ICPF

What ICPF does

ICPF is a France-based, COFRAC-accredited certification body (accreditation n°5-0616) founded in 1995 and headquartered in Levallois-Perret, specializing in quality certification for the training and consulting sector. The company issues the Qualiopi certification that French training organizations (Organismes Prestataires d'Actions concourant au développement des Compétences) are required to hold in order to access public and mutualized training funding (OPCO, CPF, Transitions Pro, AGEFICE). ICPF also certifies individual training professionals under the ICPF PRO brand across three tiers (Agréé, Confirmé, Expert) and issues ISO 9001 and ISO 21001 certifications for quality management and educational organizations respectively. In October 2024, it extended its offering with the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) certification for French-speaking media outlets, and in September 2025 it acquired ActivCert to consolidate its position as the leading Qualiopi certifier in France.

The company's core technology is the Noé platform, a proprietary 100% digital certification management system that handles the end-to-end workflow from initial request, document submission, automated NDA verification, audit scheduling, and certificate delivery. Supporting tools include a pre-audit preparation service, Pass Serenity and Pass Group accompaniment packages, and an online self-diagnosis tool. Distribution combines inside sales via a dedicated phone line, the self-serve Noé platform, and a territorial network of regional auditors positioned within 90 minutes of client sites across France including overseas territories, with webinar-based education to nurture prospects through the certification journey.

ICPF's revenue model is certification-fee based, with prices scaled to audit duration which itself depends on the training organization's revenue, action categories, and number of sites. Contracts are structured as multi-year engagements covering initial certification, surveillance audits, and renewals, generating a recurring revenue stream. The customer base is long-tail and SMB-dominated across multiple verticals including HR consulting, transport training, healthcare training, and quality consulting, with the company claiming 7,000+ certified professionals, a 95% satisfaction rate, and a 4.8/5 rating on more than 800 Google reviews. The company has been recognized as a "Champion of Growth" by Les Echos and Statista in four consecutive years and currently operates with approximately 50 employees.

Name

ICPF

Legal name

ICPF

Website

https://certif-icpf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ICPF is a France-based, COFRAC-accredited certification body issuing Qualiopi, ICPF PRO, ISO 9001, ISO 21001, and JTI certifications to training organizations and individual professionals, serving over 7,000 certified clients via its proprietary Noé digital platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quality Certification Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Standards, Metrology & Accreditation Bodies (BPAIAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Assessment, Certification & Qualifications Frameworks (BPADAKAL)

Keywords

• Quality certification services
• Training organization certification
• Qualiopi certification body
• ISO management certification
• Professional certification programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Levallois-perret

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Certification services: ICPF generates revenue through fees charged for certification services including initial certification audits, surveillance audits, renewal audits, and certificate transfers. The pricing varies based on audit duration which depends on revenue, action categories, and number of sites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ICPF is a COFRAC-accredited French certification body that issues quality certifications—Qualiopi, ICPF PRO, ISO 9001, ISO 21001, and Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI)—to training organizations, individual trainers, and educational institutions. Its 100% digital Noé platform manages the full certification lifecycle from initial request through audit to certificate delivery, supported by pre-audit preparation services, Pass Serenity and Pass Group accompaniment packages, and live webinars.

Product overview

ICPF operates a multi-product certification ecosystem centered around its Noé digital platform (100% digital certification management) and three core certification types: Qualiopi (quality certification for French training organizations required for public funding access), ICPF PRO (individual professional certification at three levels: Agréé, Confirmé, Expert), and ISO certifications (9001 for quality management, 21001 for educational organizations). Supporting services include pre-audits, preparation passes (Pass Serenity, Pass Group), webinars, and an online self-diagnosis tool. The offering was extended in 2024 to include Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) certification for French-speaking media.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NOÉ: Digital certification platform for managing the entire certification process from request to audit to certification.

