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FAQ about DS 21001

In tenders and contracts, Banedanmark will require suppliers of services associated with railway safety and their subcontractors to document that they have established a safety management system that conforms to DS 21001 with effect from 25 August 2020. The management system must include the part of the organisation that is responsible for the delivery or affected by it. This can be documented with a DS 21001 certificate or equivalent documentation that matches the relevant service categories for the contract.
The management system must include the part of the organisation that is responsible for the delivery or affected by it. Unless otherwise stated in the contract, the requirement to conform to DS 21001 applies from the time the contract is entered into. If only a part of the organisation has a safety management system, the supplier must submit documentation detailing the organisational division of the organisation.

Services associated with railway safety are divided into three Service types: 

  • Railway safety services
  • Professional services associated with railway safety
  • Services involving the use of equipment – including railway vehicles

If a supplier provides one or more of these types of services, the supplier must conform to DS 21001.

 
DS 21001 describes service types. In this description, types are subdivided into categories. It is these categories that Banedanmark designates as service categories.
If a supplier cannot document compliance with DS 21001 in relation to all relevant service categories in the contractual basis (contract with appendices and the like), it is possible to engage with subcontractors.

These subcontractors can provide the service categories that the supplier does not wish to provide itself. Regarding the possible use of subcontractor to provide services associated with railway safety, the main supplier must always be able to document the organisation of the work in relation to compliance with DS 21001 throughout the supply chain. Banedanmark reserves the right to request documentation of this at any time.
DS 21001 was published in Danish/English on 25 August 2020. The supplier can search for and purchase the management standard on the Danish Standards website.
DS 21001 is owned by Danish Standards and Banedanmark thus cannot provide a copy of DS 21001. The supplier can search for and purchase the management standard on the Danish Standards website.
Suppliers can get certified by an independent certification body. It is possible to get certified by a certification body that is accredited according to DS/EN ISO 9001:2015. The certification body's accreditation in accordance with DS/EN ISO 9001: 2015 must be related to the relevant NACE codes (European industry codes) to which the delivery relates. Please note that the certification body that certifies the supplier cannot simultaneously advise the supplier.
Danish Industry Code 2007 (BD07) is a 6-digit code that was primarily created for statistical use and is used when establishing organisations. This ensures that placement into industry categories is carried out in a uniform manner in Statistics Denmark’s Statistical Business Register (SBR) and thus also in the Central Business Register (CVR). DB07 is a Danish subdivision of the EU's common industry codes: the 4-digit NACE codes. 

An accredited certification body works according to a certification standard that ensures that the certification process is managed and documented. Accreditation is targeted at individual management standards in the market. ISO 9001, for example, is a standard by which a certification body can be accredited to provide certification. In addition, accreditation is targeted at specific industries, as there is for example a difference between quality management in a pharmaceutical organisation and at a power plant. For accreditation in accordance with, for example, DS/EN ISO 9001:2015, specific industry codes (NACE codes) are associated with such accreditation.

As a central part of an accreditation, the work and deliveries of the certification bodies are monitored and controlled by a governing and independent national body. In Denmark, this body is DANAK. The management process and external monitoring support confidence in the high quality of the certification work. Regarding Industry Codes, DANAK uses only a 4-digit code corresponding to the European NACE code. 

 
Banedanmark cannot give an estimate of how long it will take to obtain a DS 21001 certificate, as it depends on multiple factors, including the size of the supplier organisation and the number of services supplied. The supplier must clarify how long it takes to obtain a DS 21001 certificate with a certification agency.
The price of a DS 21001 certificate must be agreed upon with a certification agency, it will depend on a number of factors, for example the size of the supplier organisation, the number of services, and more. The costs of certification, etc. are borne directly by the supplier.
A DS 21001 certificate is valid for 3 years.
One way to get started on obtaining documentation for conformity to DS 21001 is to seek out an ISO 9001 accredited certification body with experience in the supplier's industry. It is important that the certification body is accredited pursuant to DS/EN ISO 9001:2015. The certification body's accreditation in accordance with DS/EN ISO 9001: 2015 must similarly be related to the relevant NACE codes (European industry codes) to which the delivery relates. Please note that the certification body that advises the supplier cannot simultaneously certify the supplier.
Banedanmark is unable to provide an indication of the cost. This can be agreed upon with the selected certification agency.
 
