Accreditation is a means of assessing, in the public interest, the technical competence and integrity of organisations offering evaluation services.
Accreditation, with its many potential benefits for the quality of goods and in the provision of services throughout the supply chain, underpins practical applications of an increasingly wide range of activities across all sectors of the economy, from fishing to forestry, construction to communications. Independent research has confirmed that accreditation has a positive economic value of nearly €1bn on the European economy each year.
Accreditation is increasingly being recognised as a valuable tool across a wide range of Government policy areas including better regulation, good governance, fair markets and public confidence. It is already being used by Government as an effective market-led tool for delivering policy more efficiently and to help deliver on its obligations in areas as diverse as healthcare, food production, energy supply, climate change and personal safety.
NACS has well-established, transparent and repeatable assessment procedures applicable to all forms of conformity assessment, and so the benefits of collaborating with NACS can:
For further information see working with Government and Public Sector Assurance which illustrates the value of accreditation using case studies, independent research, and supporting information from around the world in key policy areas.
Companies buy independent evaluations either through choice (to reduce the risk of product failure for example) or as a consequence of legal requirements (such as health and safety regulations). Most commonly these evaluations are calibration of equipment, product testing, inspection of equipment and certification of management systems.
Selecting an accredited organisation is an essential tool for decision-making and risk management.
Organisations can save time and money by selecting an accredited and therefore competent supplier.
Reliable measurements, tests and inspections are carried out in compliance with best practices to limit product failure and reduce down time and control manufacturing costs.
Accreditation to internationally-recognised standards can provide a competitive advantage and facilitate access to export markets within the EU and beyond. (see international system)
Using an accredited body to carry out an independent evaluation helps demonstrate due diligence in the event of legal action.
In some sectors, accreditation is a requirement to obtain accreditation before offering certain services; in others it is a de facto ‘licence’ to trade in that key purchasers expect it. It provides the following benefits:
There are a number of insurance brokers and underwriters that recognise accreditation as an important factor in assessing risk, and can therefore offer lower premiums.
A survey was carried out in 2016 to capture feedback on the value of accreditation for conformity assessment bodies that have stable scopes in established technical sectors. It confirmed that these businesses derive both internal and external commercial benefit from their accredited status: