What distinction does the primary guidance support?
ISO's public guidance on documented information for ISO 9001:2015 distinguishes information maintained to support process operation from information retained to provide confidence that processes were carried out as planned. This is guidance for that edition, not a certification claim or a substitute for the actual tender requirements.
Returnables Agency is independent and is not affiliated with ISO. The policy/procedure/record grouping below is our response-planning aid, not an official ISO form or an assertion that every system must use documents with those names.
Sources: International Organization for Standardization: Guidance on documented information for ISO 9001:2015
Which evidence should answer the buyer's wording?
Separate a proposed control from an assertion about past implementation. Use only approved facts and records authorised for the tender audience.
| Buyer asks for | Possible evidence to verify | What it does not establish alone |
|---|---|---|
| Quality policy | Approved current policy and scope | A completed inspection or project outcome |
| Control process | Applicable procedure and responsibilities | That the process was followed on a past job |
| Example of implementation | Relevant completed record, approved for disclosure | Universal compliance across all work |
| Proposed project approach | Specific planned controls and record outputs | Past experience or a committed result |
| Certification, if requested | Verified applicable certificate and scope | Coverage beyond its actual scope |
| Response claim | Exact statement mapped to supplied evidence | Facts absent from the approved inputs |
How can an unsupported implementation claim be corrected?
Illustrative example. A fictional electrical tender asks for an example of how drawing checks are recorded. The response attaches a quality policy and says every issued drawing was independently checked. No approved completed record has been supplied.
The writer flags the implementation claim, asks the responsible owner for an authorised relevant record and removes the unsupported statement while it remains unresolved. If the buyer permits a proposed process description instead, that description is labelled as proposed. It is not presented as past performance.
Never create a completed example that looks like a real record. A synthetic sample must say Illustrative example and must not be used to substantiate the bidder's experience.
What should the final evidence matrix retain?
For each response statement, retain the requirement reference, evidence kind, actual document/version, applicability, disclosure permission and approving reviewer. Record a missing completed record as missing rather than substitute a certificate or policy that answers a different question.
A bidder may have a valid management system and still need a particular tender example. Conversely, a useful completed record is not proof of certification. Resolve each requested evidence type separately and keep private project identities out of broadly distributed response-planning files.
Common questions
What else should the bid team know?
Does a policy prove a completed inspection?
No. Obtain the actual authorised implementation evidence.
Can a proposed process be described as past performance?
No. Label the proposed approach accurately.
Does this map establish ISO certification?
No. Verify any certificate and its applicability separately.
Primary sources
- Guidance on documented information for ISO 9001:2015International Organization for Standardization