Partnerships

IMS Certification is the Certification Body for the Approved Suppliers Scheme (APSS Scheme) which provides ‘SupplierMark’ certification to companies to become ‘Registered Approved Suppliers’. Companies undertake assessment and audit against the ‘Integrated Approved Suppliers Standard’ which is the world’s first and only ‘integrated Management Standard’, enabling companies to meet the key requirements of other International Standards including:

ISO 9001:2000
ISO 14001:2004
ISO 27001:2005
OHSAS 18001:1999
Investors in People

Achieving SupplierMark enables Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to also undergo a Pre-Qualification process in order to become a Registered Approved Supplier and gain a listing in the Approved Suppliers Register. Registered Approved Buyers from the Government/Public Sector and Corporate Sectors use the Approved Suppliers Register to select suitable companies for awarding their Contracts and Tenders.

The market for Public Sector Procurement in the UK alone is estimated to be £120 Billion per annum.

IMS Certification for APSS

SupplierMark accredited companies are automatically awarded IMS Certification against the following ISO International Standards after 12 months of receiving their SupplierMark certification:

ISO 9001:2000
ISO 14001:2004
ISO 27001:2005
OHSAS 18001:1999

Accreditations and Endorsements

The Approved Suppliers Scheme benefits from accreditation and endorsement from a number of prestigious national and international organisations including:

Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI)
	SFEDI is recognised by Government for developing Business Support related Standards and best practice. Government funded business support agencies such as Business Links and other including Chambers of Commerce, Enterprise Agencies, Learn Direct and many others deliver business support to their customers in accordance with SFEDI Standards.
Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)
	CIPS is the largest Purchasing and Supply organisation in the world. With over 38,000 members, CIPS develops Purchasing and Supply related Standards and Training and disseminates best practice within the industry.
Business Link
	The Approved Suppliers Scheme has received endorsement and support from Business Link.
ASET Accreditation Body
	ASET is an national Accreditation Body regulated by the Government through the DFES and provides accreditation for the Approved Suppliers Scheme Training Programme.
British Quality Foundation (BQF)
	The BQF has endorsed the Approved Suppliers Scheme and is the UK custodian of the European Business Excellence Model.
A4e
	A4e both endorses and delivers the Approved Supplier Scheme to businesses. With a turnover in excess of £60M and a network of over 100 UK branches, A4e is an international delivery organisation of numerous Government funded Business Support (Business Link), Training, Employment and social related projects.
Zurich
	Zurich, one of the world’s largest companies has endorsed and accredited the Approved Suppliers Scheme.
Chambers of Commerce
	Various Chambers of Commerce have endorsed and delivered the Approved Suppliers Scheme.
University of Huddersfield
	The University of Huddersfield’s Department responsible for Quality Standards has endorsed the Approved Suppliers Scheme.
European Regional Development Fund
	The APSS Scheme has received £3M funding from the European Regional development Fund to support delivery to SMEs.
Learn Direct
	The APSS Scheme has been endorsed by Learn Direct.