The costs of operating and maintaining a safety management system pursuant to DS 21001 are borne directly by the supplier. 
The supplier can contact an accredited certification body pursuant to ISO 9001 with the relevant NACE codes. For further information see the questions about industry codes (NACE codes)
Going forward, Banedanmark requires all suppliers and subcontractors of services associated with railway safety to conform to DS 21001. This applies to both Danish and foreign suppliers.
Banedanmark's tender documents, contracts and/or relevant annexes will indicate whether there is a requirement to conform to DS 21001.
This will be stated in Banedanmark's tender material, contracts and/or relevant annexes. This is generally at the time of concluding a contract or just before the work starts.
As a public organisation, Banedanmark cannot dictate who the supplier can use as a certification body. If a certification body is approved to certify according to ISO 9001 with the relevant NACE codes, then the certification body can be used. 
 
Banedanmark has not formulated requirements for the use and selection of a consultant if needed. It can be an advantage for the supplier to use a consultant who has knowledge and experience in the field. Accredited certification bodies can be used as consultants. Please note, however, that the organisation that advises a supplier cannot simultaneously certify the supplier.
A certification body accredited according to ISO 9001 and with relevant associated NACE codes has the necessary experience and knowledge of management systems and they can be helpful in clarifying the extent to which a supplier’s management system conforms to DS 21001.
An existing authorisation to provide railway safety services to Banedanmark is based on the supplier having established a safety management system, cf. the current Guidelines. There are several elements in the Guidelines that to a certain extent can be directly transferred to the requirements in DS 21001. However, DS 21001 has a structure and content that is similar to the more comprehensive ISO standards. Nevertheless, the authorisation is a good starting point for establishing a management system that conforms to DS 21001. However, there are elements of the management system that need to be developed.
ISO standards are built around the same template and have a recognisable structure. The structure of DS 21001 is based on the same structure and is consequently similar in many ways to other management standards within the ISO world. This makes interconnection with other management standards easier for suppliers who already use, for example, ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety management) or ISO 14001 (environmental management).
All suppliers and subcontractors of services associated with railway safety must conform to DS 21001, when stipulated in Banedanmark’s tender and contract documents. Banedanmark and the DS 21001 standard do not set requirements for the size and design of the management system, as long as the management system meets the requirements. Methods for conforming with the requirements can be modelled and compliance can thus be adapted to the individual supplier organisation's size, complexity, etc.
Contracts entered into with Banedanmark before 25 August 2020 are governed as described in the contracts until the contracts expire. Thus, requirements for conformity to DS 21001 does not affect contracts entered into before 25 August 2020.
A certificate is valid for 3 years from the date of issue. The supplier is encouraged to plan for re-certification well in advance so that the supplier does not risk the certificate expiring before the contract expires. If the DS 21001 certificate expires during an ongoing contract, Banedanmark considers this to be a breach of contract.
 
If a supplier obtains re-certification during the term of a contract with Banedanmark, the new DS 21001 certificate must be sent to Banedanmark before the expiry of the previous DS 21001 certificate.
 
A supplier will have its DS 21001 certificate revoked if the supplier does not conform to the requirements of DS 21001. A certification body can thus withdraw the certificate from a supplier. Please note that this type of incident must be reported immediately to relevant parties, including Banedanmark.
Lack of documentation of conformity to DS 21001 is considered as a breach of contract by Banedanmark.
Banedanmark has the option to audit the supplier's management system, while the supplier has a DS 21001 certificate. 
Banedanmark has the option of auditing the supplier against the contract, while the supplier has a DS 21001 certificate.
Banedanmark has the option to conduct oversight, while the supplier has a DS 21001 certificate.
Banedanmark assesses the submitted documentation, cf. Model 2, with regard to clarifying whether the documentation is at the same level or higher than a certification according to DS 21001 (model 1). There will thus be a specific assessment on a case-by-case basis as to whether the documentation is sufficient and complete. The documentation must be of a nature that can be checked by Banedanmark in the same way as Banedanmark checks a certificate according to DS 21001. This also means that documentation for Model 2 must be sufficiently accessible and explanatory that Banedanmark does not have to spend significantly more time reviewing the documentation than if we had received documentation for compliance with DS 21001 according to Model 1. It is the supplier's responsibility to ensure that the documentation has a form and content that matches this requirement.

DS 21001 replaces the authorisation of contractors currently carried out by Banedanmark pursuant to the Guidelines for the authorisation of contractors who provide railway services associated with railway safety. The standard fully covers the requirements that safety-certified railway undertakings and safety-approved infrastructure managers must set for suppliers in accordance with Statutory Order 147 (requirement 5.8 and other items related to the use of suppliers) and its future replacement. Certification under the standard can thus be used as general documentation that suppliers meets established railway safety standards.

If a supplier has entered into a contract before 25 August 2020 and the contract states that the supplier must be approved, cf. Banedanmark's guidelines, then the requirement for authorisation applies throughout the term of the contract.  This means that the supplier must submit an application form for renewed authorisation, cf. the applicable Guidelines no later than 4 weeks before the authorisation expires.