Conformity assessment is the demonstration that what is being supplied actually meets the requirements specified or claimed. Conformity assessment can be applied to a product or a service, a process, a system, an organisation or persons and includes activities such as testing, inspection, and certification.
Demonstrating compliance with standards and other criteria assumes greater importance to consumer confidence as products and services become increasingly technically complex. Conformity assessment is therefore an indispensable part of an economy’s business and standards and conformance infrastructure.
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification are frequently used in both private and public sectors to increase confidence in the products and services provided by organizations, between partners in business-to-business relations, in the selection of suppliers in supply chains and in the right to tender for procurement contracts.
IAF and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have jointly produced a concise statement of outcomes that are to be expected as a result of accredited certification to ISO management system standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. The intent is to promote a common focus throughout the entire conformity assessment chain in order to achieve these expected outcomes and thereby enhance the value and relevance of accredited certification.
The following document can be downloaded from Documents for General Information:
Expected Outcomes for Accredited Certification to ISO Management System Standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
Certification is a “third-party attestation related to products, processes, systems or persons,” as defined by ISO/IEC 17000 Conformity Assessment—Vocabulary and General Principles.
Certification is most often associated with ISO 9001 and the environmental management systems standard ISO 14001. However, certification programs exist for a range of management systems standards, including the ISO/IEC 27001 program for information security management, the ISO 22000 program for food safety management, the ISO 50001 program for energy management, and the ISO 45001 program for occupational health and safety management.
Organizations may also be certified for private sector schemes, such as FAMI-QS, FSSC 22000, IPC Management System Auditors, ICAO CORSIA or GLOBALG.A.P. IFA.
Product certification is the process of verifying that a product, including services and processes, meet requirements specified in contracts, regulations, or specifications.
Personnel certification is the process of confirming that an individual has the necessary experience, knowledge, skills or other attributes to fulfil requirements.
In most countries, accreditation is voluntary, however, many certification bodies choose to seek accreditation in order to demonstrate third-party confirmation of their competence.
An organisation that provides certification, testing, calibration, inspection and other conformity assessment services can seek accreditation. An accredited body has demonstrated that it fully meets the requirements of relevant national and international standards.
The criteria for determining a certification body’s competence are based on the relevant national or international standard (such as ISO/IEC 17024, ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17021) and include: the qualifications required, knowledge and skills, training and experience of staff; appropriate equipment that is properly calibrated and maintained; adequate quality assurance procedures; and appropriate sampling practices.
Accredited bodies can be private or government owned, and can range in size from sole traders to large multi-disciplinary, multi-site organisations.
The IAF operates in the fields of management systems, products, processes, services, personnel, validation and verification and other similar programmes of conformity assessment, while laboratory and inspection accreditation is managed at the global level by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
An accreditation body is an authoritative body that performs accreditation. In some instances, its authority is derived from government.
Its primary function is to assess, against internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services (collectively known as conformity assessment bodies). Accreditation demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of these organisations.
Accreditation bodies normally operate as non-profit distributing organisations.
The IAF operates in the fields of management systems, products, services, personnel and other similar programmes of conformity assessment, while laboratory and inspection accreditation is managed at the global level by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
Accreditation is the independent evaluation of conformity assessment bodies against recognised standards to ensure their impartiality and competence to carry out specific activities, such as tests, calibrations, inspections and certifications.
The IAF operates in the fields of management systems, products, processes, services, personnel, validation and verification and other similar programmes of conformity assessment, while laboratory and inspection accreditation is managed at the global level by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
Through the application of national and international standards, government, procurers and consumers can therefore have confidence in the calibration and test results, inspection reports, certifications and validation and verification statements provided.
Accreditation bodies are established in many countries with the primary purpose of ensuring that conformity assessment bodies are subject to oversight by an authoritative body.
IAF publishes a number of documents to communicate policy decisions and rules, share best practices, and support accreditation body and conformity assessment body operations. These documents, which are under constant review, are core to the effective operation of IAF, and support IAF’s objective of accredited once accepted everywhere.
All IAF documents are clearly categorised depending on the nature or purpose of the document. Some contain mandatory requirements, however others are available for advisory or informative purposes.
The categories are as follows:
Policy Documents (PL Series): Policy documents set out the governance requirements that IAF Members are expected to follow, as well as the IAF position on current issues.
Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) Documents – (ML Series): In order to ensure that the various accreditation programs in the IAF MLA are operated in an equivalent and harmonized way worldwide, IAF issues documents that need to be followed by IAF Members. Such IAF documents are based on the experience of IAF Members and represent agreement among IAF Members on best practice in the application of requirements.
IAF Informative Documents (ID Series): Informative Documents reflect the consensus of IAF Members on a given subject and are intended to support the consistent application of requirements. As these documents are for information purposes only, Accreditation Body Members, and the conformity assessment bodies they accredit, are not under any obligation to use or comply with these documents.
IAF Mandatory Documents (MD Series): IAF publishes Mandatory Documents which are required to be used by accreditation bodies when accrediting certification bodies to assure that they operate their programs in a consistent and equivalent manner. Mandatory documents are not intended to establish, interpret, subtract from or add to the requirements of any ISO/IEC standard, but simply to assure consistent application of those standards.
