Application Fee:  $4,250 NBB Member  /  $6,300 Non-NBB Member
Includes the submission of the Application and the Quality Manual.  The fee covers processing of the Application, a Desk Audit of the Quality Manual and the first Certification Audit.  This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the audit.

The Application Fee applies to a company seeking BQ-9000 certification in any program as a Producer or Laboratory for one location, or for a Marketer or Retailer with up to 3 terminals (locations).  The certifications are location specific, and apply to individual facilities involved with all aspects of a program (i.e. production, sales, delivery).

If a Marketer has more than 3 facilities, multiple audits are required.  Each additional audit beyond the base audit (sequence of Certification, Surveillance or Re-Certification) will require an audit fee of $2,175 NBB Member / $3,275 Non-NBB Member plus Auditor travel expenses.  Please refer to the section on Multiple Facilities Audits that defines the number of audits required when there are more than three terminal facilities becoming accredited.  Similarly, Retailers with more than three locations will require additional audits and expenses outlined further below.

Payment of the Application Fee must accompany the completed Application and the Quality Manual to proceed.

Surveillance Audit Fee:  $2,175 NBB Member  /  $3,275 Non-NBB Member
This fee covers the Surveillance Audit.  This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the audit.

The annual Surveillance Audit Fee applies to all BQ-9000 certified companies for the second and third year audits within every cycle of certification.

Re-Certification Audit Fee:  $3,550 NBB Member  /  $5,500 Non-NBB Member
The Re-Certification Fee covers the full review of the Quality Manual and the Re-Certification Audit.  This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the audit.

This Re-Certification Audit Fee applies to all BQ-9000 certified companies seeking continued accreditation every three years.

Dual Certification Audit  Fee:  $5,525 NBB Member  /  $8,175 Non-NBB Member
For organizations seeking dual certifications at the same time (i.e. Producer and Marketer).  This includes submission of the Application, review of two program Quality Manuals and the Certification Audit for two BQ-9000 programs.  Additional fees will apply to Marketers and Retailers with more than three locations.

This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the audit.

Dual Certification Surveillance Audit Fee:  $4,025 NBB Member  /  $6,000 Non-NBB Member
This fee covers the Surveillance Audits for BQ-9000 companies certified under two programs.  This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the audit.

The annual Surveillance Audit Fee applies to all BQ-9000 certified companies for the second and third year audits within every cycle of certification.

Dual Re-Certification Audit Fee:  $5,525 NBB Member  /  $8,175 Non-NBB Member
The Re-Certification Fee covers the full review of the Quality Manual and the Re-Certification Audit for BQ-9000 companies certified under two programs.  This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the audit.

This Re-Certification Audit Fee applies to all BQ-9000 certified companies seeking continued accreditation every three years.

Tri- Certification Audit  Fee:  $8,000 NBB Member  /  $12,000 Non-NBB Member
For organizations seeking certification under three BQ-9000 programs at the same time (i.e. Producer, Marketer and Laboratory).  This includes submission of the Application, review of three program Quality Manuals and the Certification Audit for three BQ-9000 programs.  These fees only apply to Marketers and Retailers with up to three locations.

This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the audit.

Tri- Certification Surveillance Audit Fee:  $6,000 NBB Member  /  $8,500 Non-NBB Member
This fee covers the Surveillance Audits for BQ-9000 companies certified under three programs.  This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the audit.

The annual Surveillance Audit Fee applies to all BQ-9000 certified companies after their first and second years of certification.

Tri- Re-Certification Audit Fee:  $8,000 NBB Member  /  $12,000 Non-NBB Member
The Re-Certification Fee covers the full review of the Quality Manuals and the Re-Certification Audit for BQ-9000 companies certified under three programs.  This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the audit.

This Re-Certification Audit Fee applies to all BQ-9000 certified companies seeking continued accreditation every three years.

Provisional Process Fee:  $3,525 NBB Member  /  $5,250 Non-NBB Member
Applicable to a BQ-9000 Producer bringing a new facility into the program through the Provisional Producer process.  The fee covers processing of the Application, a Desk Audit of the Quality Manual and the first Certification Audit under the process outlined within the program requirements.  This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the audit.