Products and services

• Qualiopi Certification Quality certification for French training providers (Organismes Prestataires d'Actions concourant au Développement des Compétences - OPAC). Required for accessing public and mutualized training funding (OPCO, CPF, etc.) and reassures clients on the quality of training activity. Includes initial certification, certificate transfer, extension, surveillance, and renewal audits.
• ICPF PRO Certification Individual professional certification for training and consulting professionals, valuing years of experience and domains of intervention across three levels: Agréé (Approved), Confirmé (Confirmed), and Expert. Validates personal expertise and supports market differentiation for individual practitioners.
• ISO 9001 Certification Quality management system certification helping organizations improve performance through a triple objective of quality assurance, performance, and fulfillment via client and stakeholder satisfaction. Enables access to tenders and supports commercial positioning.
• ISO 21001 Certification Educational organizations management certification positioning training providers at the highest recognition level in the training and education sector. Suitable for higher education institutions, apprenticeship training centers (CFA), online training organizations, research institutes, and government institutions.
• Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) Certification Certification offering for French-speaking media outlets to provide external guarantees of the reliability of their productions, powered by Reporters Without Borders. Extends ICPF's certification reach beyond the training and consulting sector into media.
• Pré-audit Qualiopi
• Pass Serenity and Pass Group

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% satisfaction rate among certified organizations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ActivCertcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2025ICPF acquired ActivCert, another Qualiopi certification body, strengthening its position as the leading Qualiopi certifier in France.
• Club AFNORminorOthersICPF is a member of Club AFNOR, the French association for standardization and quality management.
• French Ministry of WorkcoreOthersICPF is officially listed on the Ministry of Work's list of approved certification bodies for Qualiopi.
• UHFP (Université d'Hiver de la Formation Professionnelle)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerICPF is a partner and exhibitor at UHFP, the major annual event for professional training in France.
• Club DBEminorOthersClub DBE (Dialogue, Business, Echange) is the club of ICPF certified professionals enabling networking and business opportunities among certified training professionals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) incumbent with a significant French footprint delivering Qualiopi, ISO 9001, and ISO 21001. While it operates across many industries and is far larger than ICPF, it competes head-to-head for French training-organization certification mandates.
• SGS: SGS is one of the world's largest TIC companies with a substantial French certification practice covering ISO management systems and Qualiopi. It is a broad incumbent comparable to ICPF in the specific French training certification vertical but with a vastly larger global portfolio.
• Kiwa France: Kiwa is an international TIC group with a French presence offering ISO and sector-specific certifications. It competes with ICPF for ISO 9001 and ISO 21001 mandates in the French training and education sector, with broader European reach.
• DNV: DNV is a global TIC incumbent with a French certification practice active in Qualiopi and ISO management systems for training and education providers. It is comparable to ICPF in product overlap but operates at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Apave: Apave is a major French TIC group delivering ISO certifications and Qualiopi to training organizations. It is a comparable competitor with broader industrial risk-management services, competing with ICPF for the same Qualiopi and ISO mandates in France.

Direct peers

• AFNOR Certification: AFNOR Certification is the historical leader of French certification and a direct competitor in delivering Qualiopi certifications to French training organizations. It offers an overlapping portfolio including ISO 9001, ISO 21001, and professional certifications, and benefits from the broader AFNOR standardization brand — making it ICPF's most direct domestic peer.
• AB Certification: AB Certification is a French COFRAC-accredited body delivering Qualiopi and ISO certifications to training organizations. It is a comparable niche player competing with ICPF for the same SME training-provider segment in France.
• I.CERT: I.CERT is a France-based COFRAC-accredited certification body that delivers Qualiopi certifications directly competing with ICPF in the training-organization segment. It is a focused domestic peer with comparable service scope and target customers.
• Certification France: Certification France is a French accredited certification body delivering Qualiopi and ISO certifications to training organizations. It is a comparable domestic peer targeting the same SME training-provider market as ICPF.
• Euro-Quality System (EQA): EQA is a French COFRAC-accredited certification body active in Qualiopi, ISO 9001, and ISO 21001, serving training organizations and educational institutions. It is a close niche peer with a comparable offering set and customer base to ICPF.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icpf
• Xx.com/ICPF_
• Facebookfacebook.com/icpfpsi

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICPF