bqa

What bqa does

BQA (Belgian Quality Association NV) is a privately-held, BELAC-accredited certification body headquartered in Zwijnaarde (Ghent), Belgium, operating since 1991. The company audits and certifies small and medium enterprises (SMEs) against international management system standards, offering six core ISO certifications (ISO 9001 quality, ISO 14001 environmental, ISO 22000 food safety, ISO 27001 information security, ISO 45001 occupational health and safety, and ISO 50001 energy management) as well as a proprietary BQA IMS (Innovation Management System) scheme built on CEN guidelines. In addition to these core ISO offerings, BQA provides a portfolio of sector-specific certifications including QA-CER Recycled Content (transferred to Centexbel in January 2025), Operation Clean Sweep for the plastics industry, RABC biocontamination control for the healthcare and food textile sectors, Care for Quality (C4Q) for the laundry industry, and Vlarema certification for hazardous waste management.

BQA also performs audits on behalf of public and industry bodies — OVAM for hazardous waste collectors, traders and brokers; VLAIO for the Flemish KMO-portefeuille SME subsidy scheme; SPW Emploi Formation for the Walloon Chèque-formation training subsidy; and FBT for the Care for Quality laundry label — creating exclusive or semi-exclusive audit mandates in regulated subsegments. The company generates revenue through quote-based, multi-year certification contracts priced per audit scope and company size. Its go-to-market is sales-led, primarily through its multi-language website (Dutch, English, French, German), phone, email, and direct request-for-quote forms.

The company holds BELAC accreditation (certificates 019-QMS and 019-EMS, plus ISO/IEC 27001:2022 since July 2023) and is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). BQA's value proposition is independent, accredited certification that helps SMEs demonstrate compliance, increase customer credibility, qualify for government subsidies, and meet tender requirements. No funding rounds, investors, or revenue figures are disclosed, and the company appears to be independently operated with a small, specialized team of sector-expert lead auditors.

Name

bqa

Legal name

Belgian Quality Association NV

Website

https://bqa.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BQA (Belgian Quality Association NV) is a BELAC-accredited Belgian certification body founded in 1991 that audits and certifies SMEs against six ISO management system standards and multiple sector-specific schemes, including hazardous waste, recycling, and government-subsidized training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management System Certification Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Services, Nec (8900)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Management System Certification (Food Safety + Quality/Environment/OHS) (AFALACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Certification Program Administration & Scheme Management (Standard Owners) (AFALACAC), Supplier Approval & Second-Party Audit Programs (Retailer/Brand/Manufacturer) (AFALACAF)

Keywords

• ISO certification services
• Management system audits
• Quality management certification
• Environmental management certification
• SME certification body

Headquarters

HQ city

Zwijnaarde

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Certification and Audit Services: BQA generates revenue through fees for certification audits and issuing certificates for various management system standards including ISO certifications and sector-specific certifications (Vlarema, RABC, Care for Quality, KMO-portefeuille, Chèque-formation, QA-CER Recycled Content, Operation Clean Sweep).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BQA is an accredited Belgian certification body that audits and issues certificates to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for ISO management systems (ISO 9001, 14001, 22000, 27001, 45001, 50001) and a portfolio of sector-specific schemes. Services are delivered through on-site audits by BQA's own team of accredited lead auditors, with certificates issued under BELAC accreditation.

Product overview

BQA (Belgian Quality Association) is an accredited certification body offering a portfolio of management system certifications and quality labels primarily for SMEs in Belgium. The core offerings include six ISO management system certifications (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, ISO 27001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001) and a proprietary BQA IMS (Innovation Management System) certification. Additionally, BQA provides sector-specific certifications and labels including QA-CER Recycled Content (recycling management), Operation Clean Sweep (plastic pellet spill prevention), Care for Quality (laundry sector), RABC (biocontamination control), and Vlarema (hazardous waste management). The company also conducts audits for government subsidy schemes including KMO-portefeuille (Flanders) and Chèque-formation (Wallonia). BQA operates under BELAC accreditation and is a member of IAF.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISO 9001 Certification
• ISO 14001 Certification
• ISO 22000 Certification
• ISO 27001 Certification
• ISO 45001 Certification
• ISO 50001 Certification
• BQA IMS Certification
• BQA-label Quality Decree Public Service WSE
• Operation Clean Sweep (OCS)
• Care for Quality (C4Q)
• Chèque-formation
• KMO-portefeuille
• RABC Certification
• Vlarema Certification