Procedures Documents (PR Series): IAF Procedures documents set out the procedures to be followed in implementing the IAF program, including the procedures and processes which must be followed in order to satisfy the IAF objectives, Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.
IAF-ILAC Joint Publications (A Series): This category includes documents that are published jointly with ILAC, and are used in the evaluation of regions and unaffiliated accreditation bodies.
Documents for General Information: IAF publishes a number of documents which are made available to assist businesses, regulators and other parties to gain a better understanding of IAF and its operations.
Promotional Documents: IAF publishes a range of promotional documents for use by IAF Members, their accredited conformity assessment bodies and other stakeholders interested in accreditation.
IAF is an international association of organisations that work together to achieve common trade facilitation objectives. The terms of reference, tasks and duties of the Members, the Board of Directors, and the Secretary are defined by the Bylaws and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The highest level of authority in IAF is the Members in a General Assembly. General Assemblies make decisions and set policy on behalf of IAF Members. The Board is responsible for legal actions to be carried out on behalf of IAF Members, for developing broad policy directions and for ensuring that the day-to-day work of IAF is carried out in accordance with the approved policies.
The Executive Committee is responsible to the Board of Directors for the day-to-day work of IAF based on decisions made by IAF Members and directions from the Board of Directors.
The relationships between the various parts of IAF can be found in IAF PL 5 which can be downloaded from the Policy Documents section of the site.
There are three different categories of IAF membership:
IAF Members that are not yet signatories
Membership of IAF is open to accreditation bodies that conduct and administer programmes by which they accredit bodies for validation/verification or certification of management systems, products, processes, services, personnel and other programmes of conformity assessment. When an accreditaiton body first joins IAF, it signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to receive a basic level of membership (MoU membership). This basic membership does not mean that an accreditation body is a signatory to the IAF Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MLA). Upon joining IAF, accreditation bodies must declare their intention to join the IAF MLA recognising the equivalence of other Members’ accreditations to their own.
IAF MLA Signatories
Accreditation Body Members of IAF achieve IAF MLA Signatory status after a full evaluation of their operations by a peer evaluation team, which is tasked to ensure that the applicant complies fully with both international standards and IAF documents. Once an accreditation body is a signatory of the IAF MLA, it is required to recognise and promote certificates and validation and verification statements issued by conformity assessment bodies accredited by all other signatories within the scope of the IAF MLA.
Association Members are organisations or associations that represent a similar group of entities internationally or within an economy or region. These entities are associated with the programmes of IAF Accreditation Body Members and fully support IAF objectives.
Regional Accreditation Group Members consist of associations of accreditation bodies, and possibly other bodies, that cooperate within an identified geographic region to establish and maintain a multilateral recognition agreement based on a peer evaluation system, and represent the interests of accredited entities, industry, users and similar organisations that engage in, are subject to, make use of, accept or rely on conformity assessment results from bodies accredited by Accreditation Body Members of IAF, and which support the purpose of IAF. Regional Accreditation Groups are invited to be represented in committees established to enhance cooperation between IAF and the Regional Accreditation Groups.
Recognized Regional Accreditation Group
A Recognized Regional Accreditation Group is a Regional Accreditation Group that has been peer evaluated to confirm that its membership and MLA peer evaluation criteria and processes meet or exceed IAF requirements.
IAF also has non-Member Observers. In cases where the Board believes it is in the best interests of IAF Members to develop closer relationships with a particular entity, the Board may grant Observer status to such an entity for a period not exceeding three years. Observers may be invited to attend IAF meetings and/or participate in technical work in a manner determined by the Board, but are not be eligible to cast a vote on any matter put to the Members for resolution.
More information can be obtained from Section 3.01 of the IAF Bylaws.
IAF is a global network of accreditation bodies and other organisations involved in conformity assessment activities. Its key roles include:
Yes. IAF has published an initial list of of FAQs relating specifically to the COVID-19 situation and its impact on accreditation and accredited conformity assessment. You can find these here.
This list may be added to as the situation evolves.
IAF is committed to ensuring consistent and appropriate action to ensure the validity of accredited certificates and validation/verification statements is correctly maintained during this challenging period. Supporting IAF Accreditation Body Members, the conformity assessment bodies they accredit and most importantly those who hold accredited certificates or validation/verification statements from conformity assessment bodies accredited by IAF Members is IAF’s priority.
These FAQs build on IAF’s previous information including the IAF statement issued 04 March 2020.
IAF Membership offers several advantages for your organisation and your economy:
Accreditation Body Membership of IAF is open to bodies that conduct and administer programmes by which they accredit bodies for validation/verification and/or certification of management systems, products, processes, services, personnel and other programmes of conformity assessment, providing those bodies are willing to allow their accreditation systems to be used by other IAF Members.
Association Membership is open to organisations or associations representing the interests within an economy, region or internationally, of a like group of entities that engage in, are subject to, make use of, accept or rely on, conformity assessment results from bodies accredited by Accreditation Body Members of IAF, and which support the purpose of IAF.
