Operations
Switching QSA companies without breaking your cycle
There’s no lock-in with a QSA company — but a badly timed switch can cost you a renewal. Here’s how to do it cleanly.
When switching makes sense
- Fee creep. Renewal quotes climbing faster than your scope.
- Team churn. The QSAs you liked are gone; the replacements are learning your environment on your dime.
- Scope mismatch. You’ve outgrown a boutique — or you’re overpaying a global for a simple scope.
- Service failures. Missed timelines, sloppy reports, unreturned calls.
The clean-switch playbook
- Time it after your current ROC. Switch between cycles, not mid-assessment. Starting over mid-fieldwork means paying twice.
- Export everything. Evidence packages, prior ROCs, scoping documents, remediation records — your documentation is yours. Get it before you announce the switch.
- Let the new QSA re-scope. Scope drift between assessors is normal and healthy. Don’t anchor them to the old QSA’s scoping — but do ask them to explain material differences.
- Overlap the timelines. Engage the new QSA 3–4 months before the ROC expires so fieldwork never gaps.
- Tell the old firm professionally. You may need them for factual questions during transition. Burn no bridges.
Don’t switch to dodge findings. A new QSA will find the same gaps — and “opinion shopping” for a lenient assessor is how companies end up with a ROC their acquirer won’t accept. Switch for fit and service, not for an easier pass.
Get competing quotes from new QSAs
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How it works: tell us once (4 questions, 2 min) → we match accredited QSA companies to your size and scope → they send scoped quotes directly. Free, no obligation.