It actually means nothing at the end of the day.
Just because you follow best practice procedures
doesn't mean the end product is any good.
I'm with you on this, have been through many with previous employment. It is just another very expensive logo you can get
For a lot of work involved, for it then to be "filed" away until your next assessment.
Basically it's a mugs guide for each and every job title and task carried out in your business, yes even from having to explain (for example) when an invoice gets paid, how to file it, in which file and where that file is kept.
Believe me they will even want documentation as to how you open the van to access the equipment!!!!!!
To pass it: you get an assessment prior to starting, the assessor tells you what you need to do, you do it, the assessor comes backs for a pre-assessment and tells you if you would pass or not, if not they tell you what you need to do..................... then they pass you.
If you feel this will gain you more work then go for it, but as with many others we have done work for ISO registered companies and have not lost out because we don't have it.
In fact thinking back to my last employment, it made no difference whatsoever to work volume that having it before and the Ironic thing with that company was that they did work for the government, MOD and high security access locations, who didn't care about anything except whether the employees were ex-criminals
The point is that a complete stranger should be able to walk into your business, pick up the procedure files/manuals and be able to do any job in your company from the instruction in the manual.