The Forms That Run a Certification Body
Behind every audit, every certification decision, and every accreditation assessment is a stack of forms. These forms are not bureaucratic overhead. They are the operational backbone of a certification body, the physical (or digital) evidence that every required step was completed, every declaration was made, every decision was recorded.
Most CBs maintain these forms as Word templates or PDF fillable forms. Staff copy client data from one system, paste it into the form, adjust dates and names, save the file, and send it for signatures. This process is repeated hundreds of times per year, for every client, every audit, every certification cycle.
The result is predictable: data entry errors, version confusion, missing forms, inconsistent formatting, and hours of administrative time spent on document production rather than actual certification work.
Certiva generates every required FR form automatically from the data already in the audit set. No copying, no pasting, no manual population. Here is the complete list and what each form does.
FR.211 — Auditor Assessment Form
Purpose: Evaluates an auditor's performance during an audit. Used for ongoing competence monitoring as required by ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 Clause 7.2.
What Certiva populates: Auditor name, qualifications, the specific audit engagement (client, standard, scope), assessment criteria, and evaluator details. The form is generated for the designated evaluator to complete and sign.
FR.218 — Application Review Form
Purpose: Documents the CB's review of a new client application. Records the scope assessment, feasibility evaluation, and decision to accept or reject the application.
What Certiva populates: Client details from the application submission, proposed scope and EA codes, number of effective personnel, site information, and any special considerations (multi-site, shift work, seasonal operations).
FR.220 — Quotation Form
Purpose: The formal quotation sent to the client, detailing audit time, fees, and the scope of certification services.
What Certiva populates: Calculated audit time (based on IAF MD 5 tables and any applicable MD 11 reductions), fee schedule, client and scope details, validity period. The quotation reflects the actual calculated audit days, not a manually entered estimate.
FR.221 — Agreement Form
Purpose: The formal contract between the CB and the client. Establishes the terms and conditions of the certification relationship.
What Certiva populates: Client details, agreed scope, certification cycle structure (initial, surveillance, recertification), fee terms, and obligations of both parties. The agreement is linked to the quotation and presented for visual signing within the platform.
FR.222 — Audit Programme
Purpose: The overarching plan for the full certification cycle, including all scheduled audit activities (initial audit stages, surveillance audits, recertification).
What Certiva populates: Client details, scope, certification cycle dates, planned audit activities with target windows, assigned audit team (when known). The programme is a living document that updates as the cycle progresses.
FR.223 — Audit Plan
Purpose: The detailed plan for a specific audit engagement. Covers the schedule, auditor assignments, scope coverage by clause and process, and audit objectives.
What Certiva populates: Audit dates, team composition, client site details, standard-specific clause coverage matrix, time allocation per process area, and objectives. AI can generate non-applicable clause lists based on scope analysis.
FR.224 — Impartiality Declaration
Purpose: Each audit team member declares any potential conflicts of interest related to the specific client engagement. Required for every audit.
What Certiva populates: Auditor name, client details, engagement specifics. One form is generated per team member per audit. Each must be signed individually before the audit can proceed.
FR.225 — Meeting Form
Purpose: Records the details of opening and closing meetings during an audit. Documents attendees, topics covered, and any declarations.
What Certiva populates: Audit details, client information, date and time, attendee list from the audit team and client participants. The form is completed during or immediately after the meeting.
FR.229 — ISMS Audit Report
Purpose: The audit report specific to ISO 27001 (Information Security Management System) audits. Contains standard-specific sections and control coverage.
What Certiva populates: Client details, scope, Annex A control coverage, Statement of Applicability assessment, risk assessment review, and audit findings organized by ISMS domain.
FR.230 — Nonconformity Notice
Purpose: The formal notice issued when an NC is identified during an audit. Documents the finding, the clause reference, the classification, and the required response.
What Certiva populates: Client and audit details, the specific clause violated, description of the nonconformity, classification (minor/major/critical), auto-calculated due date for corrective action, and fields for the client's root cause analysis and corrective action response.
FR.231 — Stage 1 Audit Report
Purpose: The report for the Stage 1 (document review and readiness assessment) audit. Covers documentation review, scope confirmation, and readiness evaluation.
What Certiva populates: Client details, scope, team composition, clause-by-clause assessment of documentation readiness, identified concerns, and the recommendation for Stage 2 proceeding.
FR.232 — Stage 2 Audit Report
Purpose: The report for the Stage 2 (implementation assessment) audit. The primary evidence document for the certification decision.
What Certiva populates: Client details, scope, team assignments, process-based assessment findings, clause coverage, NC references, strengths and areas for improvement, and the audit team's recommendation. AI generates draft content based on audit data and scope analysis.
FR.233 — Certification Decision Form
Purpose: The formal record of the certification decision. Signed by committee members and the certification manager in a specific order.
What Certiva populates: Client and scope details, audit summary, NC status, committee member names and qualifications, signing fields in enforced order (committee first, CM last), and the decision outcome (grant/refuse/maintain/renew).
How Auto-Population Eliminates Errors
Every form listed above draws its data from the same source: the audit set. When a planner creates an audit set and enters the client details, scope, and team composition, that data flows into every form that needs it.
If the client name is "Horizon Manufacturing GmbH" in the audit set, it is "Horizon Manufacturing GmbH" on every form. Not "Horizon Manufacturing" on one and "Horizon Mfg. GmbH" on another. Not misspelled on the NC notice because someone retyped it.
If the audit dates change, the forms update. If a team member is replaced, the impartiality declarations regenerate. If an NC is raised, the NC notice is generated with the correct audit and client references.
This consistency matters because AB assessors cross-reference documents. If the client name on the audit plan does not match the client name on the decision form, the assessor notices. If the audit dates on the programme do not match the dates on the report, the assessor asks questions. Certiva eliminates these discrepancies by design.
Every form your CB needs, generated from one source of truth.
No templates, no copy-paste, no discrepancies. See all FR forms in action at getcertiva.com.