News article • 4 mins read
UKAS is aware of considerable speculation in the construction industry regarding the suspension of the accreditation of the British Board of Agrément, BBA, and therefore issues the following statement.
UKAS suspended all scopes of BBA’s accreditation on 26 February 2026. This suspension remains in force until and unless the BBA closes its findings to meet the requirements for the suspension to be lifted.
Role of accreditation in the market
UKAS is appointed by UK government as the National Accreditation Body. In this role, UKAS must act in accordance with various international and national standards. UKAS accreditation of organisations such as BBA gives the market confidence that they are competent, impartial and operating with integrity, in line with international standards.
To maintain confidence, accreditation must be thorough and robust. When an organisation does not meet the standard against which it is assessed, UKAS must (and does) take action that is proportionate to the issue.
UKAS suspension of BBA’s accreditation
UKAS may impose a suspension of accreditation where there are nonconformities against the requirements of the standard. UKAS does not suspend accreditation lightly, nor does it suspend accreditation for minor administrative or minor procedural reasons.
UKAS has granted nearly 3,000 accreditations and delivers 37,000 assessment days per year. Fewer than 20 accredited bodies are currently under UKAS imposed suspension.
A suspension is usually a temporary measure, from which the organisation is expected to regain accreditation within a short period (usually within 3 months although in exceptional circumstances this may be extended up to 9 months). UKAS may subsequently withdraw accreditation if the issues leading to suspension have not been adequately addressed within that period. More details are on the UKAS website[1].
UKAS’s suspension of BBA’s accreditation on 26 February 2026 may therefore last until 25 November 2026, at the latest. In the meantime, UKAS is in regular contact with BBA as it responds to nonconformities raised during assessments and works to address the findings which led to the suspension.
It is, nevertheless, the responsibility of BBA, not UKAS, to determine and take the necessary actions to bring itself back into conformity with the requirements of accreditation.
UKAS recognises and understands that the suspension of BBA’s accreditation has repercussions for BBA’s clients, for users of construction products certified by BBA, for government and regulators and for the market at large. UKAS is in regular contact not only with BBA, but also with key stakeholders, including regulators such as the Building Safety Regulator, relevant government departments (the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business and Trade), and relevant business representative bodies.
Impact on BBA certificates
BBA cannot issue new certificates under UKAS accreditation during its suspension. It is not prevented from offering conformity assessment services, but must not imply that these are UKAS accredited. Existing accredited certificates remain valid until their expiry date.
Confidentiality and further information
UKAS is not permitted to publicly disclose the reasons for suspension of accreditation, or any nonconformities identified during its assessments, due to contractual confidentiality between the accredited body and UKAS. However, where UKAS findings relate to regulatory or public safety matters, UKAS will disclose relevant information to UK regulators, competent authorities and government departments, as appropriate. Accordingly, while UKAS may engage with third parties, it cannot disclose details regarding the circumstances leading to BBA’s suspension at this time. BBA is responsible for informing its customers and any affected regulatory stakeholders of the suspension and responding to related enquiries.
UKAS will provide updates on the status of BBA’s accreditation as and when appropriate.
Further information on UKAS, its role and procedures can be found on www.ukas.com.