ISO 9001 · 14001 · 45001 · WHS

Get certified.Win more contracts.

CDMCG builds the ISO management systems construction and high-risk businesses need to pass certification, clear prequalification and stay on the tenders that matter. Designed by a working certification Lead Auditor around what auditors actually check — and built to actually get used.

Sydney-based · working with clients Australia-wide · no obligation on the first conversation

Exemplar Global certified Lead Auditor ISO 9001 · 14001 · 45001 Fixed-fee, no surprises Built to pass — and be used

The problem

Your next tender needs ISO certification you don't have yet

Head contractors, government tenders and prequalification platforms — CM3, Avetta, builder portals — increasingly demand ISO certification — or a certified safety management system — before you can even quote. Miss it and you're locked out of work you could easily win. The fix isn't a 400-page manual nobody reads. It's a system built around how your crews already work, that an auditor will pass. And it takes months, not weeks — so the right time to start is when the tender is on the horizon, not on the desk.

What we do

Three ways CDMCG gets you ISO certified — and keeps you there

Integrated management system (IMS) build & certification support

From gap analysis to certificate — ISO 9001 quality, ISO 14001 environmental and ISO 45001 safety management systems, as a single standard or one fully integrated management system.

  • Gap analysis against the standard
  • Manuals, procedures, registers, forms built to fit you
  • Internal audit & management review
  • Ready for Stage 1 & Stage 2

Outsourced HSEQ management

A senior systems and safety practitioner on call — so your certificate survives every surveillance audit without a scramble.

  • Internal audit programs
  • Management reviews
  • Surveillance-audit readiness
  • Incident & corrective-action support

WHS consulting & prequalification support

Get past the safety gate — whether it's certification, a government WHS review, or a portal.

  • WHS gap analyses & SWMS
  • Prequalification support (CM3, Avetta, ISNetworld, PQAS)
  • Critical-risk reviews
  • Policies & procedures that hold up

Why CDMCG

We work from the auditor's side of the table

Most consultants have never sat in the auditor's chair. CDMCG is led by Kam Askari, an Exemplar Global certified ISO 9001, 14001 & 45001 Lead Auditor who conducts Stage 1, Stage 2, surveillance and recertification audits for certification bodies. We see exactly where systems fail — so the ones we build are designed around what auditors check — certification-ready, and actually used by your people.

You get a senior practitioner, a fixed fee, and straight answers — including when the honest answer is "you don't need this yet."

Kam Askari — Managing Director and ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 Lead Auditor at CDMCG Exemplar Global · Lead Auditor Kam Askari on LinkedIn →

Kam Askari

Managing Director, CDMCG. ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001 Lead Auditor delivering third-party certification audits across construction, civil, manufacturing and government. Recently built a full integrated 9001/14001/45001 system for a licensed high-risk contractor.

A note on impartiality: the rules that keep auditors honest mean CDMCG can never consult for a company it audits on behalf of a certification body — and your certificate is always issued by an independent accredited body, never by us. That separation is why the system we build you has to stand entirely on its own merits.

Who we work with

ISO consulting for construction and high-risk industries, Australia-wide

CDMCG is a Sydney-based ISO and WHS consultancy working with clients Australia-wide. If a client, tender or regulator expects a certified system, we can help. We work most with:

Construction & civil

Builders, subcontractors and civil contractors facing prequal and tender requirements.

High-risk trades

Demolition, asbestos removal, hazmat, scaffolding, remediation — where an ISO 45001 certified safety management system underpins the licence to work.

Manufacturing & industrial

Fabrication, processing and industrial SMEs where ISO 9001 quality management systems and ISO 14001 certification open doors.

Environmental services

Waste, recycling and environmental operators needing ISO 14001 certification and integrated management systems.

Logistics & transport

Operators where chain-of-responsibility and safety systems gate the work.

Government suppliers

Businesses on (or chasing) government panels and prequalification schemes, including NSW Government construction prequalification.

Facing a prequal or tender requirement in your industry? Book a call.

How it works

A clear path from gap analysis to ISO certification

1

Readiness Review — a fixed fee, agreed up front

We map where your current system stands against the standard and tell you honestly what it'll take — findings, priorities and a clear fixed price for the build. If you go ahead with us within 90 days, the review fee comes off the build.

2

Build the system

We build the manuals, procedures, registers and forms around how you actually work — not a binder gathering dust in the site office.

3

Internal audit & readiness

We run and record the internal audit and management review a certification body will check.

4

Certification

An independent accredited body runs Stage 1 & Stage 2. We prepare you for both stages so nothing comes as a surprise.

5

Keep it alive

Optional retainer keeps your system audit-ready year on year, so surveillance never catches you out.

Step 1 is a fixed-fee Readiness Review. Book the 20-minute call

Timing

The certification clock

Certification runs on the certification body's calendar, not yours. Before an accredited body will issue a certificate, your system has to be built, in genuine use and generating records — and the audits themselves are booked in advance. That's why the honest answer to "how long does it take?" is months, not weeks. So the date that matters isn't the deadline on the tender or the licence — it's the start date you get by counting backwards from it.

