2 mins read

Technical Bulletin – Unaccredited Certification for Products, Processes and Services (ISO/IEC 17065)

At the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) Technical Committee meeting in Singapore, the following Resolution was agreed and published: –

IAF Resolution 2018-13 – (Agenda Item 9) Non-Accredited Product Certification where the CAB is accredited for the same scope – The General Assembly acting on the recommendation of the Technical Committee resolved that IAF Accreditation Body members shall have legally enforceable arrangements with their accredited CABs for product certification that prevents the CAB from issuing non-accredited product certification in scopes for which they are accredited. The enforceable arrangements shall require full implementation within three years from 31 October 2018.

Additionally, CABs for product certification must transition certification documentation to include the accreditation symbol and/or must make reference to the accreditation status of the CAB, including the identification of the AB, no later than 31 October 2021.

Note: If there is an exception to the above, the CAB must justify the exception to the AB, and if accepted by the AB, the certification is still considered accredited.”

It is UKAS’s policy to comply with this resolution, and therefore all UKAS accredited CBs for ISO/IEC 17065 should ensure that they are not offering unaccredited certification for schemes for which they are accredited.

UKAS assessment teams will discuss this at upcoming Surveillance and Reassessment visits.

If you have any queries regarding this technical bulletin, please contact your Assessment manager or the UKAS Technical Manager: Kevin Belson – [email protected].

Download printable version of this Technical Bulletin