IJCA - Volume 2 - Flipbook - Page 16
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The International Journal of Conformity Assessment
Managing Accreditation Process Effectively
A typical process of an accreditation body for
granting accreditation for conformity assessment
bodies begins with the application from a conformity
assessment body. In order to receive applications
with the correct information, ABs post their set
of requirements on their official websites. Figure
02, below, illustrates the different stages of the
accreditation process (with important clause
numbers of ISO/IEC 17011:2017) and the potential
risks associated with each stage. Due attention to
these potential risks by the staff of accreditation
providing organizations in their day-to-day
operations and incorporation of these potential risks
into their policies and procedures with expected
actions in different uncertain situations are required.
Following with diligence these checks and balances
will enable the smooth operation of accreditation
services.
Case examples
Accreditation bodies make available accreditation
requirements, normative documents, and application
documents through their official websites. Most
accreditation institutes operate accreditation
schemes based on international, national, or regional
standards. In comparison, some accreditationcertifying institutes operate accreditation schemes
based on other conformity assessment schemes.
The newly published IAF mandatory document (IAF
MD25:2022 - Criteria for evaluation of Conformity
Assessment Schemes) contains minimum
requirements for conformity assessment schemes
(CAS) to be applied by IAF member ABs when
evaluating national, regional, or international CAS to
ensure they meet requirements specified in ISO/IEC
17011, clause 4.6.3.
Accreditation bodies that operate accreditation
for specific conformity assessment schemes
owned by regulators and provide accreditation
shall ensure that the requirements of conformity
assessment schemes do not contradict the
applicable international standards. Operating an
accreditation scheme without a proper review
would create inconsistencies with international
standards. Ultimately, a comprehensive review of
conformity assessment as indicated in IAF MD25
would minimize the risk associated with operating
accreditation schemes introduced by scheme
owners.
Accreditation bodies accept applications only from
national economies fully aware of the relevant
local context including the applicant conformity
assessment and its history. However, ABs entertain
applications from other countries that have a risk of
granting accreditation for conformity assessment
bodies operating under different cultures, legal
frameworks, and minimum potential to monitor them
and the misuse of accreditation status. If any CAB
from another economy wishes to get accreditation
due to the interest of customers or regulators, it
should be done as per the ILAC guidelines of crossfrontier accreditation (ILAC G 21: Cross Frontier
Accreditation-Principles for Cooperation).
TABLE 04: IMPORTANT IAF MANDATORY DOCUMENTS (MDs), WHICH ARE REQUIRED FOR ABs TO CONSIDER
THE RISK IN THEIR ACCREDITATION PROCESS
IAF Mandatory
Document (MD) Number
IAF MD12:2016
IAF MD23:2018
Title
Accreditation
Assessment
of Conformity
Assessment Bodies
with Activities in
Multiple Countries
Control of Entities
Operating on Behalf
of Accredited
Management
Systems
Certification Bodies
Description
(as given on IAF website)
Potential risks to AB and approaches to
eliminate risks
Provides requirements for the
consistent application of clause
7 of ISO/IEC 17011 regarding an
Accreditation Body (AB)’s Assessment
of Conformity Assessment Bodies
(CAB)’s that provide certification
for countries outside the domestic
territory in which their head office is
located.
AB should design the application
to obtain such activities from the
application stage.
This document relates to entities,
performing and/or managing
management system certification
activities, on behalf of Certification
Bodies (CBs) holding accreditation,
which are not wholly or partly owned
or employed by the CB.
AB should design the application
to obtain such activities from the
application stage.
Collaborate with local AB and regulators.
Collect information on activities and
continuous monitoring.
Arrange witnessing/visits to branches.
Collaborate with local AB and regulators.
Collect information on activities and
continuous monitoring.
Arrange witnessing/visits to branches.
