Supporting Montagu Evans' transition to ISO 900
WHAT: A full review and refresh of Montagu Evans’ Quality Management System in preparation for ISO 9001:2015 certification
WHY: To ensure regulatory compliance and enhance operational efficiency, including alignment with GDPR and anti-bribery regulations
WHEN: 2017–2018
Turning regulatory pressure into a performance upgrade
Montagu Evans, a UK-based property consultancy, needed to comply with the revised ISO 9001:2015 standard—an upgrade that placed greater emphasis on risk management and leadership. Rather than treating this requirement as a tick-box exercise, the firm worked with Remit Consulting to transform it into a strategic opportunity.
With over 350 professionals working across offices from London to Scotland, Montagu Evans supports many of the UK’s largest commercial, residential and mixed-use developments. Although the firm already operated under a longstanding ISO 9001-based Quality Management System, the 2015 revisions represented a significant change in expectations.
Recognising the scale of the task, Montagu Evans appointed Remit Consulting to lead a structured review and redesign of its business processes, ensuring the firm could meet the updated standard ahead of the September 2018 deadline.
Laying the foundations: defining scope and priorities
The engagement began in September 2017 with a high-level assessment of the firm’s business scope under the ISO 9001:2015 framework. Using the Remit Process Model, the consulting team mapped key processes into three areas:
Administration: Covering compliance areas such as GDPR, anti-bribery and anti-money laundering, conflict of interest and data breaches.
Technical: Including service delivery functions such as valuations, rent reviews and property disposals.
Quality: Encompassing quality records, reviews, audits and continuous improvement mechanisms.
This structured approach enabled Remit and Montagu Evans to identify key risks, compliance gaps and areas of inconsistency across the business.
Co-creating better processes through collaboration
Between October and November 2017, Remit ran a series of interactive workshops with over 100 employees from across the firm. Participants ranged from valuation, planning and rating professionals to support teams from administrative departments.
Remit found that the same tasks were being carried out in different ways. These workshops allowed us to align people around a consistent, risk-aware way of working, tailored to Montagu Evans’ client needs.
The workshops drew on Remit’s leading practice templates, which were then adapted and refined collaboratively to reflect Montagu Evans’ structure and services. Risk mitigation was embedded at every stage of each process.
A pragmatic and people-centred approach
Roger Sewell, a Partner at Montagu Evans, explains why the firm chose Remit:
“We didn’t have the resources or expertise in-house to transition to the new standard. Remit had previously supported us in developing leading practice in our property management department, so they were a natural choice. They made things easy to understand and didn’t overwhelm us with technical jargon.”
This practical, jargon-free approach was widely appreciated across the firm.
“The team worked very closely with us,” Roger continues. “They listened, made practical suggestions and integrated seamlessly with our people. I’d definitely recommend them to others in the sector.”
Documenting change and delivering results
Following the workshops, Remit created a new Quality Manual encompassing 35 updated processes. Each included:
Detailed process flows
Responsible rolesStep-by-step procedures
Relevant inputs, forms and templates
Outputs and reporting requirements
Key performance indicators
Risk controls
This documentation provided a clear, robust and auditable framework for Montagu Evans’ future operations.
““Remit took the hard work out of the project. They helped us solve real problems, then documented everything clearly. At the end of the day, it worked, we got the result we wanted, and that’s what counts in business.””
Certification achieved ahead of deadline
After a short pause to accommodate a new Compliance Manager joining the business, the final implementation push took place in mid-2018. The transition was completed in August, a month ahead of the official ISO 9001:2015 compliance deadline.
“With Remit’s guidance, we had the chance to examine a whole series of processes that are vital for our business,” says Chantel Barker, Compliance Manager at Montagu Evans.
“We discovered some significant improvements, especially in how we document new processes and integrate our systems. The project has left our business with more confidence and stronger, more efficient processes that will help us deliver better service to clients.”
“I’m pleased to say we passed our certification and subsequent surveillance audit with no major issues. Remit did a fantastic job and helped us get to a much better position.”
For more information or to discuss how we can help your business, contact Andrew Waller at Remit Consulting.