Renewing your PSO certificate: recertifying without a gap

A PSO certificate is valid for a maximum of two years and ends automatically after those two years. If you want to continue without interruption, you must submit a new final application via MijnPSO and have a new audit carried out. According to the PSO-handleiding 2.6 (PSO manual 2.6) from TNO , sections 2.2.2 to 2.2.5, you must submit that application in the month before the end date. For how the application itself works, see PSO certificate application and costs. For what the new audit involves, see PSO audit.

Recertification is not an extension of your old certificate. It is a completely new application based on the manual that applies at that time. PSO-Nederland updates that manual twice a year, on 1 April and 1 October. New rules may therefore apply, which you need to know in advance.

Renewing without a gap

The aim is for your new certificate to follow directly on from the old one. To do that, you submit a new final application in the month before the end date. The new certificate takes effect on the first day of the month after submission, not on the day of the audit.

Timing	What you do
Two to three months before the end date	Update the calculation tool with data for the new reference year, and plan the audit
The month before the end date	Submit the final application in MijnPSO
After submission	Carry out the audit, then receive the new certificate

The manual makes the organisation itself responsible for submitting on time and having the audit carried out. A certificate that follows on without a gap can be a requirement of public clients. Without a continuous renewal, you can lose a contract, even if your company is at the right level in substance.

The new certificate takes effect on the first day of the month after your final application. So if you submit in the right month, you avoid a gap between two certificates.

Recertifying early

You can also apply again earlier, within the current period. This may be necessary if you want to add to your certification, or if you want a subsidiary entity to be certified separately. In that case too, you must submit a new final application, including all the entities you want to bring in.

Note: if a certificate already applies to a Chamber of Commerce (KvK) number that is being certified again, the earlier certificate that included that number lapses. With early recertification, extra costs may apply in some cases. These are listed on the MijnPSO website.

One year late

The manual sets a specific rule. A final application within one year after the end date counts as a renewal or recertification for the qualitative requirements. This matters, because it means you do not start again as a new applicant. If you apply a year or more after the end date, the application counts as a first application for the qualitative requirements.

In practice, if you are a year late, you must go through the qualitative requirements again as a first application. This may mean that you have to rebuild your files. See PSO requirements per level.

Additional requirement at recertification: conversations

At recertification, an additional requirement applies for performance and development. At least 80% of the personnel files examined must contain a record of a conversation about performance and development. The record may be a note or a registration, and must show that both topics were discussed with a clear purpose. The 80% is rounded up to whole files. For secondment or temporary agency work, a record of a three-way conversation between the employee, the hirer and the agency is enough.

If you are coming from Aspirant status, this 80% norm does not yet apply at your first level audit. An application for Aspirant status counts as a zero application. At the application after that, you must meet the norm.

This is the requirement that trips up most organisations at recertification. The conversations often take place, but are not recorded. Start keeping those records before the audit, not after it.

What happens when your organisation changes

If something in your organisation changes after the certificate is granted, for example a change of name following a takeover or merger, this cannot be applied retroactively to the certificate. If a KvK number changes, the PSO recognition for that number lapses. The recognition does not transfer to the new number. A merger may therefore mean that you have to apply again.

PSO-certified organisations remain listed on the PSO-Nederland website until the end of the certification. They remain in the online marketplace of MijnPSO for up to a year afterwards.

Renewing from Aspirant status

Aspirant status can only be renewed in a seamless way once. After that, you must reach a level or let the status lapse. The manual also notes that when you renew, you can drop back from a level to Aspirant status. This happens if you do not meet the quantitative or qualitative norm at the new audit.

For Aspirant status, reflection on the previous plan is required. See the Aspirant action plan.

Step-by-step plan for renewal

If you want a certificate that follows on without a gap, it works best to follow a fixed order. The manual sets one fixed deadline: the new application in the month before the end date. The other timings below are a practical plan, not a requirement.

At least four months before the end date: check your figures

Calculate your current level with the calculation tool, using the new reference year. Compare the result with your previous application. Pay attention to differences in employees and FTEs.

Three months before the end date: plan the audit

Request quotes from certification bodies and schedule the audit. The auditor provides an agenda one week in advance.

Two months before the end date: gather the evidence

Get the files of the target group employees in order. Before recertification, check that the conversations about performance and development are recorded.

The month before the end date: submit the application

Submit the final application via MijnPSO. The new certificate takes effect on the first day of the month after submission.

After submission: get ready for the audit

Make sure all evidence is available for the auditor. If evidence is missing, you have two weeks to supplement it.

Checklist for renewal

Is the end date of your current certificate in your calendar, with a reminder for submission?
Have the calculation tool figures been updated to the new reference year?
Are the KvK documents no more than six months old?
Are conversations about performance and development recorded, for at least 80% of the files?
Are the subsidiary entities still stated correctly?
Is the audit scheduled, with a clear date?

What you lose with a gap between certificates

A gap between two certificates means that for a while you no longer count as certified. For clients who require a certificate that follows on without a gap, that can cost a contract. The gap mainly arises because the new application was submitted too late, not because of the audit itself. That is why the month before the end date is so important as the submission date.