Skip to content
IUCB

Programme I

Accreditation of certification bodies

For bodies that certify management systems. IUCB assesses your competence, impartiality and consistency against the relevant ISO/IEC conformity-assessment standard and any sector-specific requirements for the standards in scope. Personnel certification bodies, inspection bodies and testing or calibration laboratories apply the same way and choose their kind of body in the application.

Last updated

Who it is for

Organisations that operate, or intend to operate, third-party certification of management systems.

What is assessed

  • Impartiality

    How you identify and manage risks to impartiality in your certification work.

  • Competence

    The competence of your auditors and decision-makers for each technical area.

  • Your management system

    Your procedures for audits, certification decisions, complaints, appeals and records.

  • Your scope

    The standards and Global ACI sectors you apply to certify.

The process

  1. Application

    You apply online with your scope. The form lists the documents you will be asked for.

  2. Document review

    We review your management system and tell you of any gaps before assessment.

  3. Assessment

    We assess your competence and how your audits and decisions are carried out.

  4. Decision

    A decision is taken by people who did not assess you. If accreditation is granted, it is issued with its scope on your certificate.

  5. Surveillance and renewal

    Accreditation is kept under surveillance until it expires, and is renewed by a new assessment.

Documents

The documents an application asks for are set by IUCB and may change. This is the current list; the standards you choose may add their own.

Personnel certification and inspection bodies

Bodies that certify persons, and inspection bodies, apply through the same application: choose the kind of body in the form. Each kind has its own list of documents, shown in the form once it is chosen.

After accreditation

Accreditation can be suspended or withdrawn under the scheme rules, and its record shows the change when it is made. When an accreditation is suspended or withdrawn, the certificates you issued stay as issued, and their records say that their certifying body is suspended or withdrawn.

A decision can be appealed under the appeals procedure

Certified organisations

An organisation certified by IUCB or by an accredited body applies for its own IUCB certificate. It names its certifying body, and IUCB links that body's record when it reviews the application.

Apply as a certified organisation