1

The deadline

The date the tender, prequalification portal or licence condition needs the certificate by.

2

The certification audit

Booked with the independent accredited body ahead of that date — on their schedule, not yours.

3

The system in use

Before that audit, your system needs real operation and real records behind it — auditors test evidence, not intentions.

4

The start

Work it back and the build typically needs to begin 4–8 months before the deadline. If that start date is close — or already behind you — it's worth a 20-minute call to find out where you stand.

Straight answers

ISO certification questions we get asked

How long does ISO certification take?

For most SMEs, 4–8 months from gap analysis to certificate — if the system is actually being used, not just written. If you're working to a tender deadline, count backwards from the tender date to know whether to start now.

Can we just wait until we're forced to?

If nothing requires certification yet — no licence condition, no tender, no head contractor letter — waiting can be a reasonable call, and we'll say so. The catch is lead time. Certification takes months, not weeks: the certification body needs to see your system genuinely running, with records behind it, and their audit dates are booked in advance. When something does force the issue, it rarely comes with that much notice. Count backwards from the date you'd be forced by — that's your real start date.

What does ISO certification cost?

We quote a fixed fee up front, so there's no meter running — you know the number before you commit. The first step is a short, fixed-fee Readiness Review, credited off your build if you proceed with us within 90 days. You'll also pay the certification body separately for their audit (that's their fee, not ours). Ask us for a quote and we'll set the numbers out clearly.

Do you guarantee we'll get certified?

No honest consultant can — certification is decided by an independent accredited body, not by us. What we do is build the system to pass and prepare you properly. We'd rather set that expectation straight than oversell.

Which ISO standard do I actually need?

It depends entirely on who's asking — a builder, a government tender and a prequalification portal can each want something different. A 20-minute call will tell you what your situation actually requires, so you don't overspend on a certificate you didn't need.

Is AS/NZS 4801 still valid, or do we need ISO 45001?

AS/NZS 4801 was withdrawn and accredited certification to it ended in 2023, so most tenders and prequalification portals now expect AS/NZS ISO 45001. If your system was built to 4801, you'll typically re-enter certification as a new applicant, starting with a gap analysis. The good news: a well-run 4801 system carries a lot over — the gaps are usually leadership, worker consultation and risk-based thinking rather than a full rebuild.

Do I need ISO 9001 or ISO 45001 for government tenders?

Often both. NSW Government construction prequalification schemes typically look for ISO 9001 quality and ISO 45001 safety management systems, with ISO 14001 environmental added on larger contracts — and head contractors and portals like CM3 and Avetta set their own requirements again. Send us the tender or scheme name and we'll tell you exactly which standards it asks for, before you commit to the wrong certificate.

We need a certified safety management system for an asbestos removal licence — can you help?

Yes — this is core work for us. In NSW, Class A asbestos removal licence holders need a safety management system certified to AS/NZS ISO 45001 by a JAS-ANZ accredited certification body. We build the system around how your crews actually work, run the internal audit, and prepare you for the certification body's audit — the certificate itself always comes from the independent accredited body. Licence requirements differ by state, so if an application or renewal has a deadline, talk to us early so the certification audit can be booked in time.

Can't we just buy an ISO template package online?

You can — and as an auditor I see them every month; I can usually tell which template pack it was by page three. Templates fail audits for one reason: they describe a business that isn't yours. The nonconformities that sink a Stage 2 are almost never missing documents — they're documents nobody follows. What you're paying for isn't paperwork; it's a system that matches how your crews actually work and stands up to the auditor's questions.

What if we fail the audit?

Certification audits raise findings — that's what they're for, and most are fixable. What matters is whose problem a finding is. Our commitment is simple: if the initial certification audit raises a nonconformity against something we built, we close it out at no charge. Findings about how your team runs the system day to day, we work through together — and we prepare you thoroughly enough that surprises are rare. The decision itself always sits with the independent accredited body; no honest consultant can promise a pass.

Who actually does the work?

You get me — Kam Askari, the Lead Auditor named on this page. No juniors, no handovers, no outsourced documentation team. The person who builds your system is the same person who audits systems like it for certification bodies, so nothing goes in that wouldn't survive an auditor's questions. The honest trade-off: my calendar is the constraint. I take on a limited number of builds at a time, and I'll tell you upfront when the next start can be.

Not ready to talk yet? Start with the free guide: 7 reasons businesses fail their ISO certification audit — written by our Lead Auditor.

Free guide

Not ready to talk? Read this first.

The 7 reasons businesses fail their ISO certification audit — written from the auditor's chair.

Get the free guide

Facing a prequal deadline or a tender requirement?

Pick a time that suits you — it goes straight into the calendar. Or tell us a bit about your business below and we'll come back within one business day. No obligation. Sydney-based — we work on your sites and in your offices, across NSW and Australia-wide.

Book the 20-minute readiness call

Prefer to talk now? Call 02 8014 7575 or email email CDMCG

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