A typical process is as follows:
- Initial enquiry
- Preliminary response
- Submission of application request together with administration fee. Please note: Applicants are expected to comply with the requirements of applicable standards (e.g. ISO 17021). Personnel competence will require demonstration.
- Application performance of accreditation routines dependent upon assessment and certifying standards.
- Send manual, procedures, require formats or applicable documents in hard or softcopy.
- We shall review and comment. If necessary we will require you to amend and respond before the next step.
- Demonstrate impartiality of your organization in respect of independence from 'related bodies' and that it is a legal entity.
- For the first six assessments you must advise UKAC before hand that you intend to carry out an assessment.
- You send us photocopies / e-mails of all the documents related to those assessment and certification assignments demonstrating compliance with the documents that we had earlier reviewed.
- We shall issue a draft accreditation certificate. Your accreditation reference will be defined at this time. This will be subject to a satisfactory site witness of your activity.
- UKAC witnesses your next assessment and certification activity.
- You conduct a further four assessments and send us copies of the paperwork.
- We witness the next convenient assessment.
During the course of the preceding actions we would have expected to conduct several face to face meetings and visits to your operating premises.
- Issue of accreditation certificate if appropriate.
- You continue to assess and certificate but don't need to send paperwork.
- We will monitor the level of your activity and conduct accreditation reviews to suit.
- You must inform us of all certification activity.
- Ongoing surveillance and accreditation including allocation of accreditation numbers.