The HQAI on-boarding process for organisations
The HQAI on-boarding process for organisations
We guide you step-by-step through your HQAI on-boarding process.
The timeline below shows you an overview of the different steps to accomplish before the initial audit starts. The quality assurance team at HQAI stays at your disposal to guide you through the onboarding process and answer any questions.
STEP 1: APPLICATION FORM SIGNED AND FEE PAID
The application form has the purpose to give the auditors and HQAI an understanding of your organisation, your governance structure, your ways of working and gives an indication of the service you wish to use.
The application fee allows HQAI to work with a senior auditor to tailor a financial and technical proposal, which will be submitted to you after preliminary analysis.
Once you process the fee, you will have access to the audit cloud and the e-learning for Focal Points that guides you through the entire audit. Note that the fee depends on the size of the organisation and will be deducted from the final invoice at the end of the initial audit.
Useful links and information:
Before filling in the application form please read through these questions.
Which service would you like to apply for?
Certification, Independent verification, Benchmarking
Read POL114 Third-party quality assurance policy to understand what our different services entail.
Should you wish to apply as a Group, please carefully read POL500 Independent quality assurance for Groups.
Do you need financial support to pay for an audit service?
The Subsidy Fund can cover up to 90% of audit costs.
Read these documents and check if you are eligible for a subsidy!
STEP 2: ON-BOARDING MEETING
We will explain the audit process, point out key milestones and share additional resources and guidelines.
STEP 3: ACCESS TO CLOUD AND E-LEARNING
We will provide your personal unique access to HQAI protected cloud.
The cloud is the place where all documents and guidelines for the audit will be stored. You will upload all audit-related documents there and you will receive the final audit report on the cloud.
HQAI e-learning for Focal Points:
The e-learning for Focal Points was developed with the objective to get you prepared for the audit. It includes information about HQAI, about our services, and most importantly, all you need to know about the audit process.
We advise you to share the e-learning with your colleagues, directly and indirectly, involved in the audit. The better your colleagues know about the audit process, the better they understand its purpose and follow-up actions.
Here is the link to the 1 module of the e-learning.
STEP 4: AUDIT AGREEMENT LETTER SIGNED:
The audit agreement letter is the contract between you and HQAI. It defines the estimated audits costs, the scope and programme, and the timeline of the audit process.
Once this agreement is signed by your organisation, we are partners!
STEP 5: SELF-ASSESSMENT CONDCUTED
The reception of a completed self-assessment is a requirement to continue the onboarding process. The deadline is the latest one month before the initial audit starts.
Please note that if your organisation has conducted a self-assessment using the CHS Alliance tool you can submit this to HQAI in place of the HQAI self-assessment, providing it was completed within the past 12 months. No additional work is required.
Click here for detailed guidance on the HQAI self-assessment.
STEP 6: MEETINGS AND COORDINATION WITH AUDIT TEAM
The audit team selected by HQAI and approved by your organisation will reach out to coordinate the initial audit stage 1.
Much of this is based on the previous steps in the on-boarding process such as your HQAI self-assessment and the discussions with the quality assurance team.