Regional Accreditation Group Membership is open to associations of accreditation bodies, and possibly other bodies, that cooperate within an identified geographic region to establish and maintain a multilateral recognition agreement based on a peer evaluation system, and represent the interests of accredited entities, industry, users and similar organisations that engage in, are subject to, make use of, accept or rely on conformity assessment results from bodies accredited by Accreditation Body Members of IAF, and which support the purpose of IAF.
Application forms can be obtained by contacting iaf@iaf.nu.
IAF treats any complaints with the utmost concern and will deal with them expeditiously and in confidence.
In the first instance, complaints against a conformity assessment body should be lodged with that particular organisation. If the matter cannot be resolved within a satisfactory timeframe, the complainant has the right to refer the matter to the local accreditation body. If the complaint still cannot be resolved, then the complaint should be referred to the regional cooperation (if applicable), and then to IAF.
Anyone wishing to submit a complaint should do so by emailing the relevant details to the IAF Corporate Secretary together with any necessary documentation required to substantiate the complaint.
A copy of the IAF mechanism for dealing with complaints is available for information from IAF PR1:2004 Procedure for the Investigation and Resolution of complaints which can be downloaded from Procedure Documents.
Purchasers wishing to confirm the validity of an accredited certification should refer in the first instance to the Certification Body shown on the certificate. The IAF website does not list accredited Certification Bodies. If the address or website of the Certification Body is unknown, this can be found from an internet search or from the Accreditation Body whose Mark should also be found on the certificate.
The address or website of the relevant Accreditation Body can be found in Recognized ABs. Clicking on the Accreditation Body’s name on their entry page will link directly to the website where information on the Certification Bodies accredited by that Accreditation Body should be available.
A full current list of IAF MLA Signatories can be found in Recognised ABs and Recognised Regions.
Full contact details are also provided.
Selecting the right organisation to carry out your certification can be fraught with unknowns. A certification body that has been accredited by an accreditation body that is a signatory to the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) has proven that it complies with best practice. It is competent to deliver a consistently reliable, and impartial and accurate service which meets the appropriate, internationally-recognised standard.
A full current list of IAF MLA Signatories can be found in Recognised ABs and Recognised Regions.
Full contact details are also provided.
The IAF MLA provides governments and regulatory agencies with a credible and robust framework on which to further develop and enhance government-to-government bilateral and multilateral international trade agreements.
It represents an internationally recognised ‘stamp of approval’ to demonstrate compliance against agreed standards and requirements. Consequently, risk is minimised, as decisions will be based on reliable conformity assessment results.
Many specifiers, such as government agencies, have recognised the importance of credible accreditation programs that are developed against internationally recognised standards. Accreditation and the IAF MLA help regulators meet their own legislated responsibilities by providing a globally recognised system to accept accredited certification, validation and verification.
The longer-term aim is the fully accepted use and recognition, by both public and private industries, of accredited certification and validation/verification, including certificates and validation/verification statements from other economies. In this way, the free-trade goal of “accredited once, accepted everywhere” will be realised.
Accreditation bodies in many economies publish hardcopy or online lists or directories of the certification bodies that they have accredited, together with certification body contact details and information on their scope. Visit the accreditation body website to find out further information, by clicking on your economy under the list of Accreditation Bodies.
Contact individuals for each IAF member organization may be found in the IAF website.
This website contains comprehensive information on the IAF MLA structure, process and a full list of Signatories. Further information is available under the IAF MLA and IAF MLA Signatories sections (Recognised ABs and Recognised Regions)
IAF publishes an annual report which can be downloaded from the Promotional Documents section that details ongoing activities to maintain the integrity and consistency of the IAF MLA.
The scope of the IAF MLA includes two components, main scope and sub-scope.
Currently there are five main scopes for the IAF MLA: Management Systems Certification, Product Certification, Certification of Persons, Greenhouse Gas Validation and Verification, and Validation and Verification.
Sub-scopes are divided into two categories (Level 4 and Level 5), as described in section 4 of IAF PR4: Structure of the IAF MLA and List of IAF Endorsed Normative Documents.
IAF has endorsed the following sub-scopes:
Under Management Systems Certification:
Under Product Certification:
Under Certification of Persons:
Under GHG Validation and Verification:
A main scope means certificates are ‘equally reliable’ because the conformity assessment bodies conform to the same standard.
A sub-scope means the certificates are ‘equivalent’ because the management systems, products, services or persons conform to the same standard.
Accreditation bodies, which have been evaluated by peers as competent, have signed an arrangement, the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA), that enhances the acceptance of goods and services across national borders.
The purpose of the MLA is to ensure mutual recognition of accredited certification and validation/verification between signatories to the MLA, and subsequently acceptance of accredited certification, validation and verification in many markets based on one accreditation.
Signatories must recognise and support acceptance of certificates and validation/verification statements issued by organisations accredited by all other signatories of the MLA, provided the certificates or statements are issued within the scope of the IAF MLA signatory.
This recognition and acceptance removes technical barriers to trade (TBT) by reducing redundant conformity assessment.
Accreditations granted by IAF MLA signatories should be recognised worldwide based on their equivalent accreditation programs, reducing costs and adding value to business and consumers.
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