Once the Provisional Producer becomes fully certified, the Surveillance and Re-Certification Audit Fees are the same as those listed above for these type audits. 

Follow-Up Audit Fee:  $2,175 NBB Member  /  $3,275 Non-NBB Member
Additional fees charged to a company when an on-site audit was not satisfactory nor compliant with meeting the program requirements, and the Commission deems a follow-up audit to be necessary to maintain certification.

This fee excludes Auditor travel expenses that will be billed following completion of the follow-up audit.

Name Change Fee:  $500 NBB Member  /  $750 Non-NBB Member
Administrative fee for companies submitting a name change request for their BQ-9000 certification (includes a new Certificate and posting).  This would be applicable following a merger or acquisition where more than 50% of the equity in the post-name change belongs to the BQ-9000 certified organization, and their BQ-9000 quality management team / system remains intact.

The Desk Audit verifies that the Applicant’s Quality Manual addresses all the program elements specified in the appropriate BQ-9000 Quality Management System Requirements for Producers, Marketers, Laboratories or Retailers.  Upon completion of the Desk Audit, along with meeting the minimum specified operating time under the Applicant’s Quality Management System and all other specified prerequisites, a Certification Audit is performed.  The scope of the audit is limited to the processes and procedures of the applicant’s Quality Manual and the programs’ requirements.  The NBAC Auditor performs the on-site audit to verify compliance with the individual program elements.  Any nonconformances identified during the audit must be resolved through corrective actions.  Once all corrective actions have been approved and closed, the Auditor submits the audit report to the NBAC for a certification vote.  The BQ-9000 certification is awarded for a period of three years.  Further details on the process can be found within the BQ-9000 Application Package and the program requirements. 
Once certification of a facility is awarded, the organization will undergo an annual on-site Surveillance Audit for each of the next two following years.  At the end of the third year, the BQ-9000 certification expires and the organization may request re-certification.  An on-site Re-Certification Audit is performed and utilizing the same process, an audit report is issued to the NBAC for a vote on re-certification.

AUDIT SUMMARY

Certification Audit
A full 1-1/2 day on-site audit to verify that the facility has an effective quality management system that is functioning to meet all of the specific BQ-9000 program requirements.  A successful audit leads to BQ-9000 certification.

Surveillance Audit
A full 1 day on-site audit to verify that the facility continues to function effectively under their quality management system, and are continuing to meet the BQ-900 program requirements.  A successful audit results in continued certification as a BQ-9000 facility.

Follow-Up Audit
An additional audit that may be conducted if the NBAC determines that the facility is not performing satisfactorily.

Re-Certification Audit
A full 1-1/2 day on-site audit to verify that the facility continues to meet all of the current requirements of the BQ-9000 program.  A successful audit leads to the facility’s BQ-9000 re-certification.

MULTIPLE FACILITIES AUDITS

Marketer Organizations
To verify that the quality management system has been implemented at each location, on-site audits of a representative number of outlets or locations are necessary.  The auditors will determine which locations will be audited annually.  Future audits will target different locations so that eventually all locations have received an on-site audit.  The number of audits required when there are multiple locations is as follows:

                1 – 3 locations                      1 on-site audit annually
                4 – 10 locations                    2 on-site audits annually
                11 – 20 locations                  4 on-site audits annually
                21+ locations                        Annual audits will total the square root of the number of locations plus 1

The first annual audit is included in the base audit costs.  Each additional on-site audit requires an additional $2,175 NBB Member / $3,275 Non-NBB Member plus travel expenses.  These fees apply to any additional required Certification, Surveillance and Re-Certification audits.

Retail Organizations
Due to the limited scope and expected time to audit retail facilities, the pricing has been adjusted to reflect the costs of the program and auditors.  The number of locations audited annually is identical to numbers above and calculated the same as for Marketers with multiple facilities.  Program fees for all Retailers with their first location will include:

                Application Fee with Certification Audit:                        $750
                Surveillance Audit Fee:                                               $500
                Re-Certification Audit Fee:                                          $700

Each additional required annual on-site audit will include a fee of $500.  As with all audits, all auditor expenses will be invoiced separately to the organization.