accredited Certification Body (ACB) has an important role in this process. This study aims to propose a structured model to support these two decisions by using a multicriteria focus (MCDA) to guide the design of a methodological framework. In addition, this study considers the maturity level of the organization, and the importance of continuous improvement after implementing ISO 9001. One of the differential points in this study is the detailed scientific technical foundation of the qualifying and selection criteria, of the consultancy and ACB by using ISO standards (9001, 10019, 17021, 19011), and the guidance document CB-25, which is related to quality. Finally, an application was made in a pharmaceutical industry using the PROMETHEE II method, and the GAIA plan. We adopted three scenarios.