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Short answer and full answer
Who counts as a very small entity?
An enterprise, organisation, department or project of up to 25 people. The count is of the entity doing the work, not the whole group, and a department can be the entity inside a larger firm. The series says it does not preclude larger organisations.
In full
An enterprise, organisation, department or project of up to 25 people. The count is of the entity doing the work, not the whole group, and a department can be the entity inside a larger firm. The series says it does not preclude larger organisations.
The public abstract gives the 25-person definition and says the series is not intended to preclude or discourage use by larger organisations. The practical question is the boundary: count the people who do the work the profile covers, record the boundary and the date, and keep the note with the process file. A firm of 12 inside a group of 400 is a VSE for this purpose. A firm of 40 using the guide needs a recorded tailoring decision rather than a pretence.
Where the answer stops
This answer is written from the public ISO record and the register on this site. The FDIS body is not public, so the answer does not quote it or state a draft clause. It is not legal advice, does not certify and does not decide a question for a particular firm or system.
If the answer turns on a fact about your firm, use the free check or read the practice that names the evidence.