RALA certification: the construction industry's quality management system without unnecessary bureaucracy
RALA certificates demonstrate to clients that your company operates systematically in terms of quality, the environment and occupational safety. We build the system for you and support you through to assessment.
With Laatupankki, you get ready-made document templates, an application for maintaining the system and an expert by your side. Implementation is practical and tailored to everyday construction work, not office-based theory.
RALA certification is a construction industry-specific version of the same management system principles on which ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 are based.
Our service covers
Initial assessment
Building the system
Implementation on site
Assessment readiness
- No hundred-page quality manual
- No need for an in-house quality manager
- Not confined to the office
What is RALA certification?
RALA certification is management system certification awarded by Rakentamisen Laatu RALA ry and developed specifically for construction companies. There are three certificates: the RALA quality certificate is based on the principles of ISO 9001, the RALA environmental certificate on ISO 14001, and the RALA safety certificate on ISO 45001. However, the assessment criteria are written in the language of construction and for construction processes. You can apply for the certificates together, or start with the quality certificate and expand later. We help you choose the right combination for your company.
RALA quality certificate
Based on the principles of ISO 9001. Tender calculations, site management, procurement and handover are defined as clear practices that are repeated consistently from one project to the next.
RALA environmental certificate
Based on the principles of ISO 14001. Waste management, material use and the management of environmental requirements on site are brought under control and into a verifiable format.
RALA safety certificate
Based on the principles of ISO 45001. Induction, TR measurements, incident reports and the handling of safety nonconformities form a coherent and trackable whole.
The certificate tells clients that your operations have been assessed by an independent party and meet the requirements jointly agreed for the construction industry.
How we build the system required for RALA certification
Laatupankki takes care of building the system for you. You receive an implementation that works on site and in the office, not only on assessment day.
We build the system around your actual site practices. We do not invent new processes for the assessment; instead, we document and refine what you already do.
Building contractors, infrastructure contractors and building services companies need different areas of emphasis. We tailor the system to your sector, size and contract types.
We create lean documentation that site management will actually use. Clear templates for induction, reviews, nonconformities and handover - not pages of text to read.
Our expert supports you from the initial assessment through to assessment and beyond. We also answer the phone when a question arises in the middle of a working day on site.
The result is that RALA certification becomes part of your company's normal operations, not a separate project.
RALA certification step by step
We implement the system required for RALA certification through a clear service process. At every stage, we do the heavy lifting while you focus on your contracts.
Initial assessment
We review your company's current situation and compare it with RALA's assessment criteria. Usually, a large part of the requirements is already met, but the practices have not been documented.
- We map current practices in the office and on site
- We identify gaps against RALA's assessment criteria
- We create a roadmap and timetable for certification
You gain a clear picture of what certification requires from your company in practice.
Management system design
We design the system around your contract types and organisation. We define who is responsible for what and how matters are verified.
- We document processes from tendering to the warranty period
- We agree responsibilities between site management and the office
- We select metrics that management will actually monitor
The design ensures that the system suits your company's size and way of working.
Documentation and application implementation
We prepare the required descriptions and forms for you and add them to the Laatupankki application, making them available on site by phone as well.
- Management system descriptions and work instructions ready for use
- Induction, review and nonconformity forms in the application
- Documents in one place, with the latest version always in force
Documentation is the most laborious stage, and it is exactly the part we do for you.
Implementation on site
We roll out the system to site management and construction sites. We ensure that everyone knows their role and that records are created alongside the work.
- We train site management in the new practices
- We introduce measurements and the handling of nonconformities
- We monitor implementation during the first weeks and adjust where necessary
Implementation succeeds when it is done on the site's terms, not the office's.
Assessment readiness
We ensure that the system and evidence meet RALA's assessment criteria and prepare your company for the certification assessment. After this, an assessor selected by RALA conducts the initial assessment, and RALA's assessment committee decides on awarding the certificate.
- We carry out an internal audit and address the findings
- We help prepare the application and self-assessment in RALA's online service
- We prepare the management review and required evidence
- We review the assessment day process in advance
Thorough preparation removes major surprises. If findings arise during the assessment, we help address them quickly and within the deadline. Nonconformities are a normal part of the process, not a rejection.
Building the system with us typically takes from a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on your company's size and starting point. RALA's own application process, from application to certification decision, takes approximately 3-6 months in total, and the assessment requires evidence that the system is in use on site. That is why the system is implemented well before the assessment, and we take care of the timetable for you.
What are the benefits of RALA certification?
A RALA certificate is not just a piece of paper to hang on the wall. When built correctly, it improves both sales and everyday work on site.
Access to larger contracts
More and more clients and main contractors ask for certification already in the invitation to tender. A certificate keeps your company in competitions from which you would otherwise be excluded.