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OVAM (Openbare Vlaamse Afvalstoffenmaatschappij)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBQA carries out Vlarema audits on behalf of OVAM (Public Waste Agency of Flanders) to verify compliance with hazardous waste quality management requirements. OVAM imposes a four-yearly audit requirement, and BQA performs these certification audits for collectors, traders, and brokers of hazardous waste.
• FBT (Federation of Belgian Textile Care Takers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBQA was appointed by FBT to independently carry out audits for the Care for Quality (C4Q) label, a quality label specifically for the laundry sector that guarantees quality of cleaned textiles and compliance with European RABC standards.
• VLAIO (Vlaams Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBQA performs audits for registration as service provider in the context of KMO-portefeuille on behalf of the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). The registration procedure is managed by VLAIO.
• SPW Emploi Formation (Walloon Government)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBQA performs audits for recognition as service provider in the context of Chèque-formation on behalf of the Walloon Government (Direction Générale Opérationnelle Economie, Emploi et Recherche).
• CentexbelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrom January 2025, the QA-CER certification scheme was transferred from BQA to Centexbel. BQA QA-CER Recycled Content was integrated into Centexbel's product certification range, with Centexbel developing new QA-CER requirements and certification rules documents.
• BELAC (Belgian Accreditation Body)coreOthersBELAC is the Belgian national accreditation body that provides official accreditation for BQA's certification activities. BQA holds BELAC accreditation certificates (019-QMS and 019-EMS) for quality and environmental management system certifications.
• IAF (International Accreditation Forum)coreOthersBQA is listed as a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), indicating international recognition of their accreditation standards and practices.
• OCS Europe (Plastics Industry Association and European Plastics Converters)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBQA is one of the recognised certification bodies delivering OCS Europe certification for Operation Clean Sweep, a voluntary scheme for preventing plastic pellet spills. BQA assesses procedures and practices of plastic processing industry partners.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Intertek: Global TIC company offering ISO management system and sector-specific certification. Overlaps with BQA on quality, environmental, and information security certifications and serves Belgian SMEs through its European office network.
• BSI Group: UK-headquartered standards body and certification company offering ISO 9001/14001/27001/45001 certifications. Competes for Belgian SME and enterprise accounts with a strong international brand built on being the originator of many ISO standards.
• Bureau Veritas Certification: Global TIC (testing, inspection, certification) leader providing ISO 9001/14001/22000/27001/45001/50001 certifications across all major industries. Competes with BQA for Belgian SME certifications but serves a much broader international enterprise portfolio.
• TÜV Rheinland: Germany-based global certification body providing ISO management system certifications (9001, 14001, 27001, 45001, 50001) and a wide range of product and sector certifications. Competes for Belgian and European SME accounts alongside BQA.
• TÜV SÜD: German-headquartered TIC and certification group offering ISO management system certifications and industry-specific schemes across Europe and globally. Overlaps with BQA on quality, environment, OHS, and information security certifications.
• SGS: World's largest TIC company offering ISO management system certification, product certification, and second-party audit services globally. Overlaps with BQA on the same ISO standards and on sector schemes like recycled content and food safety.
• DEKRA Certification: German-based TIC organization providing ISO management system certifications and industry-specific audits across Europe. Comparable to BQA on the ISO standards portfolio and on serving industrial SME customers in Belgium's neighboring markets.
• DNV: Norway-based certification body providing ISO management system certification and sector schemes (energy, maritime, food). Competes with BQA in the same management system standards, particularly for Belgian SMEs with international exposure.

Direct peers

• Vinçotte: Belgian-headquartered inspection, testing, and certification body offering ISO management system certifications to Belgian SMEs and industrial clients. Direct competitor in the same Belgium-centric certification market with comparable ISO 9001/14001/45001/27001 offerings.
• Kiwa: Netherlands-based accredited certification body operating across Europe, including Belgium, providing ISO management system, product, and sector-specific certifications to a similar SME customer base. Highly comparable in scale, accreditation footprint, and service mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bqa-nv

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 bqa