# NQA - **Type:** Certification body - **Website:** https://www.nqa.com/en-gb - **Assessed by:** The Assurance Desk (Add-Venture Advisory Ltd) A UK certification body that UKAS accredits to certify ISO/IEC 42001 and ISO 27001. For organisations that want their AI management system certified. ## NQA scores Scored 1 to 5 on six criteria. There is no overall score. ### Help when things go wrong: 4/5 Complaints Procedure and Appeals Process documents are published on the public Regulations page, and certificate validity is verifiable via UKAS CertCheck plus a stated public directory (via enquiry), nqa.com/en-gb/clients/regulations, checked 2026-07-16; short of 5 because self-serve verification is not on NQA's own site. ### Qualifications of the people who do the work: 5/5 UKAS schedule 0015 (Issue 194, 05 May 2026) verifiably lists ISO/IEC 42001:2023 AIMS under ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 42006:2025 for NQA Certification Ltd, alongside ISO 27001/27701 (ukas.com PDF checked 2026-07-16). ### What it publishes about fees: 3/5 Quote-based process is clearly explained (quote request form, proposal, scope of assessment) and payment terms/charges and travel-cost policy documents are published, but no fee figures anywhere (nqa.com pages checked 2026-07-16). ### Knowledge of your sector: 4/5 Named ISO 42001 case study (Spark, entertainment/gaming/retail content sectors) plus published industry-sector programmes, but a thinner named-AIMS portfolio than BSI (nqa.com case study checked 2026-07-16). ### Independence from what it sells: 3/5 Sells training, gap analysis and readiness assessment alongside certification with impartiality addressed through accreditation statements and Regulations documents rather than a standalone published impartiality policy (nqa.com pages checked 2026-07-16). ### Who carries the risk if the advice is wrong: 5/5 Full contract terms (Regulations Relating to Registration, including payment terms and charges), Complaints Procedure and Appeals Process are all published and downloadable from one public page (nqa.com/en-gb/clients/regulations, checked 2026-07-16). ## Sources for NQA Every line carries the page it was read on and the date it was checked. - UK legal entity is NQA Certification Limited: Company number 09351758, private limited company, incorporated 11 December 2014 (originally NTS Nightingale Limited until 2 March 2015), status Active, registered office Warwick House, Houghton Hall Park, Houghton Regis, Dunstable LU5 5ZX - Source: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/09351758 - Checked: 2026-07-16 - UKAS schedule of accreditation for NQA Certification Ltd t/a NQA Certification and KIWA (body 0015) includes Artificial Intelligence Management Systems to ISO/IEC 42001:2023, in accordance with ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and ISO/IEC 42006:2025, covering AI system roles Developer, Producer, Provider and User - Source: https://www.ukas.com/wp-content/uploads/schedule_uploads/00011/04947/0015Management-Systems.pdf - Checked: 2026-07-16 - NQA announced it had been granted UKAS accreditation to certify organisations against ISO 42001, following a UKAS pilot programme with witnessed assessments - Source: https://www.nqa.com/en-gb/resources/news/iso42001-ukas - Checked: 2026-07-16 - NQA does not publish ISO 42001 certification prices on its public website as of 2026-07-16; its ISO 42001 page describes a quote-request process ('Complete a Quote Request Form… we will personally prepare a proposal') and promises 'a clear indication of the costs of gaining and maintaining certification' - Source: https://www.nqa.com/en-gb/certification/standards/iso-42001 - Checked: 2026-07-16 - NQA publishes its contract terms and dispute routes on a public Regulations page: Regulations Relating to Registration (terms including payment terms and charges), a Complaints Procedure document, and an Appeals Process document for appeals against certification decisions - Source: https://www.nqa.com/en-gb/clients/regulations - Checked: 2026-07-16 - NQA states it maintains a publicly accessible directory of valid certifications (via enquiry) and signposts the UKAS CertCheck tool for certificate validity checks - Source: https://www.nqa.com/en-gb/clients/regulations - Checked: 2026-07-16 - NQA publishes a named ISO 42001 client outcome: Spark, a global content adaptation and localisation agency, achieved ISO 42001 certification as a pilot-project participant supporting NQA's UKAS accreditation journey - Source: https://www.nqa.com/en-gb/resources/case-studies/spark-case-study - Checked: 2026-07-16 - NQA sells ISO training, gap analysis and readiness assessment alongside certification; its accreditations page states accreditation ensures 'technical competence and integrity of impartiality', but no standalone impartiality policy page was found on nqa.com as of 2026-07-16 - Source: https://www.nqa.com/en-gb/clients/accreditations - Checked: 2026-07-16 - NQA does not publish a statement on how it itself uses AI (no responsible-AI self-use policy) on the public pages checked (ISO 42001 page, accreditations page, regulations page) as of 2026-07-16 - Source: https://www.nqa.com/en-gb/clients/accreditations - Checked: 2026-07-16 ## What this provider publishes Not published means we did not find it on the firm's own pages. - Price: Not published - Indemnity cover: Not published - Credentials: Published - Independent accreditation: Published - Client results: Published - How it uses AI: Not published ## Strengths - UKAS-accredited for ISO/IEC 42001:2023 across all four AI system roles (Developer, Producer, Provider, User) on schedule 0015, Issue 194 dated 05 May 2026 - Unusually transparent contractual documents: full Regulations (terms), Complaints Procedure and Appeals Process are downloadable from a single public page - Published named ISO 42001 client outcome, the Spark case study, a pilot client certified during NQA's UKAS accreditation journey - Publishes a free ISO/IEC 42001 readiness checklist and a dedicated transfer route for organisations switching certification body ## Things to check Each one carries the factual basis it rests on. - No certification prices are published, pricing is quote-only via a quote request form. - Basis: NQA ISO 42001 page and quote page (nqa.com/en-gb/certification/standards/iso-42001; nqa.com/en-gb/quote) contain no fee figures, checked 2026-07-16. - Its impartiality rules sit in downloadable regulations. Read these if you also plan to buy training or a gap analysis. - Basis: nqa.com/en-gb/clients/accreditations and nqa.com/en-gb/clients/regulations checked 2026-07-16; NQA also sells training and gap analysis alongside certification. - Its own certificate directory requires contacting NQA; self-serve verification relies on the third-party UKAS CertCheck tool. - Basis: NQA Regulations page (nqa.com/en-gb/clients/regulations) states the directory is available via enquiry and links UKAS CertCheck, checked 2026-07-16. ## Where this firm appears - [Can the firm that prepares you also certify you?](https://theassurancedesk.com/best/certification-seeking) - [Does the EU AI Act apply to a UK firm?](https://theassurancedesk.com/best/eu-ai-act-exposed) - [How do you change your data protection provider?](https://theassurancedesk.com/best/switching-provider) - [Compare providers](https://theassurancedesk.com/compare) --- **Scope.** The Assurance Desk covers data protection, AI governance and cyber security in the United Kingdom and the United States. It scores providers in both: UK-facing firms, and firms based in the United States. Every provider scored so far was selected for data-protection, AI-governance or security-assurance work. Where a page describes law, it names the country that law applies in. **Who publishes this.** The Assurance Desk is published by Add-Venture Advisory Ltd, company number 11854524, registered in England and Wales. The same owner runs Avouch, a marketing agency that sells AI visibility services to firms of the kind this site covers. That is a conflict of interest, and it is disclosed here. **Corrections.** If you represent this firm and something here is wrong or out of date, email hello@theassurancedesk.com with the evidence.