Fewer nonconformities and accidents
When induction, measurements and the handling of nonconformities are systematic, problems are identified early. This is reflected in both safety and insurance premiums.
Operations can scale
When practices are documented, a new site manager can get up to speed quickly and quality remains consistent from one project to the next. Growth no longer depends on individual people.
Certification pays for itself through won contracts and reduced costs of errors.
Who is RALA certification suitable for?
Our service is intended for construction companies that want certification without overburdening their own staff.
The service is designed for you if
We tailor the implementation to suit both companies with only a few people and contractors employing dozens of people.
Supporting you throughout the assessment
A certification assessment can feel daunting if it is your first time. With us, you know in advance what will be asked and where to find the answer.
Preparing for the assessment
We review the system and evidence point by point and ensure that every item in the assessment criteria is covered and verifiable.
“Thorough preparation removes surprises”
Support on assessment day
We support you on assessment day. The assessor wants to hear the answers from you, so we coach key personnel in advance and ensure that the right documents can be found quickly.
“You are not alone on assessment day”
Certificate and maintenance
Once the assessment has been passed, RALA's assessment committee awards your company a RALA certificate. The certificate's validity requires an annual surveillance assessment, so we ensure that the system remains in order and surveillance assessments proceed without a separate intensive effort.
“Your certificate remains valid”
You do not need to know the assessment criteria by heart. We ensure that everything required is in order.
The most common mistakes in a RALA project
The same pitfalls recur in the construction industry year after year. We make sure you avoid them.
An overly extensive quality manual
Many companies create hundreds of pages of text that nobody reads. We create lean descriptions and forms that site management uses without separate reminders.
The system stays in the office
If the site knows nothing about the system, the assessment reveals it immediately. We bring practices to the site and to the phone, where they are actually needed.
Records are created only for the assessment
Forms filled in retrospectively do not withstand scrutiny. We build a routine in which records are created alongside the work, not afterwards.
Thanks to our experience, you avoid the most common mistakes and progress to certification smoothly.
RALA certification and ISO management systems
RALA certification and ISO standards are not mutually exclusive. They are based on the same principles, so the same groundwork supports both.
The same foundation. RALA's assessment criteria are built on the same management system principles as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.
In the language of construction. RALA is Finnish and written for the construction industry, making the requirements easier to recognise in your daily work.
Well known among clients. Finnish developers and main contractors know RALA, which carries weight at the tender stage.
Expansion is possible later. Once the foundation has been properly built, moving to ISO certification requires additional work rather than starting over.
We help you choose whether RALA certification or ISO standards are the best starting point in your case.
Why choose Laatupankki as your RALA partner?
We have built management systems for dozens of SMEs and know what truly works in everyday construction operations.
Experience of assessment criteria
We know both RALA's assessment criteria and ISO standards, and we understand what an assessor expects to see. This shortens the project considerably.
Familiar with everyday construction work
We do not build theoretical models, but solutions that work on site. Records are created alongside the work, not as a separate administrative task.
Application included
The Laatupankki application keeps documents, measurements and nonconformities in one place and reminds you of deadlines. The system remains active between assessments.
You get a partner who will not leave you alone on assessment day or afterwards.
Talk to a RALA expert
We review your company's current situation and assess together what RALA certification requires from you and what timetable is realistic for implementation.
Frequently asked questions about RALA certification
- RALA competence verifies a company's technical competence and that statutory obligations, such as taxes and employment pension contributions, have been taken care of. RALA certification, in turn, concerns the management system - how the company and its sites are managed. Certification is clearly broader and requires building a system. We focus on certification.
- These should be distinguished from each other. Building the system with us typically takes from a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on your company's size and starting point, and Laatupankki's ready-made templates speed up the work considerably compared with doing it yourself. In addition, RALA's own application process, from application to certification decision, takes approximately 3-6 months because the assessment requires evidence that the system is already in use on site.
- For domestic contracts, RALA certification is usually sufficient because clients know it. ISO 9001 is worth considering if you operate in international projects or your clients require an international standard. Because the foundation is the same, expansion can be carried out later without previous work going to waste.
- The assessment is carried out by RALA as an independent external party in accordance with its own assessment criteria. We do not award the certificate; we build the system, prepare your company for assessment and support you on assessment day.
- We need a few meetings with key personnel and information about how the work is actually carried out. We do the extensive documentation work. In practice, your staff take part in the assessment, comment on the descriptions and participate in implementation training.
- The certificate's validity requires an annual surveillance assessment carried out by RALA. The Laatupankki application reminds you of deadlines and keeps documentation up to date, so there is no need to prepare for surveillance assessments in a rush. The system is always ready for assessment.