Engagements/ISO 42001 + AI Governance.
STANDARDS · STANDARDSLABS + AILABS

ISO 42001 + AI Governance.
The certification pathway.

For organisations facing enterprise procurement gate pressure or preparing for EU AI Act obligations. Full ISO 42001 certification path delivered through UKAS-linked platform partnership, with applied AI governance depth from AILabs. Positioned as the operative response to converging AI governance pressures.

Timeline
9 to 12 months
Capacity
Three concurrent
Buyer pressure
Procurement gate / regulatory readiness
Engagements are scoped per client and delivered against defined outcomes. Book a discovery call to scope your specific engagement.
WHAT YOU GET

The scope, in specifics.

Full ISO 42001 certification pathway with applied AI governance depth.

Gap assessment and framework design. Three-to-four-month opening phase. Current AI governance state assessed against ISO 42001. Framework designed against the standard. AI risk register built. Governance and accountability arrangements formalised. Third-party AI dependency management structured.

Implementation and evidence-building. Four-to-six-month operational phase. Framework operates in practice, not just on paper. Evidence of operation accumulates through routine business activity: risk assessments performed, changes managed, audits conducted, management reviews held.

Certification audit support. Two-stage certification audit through the UKAS-linked certification body partnership. Stage one documentation review. Stage two operational evidence verification. Full support through both audit stages.

Applied AI governance depth. AILabs technical depth on the AI-specific components. Model governance, AI risk assessment methodology, foundation model and third-party AI management, ethics-by-design integration.

Ongoing surveillance and recertification. Annual surveillance audit and three-yearly recertification support included as optional retainer.

LABS INVOLVED

The labs that deliver this engagement.

LEAD

StandardsLabs

Owns the certification pathway. Framework design, implementation support, audit coordination, ongoing surveillance.

DEPTH

AILabs

Applied AI governance and ethics. Model risk methodology. EU AI Act alignment.

Sub-services deployed: ISO Certifications · EU Regulatory Readiness · AI Governance & Ethics
PROCESS

How the engagement runs.

Months 1 to 4: Preparation. Gap assessment, framework design, initial implementation. AI risk register built. Governance arrangements formalised. Documentation architecture established.

Months 5 to 10: Implementation. Framework operates. Evidence accumulates through routine business activity. Internal audit conducted. Management review held. Any framework gaps identified and remediated.

Months 11 to 12: Certification audit. Stage one documentation audit through UKAS-linked certification body. Any findings addressed. Stage two operational evidence audit. Certification issued on successful outcome.

Ongoing: Surveillance. Annual surveillance audit maintains certification. Three-yearly recertification. Optional retainer covers full ongoing support.

OUTCOMES

What the engagement produces.

The certification produces the evidence enterprise procurement teams and regulators recognise. Where AI governance was previously a policy commitment, certification produces independently-verified evidence of operational discipline.

The framework supports EU AI Act compliance rather than substituting for it. Certified organisations still have to comply with the Act's specific legal obligations. The certification provides the management framework that makes compliance defensible and auditable.

The framework leverages existing ISO 27001 implementations materially. Organisations already certified to 27001 move through the pathway faster and at lower marginal cost. The two standards share substantial structural DNA.

The engagement can be bundled with additional certifications. Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, and ISO 42001 are frequently pursued together in the Cyber & Standards Bundle engagement.

SECTOR FIT

Where this engagement is most operative.

B2B Tech & SaaS. Enterprise SaaS and technology firms facing peak procurement gate pressure. ISO 42001 is being written into procurement questionnaires across enterprise buyers. Highest current engagement volume.

Financial Services (B2B). B2B financial services firms facing FCA supervisory attention on AI-driven decisions. Certification supports Consumer Duty documentation for AI-driven consumer outcomes.

Cyber Security & Defence. CNI-adjacent suppliers, defence contractors, and cyber-security suppliers where certification is procurement infrastructure rather than commercial differentiation.

Professional Services. Firms that are themselves being asked by clients about AI governance in their delivery, or that operate AI-driven professional services and face governance scrutiny.

ADJACENT ENGAGEMENTS

Where clients often move next.

NEXT STEP

Ready to scope this engagement against your context?

Thirty minutes on a discovery call. Structured against your specific commercial pressure. No obligation past the call itself.

Book a discovery call