Accreditation and conformity assessment
Guidance for business and government departments.
Accreditation and conformity assessment, along with standards, are important ways to give confidence in goods, services, management systems and people. They make a significant contribution to the economy, health and safety, trade and the environment.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is responsible for standards, accreditation and conformity assessment policy. This information is for businesses and government departments that are looking for tools to:
- provide assurance to customers that their products or services meet specified requirements
- help them win contracts where conformity assessment and accreditation are required
- deliver government policy
- facilitate market access for goods and support the reduction of technical barriers to trade while ensuring the safety of products aimed at the consumer market
Accreditation policy
Accreditation ensures that those who carry out conformity assessment (e.g., testing, calibration, certification and inspection), usually conformity assessment bodies (CABs), are competent to do so. Third-party accreditation is therefore often described as ‘checking the checkers’ and is widely used across both the regulated and voluntary sectors to assure markets that CABs operate to acceptable standards.
More broadly, accreditation forms part of a wider system of quality and checks and assurance, known as the UK’s National Quality Infrastructure (NQI). It acts in unison alongside standardisation, measurement, conformity assessment and market surveillance. Accreditation is used in both the regulated and voluntary sectors. It increases trust in conformity assessment (see below) which helps products, processes, services, systems, persons and bodies be recognised across the UK and internationally.
The UK’s model of accreditation
The UK’s policy on accreditation is based on having a sole National Accreditation Body (NAB). The UK’s NAB is the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS), appointed under the Accreditation Regulations 2009. The Regulation establishes that accreditation is a public authority activity. As public authorities do not compete to deliver services, UKAS operates as a self-funding ‘not-for-profit’ independent organisation under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DBT as its government sponsor. In this sponsorship capacity, DBT sets annual priorities for UKAS, and sets the overall policy for accreditation in the UK, with individual government departments and agencies responsible for its application in their specific areas of responsibility.
The following provisions relating to accreditation are in the legislation:
- requires the NAB to be a not-for-profit organisation
- requires the NAB to evaluate the competence of a CAB when that body requests accreditation
- sets down requirements that the NAB must fulfil
- requires the Government to monitor the NAB at regular intervals
- requires the NAB to undergo regular evaluation by a body approved by the Secretary of State (peer evaluation)
Government only recognises UKAS accreditation of CABs operating in the UK. The exception to this is where this a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between the UK and another country or in some sectors where the EU CE marking is currently being accepted. In practice, where an MRA exists with another country, DBT will consider, where appropriate, recognition of certificates awarded to accredited organisations established outside of the UK, which are issued by those accreditation bodies with whom UKAS has a Multilateral Agreement.
The legislative basis
The Regulation on Accreditation and Market Surveillance No 765/2008 (“RAMS”) became incorporated into GB law by the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and deficiencies were corrected by the Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 UK Statutory Instruments 2019 No. 696 (as amended). This is the current legislative framework for accreditation in GB (referred to as GB RAMS). This body of legislation introduced the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) system as part of the domestic legal framework for the mandatory certification of products being placed on the GB market. It enables accreditation as a means of underpinning the competence of CABs and hence the credibility and acceptance of certificates and other attestations, required to ensure that products comply with requirements in legislation that apply in GB.
In Northern Ireland, Regulation (EC) No. 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance (as it applies in EU law, through the Northern Ireland Protocol) will continue to apply and be basis for accreditation policy.
Seek accreditation in the UK with UKAS
Accreditation is the preferred means of demonstrating a CAB’s competence. Where a CAB requests accreditation, it shall do so with UKAS as the sole NAB for the UK.
The UKAS website has more information on what accreditation is and the benefits of accreditation for both business and government, as well as how to apply for accreditation. It also has, for those seeking to employ an accredited CAB, a list of all organisations accredited by UKAS.
In specific regulated sectors, the UK Market Conformity Assessment Bodies (UKMCAB) service serves as the UK’s database of CABs. It is the definitive source and a register of UK Government appointed CABs who can certify goods for both the GB and NI markets.
The MoU contains provision for government financial contribution for UKAS in certain circumstances to represent UK interests, including support of UKAS’s obligations to participate in the international accreditation infrastructure. Otherwise, UKAS is expected to be self-financing for providing accreditation and operates as a not-for-profit organisation.
Accreditation logo and symbols
DBT owns the national accreditation logo and symbols – that incorporate the Royal Crown – which DBT licenses to UKAS. UKAS is able to sub-license the symbols to successfully accredited CABs.
See the conditions for using the national accreditation logo and symbols.
Non-UKAS accredited certification
DBT is aware that UK certification bodies and representative associations are concerned at the increase in the number of organisations offering certification when they are not accredited by UKAS to do so.
DBT has advised certification representative organisations in the UK that:
- The only ‘authoritative statement’ of competence, that has public authority status – providing the last level of control in the conformity assessment chain – is from the UK’s sole national accreditation body, UKAS.
- Any organisation that suggests it is accredited in the sense of the Regulation on accreditation and market surveillance (765/2008) as it has effect in Great Britain or Regulation (EC) 765/2008 in Northern Ireland when they are not, may be guilty of an offence under the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 (Statutory Instrument 2008/1276).
- Certification bodies, representative organisations or affected businesses should, in the first instance, refer these cases to Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards which has a Primary Authority Relationship with UKAS. Alternatively, they can refer the case direct to UKAS, or to their own local trading standards authority.
Naming your business: applying to use ‘accredited’ or related words in your company’s name
To use the sensitive words accreditation, accredit, accredited or accrediting in your company, Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) or business name, you will need to obtain prior approval from the Secretary of State for DBT. Please read the guidance in the link below, which tells you what you need to consider and what information you need to include if you decide to go forward with your application.
The administration of the company names regime is carried out by Companies House on behalf of the Secretary of State.
Government policy on accreditation in health and social care
Accreditation underpins quality and confidence in health and social care provision to ensure consistency in the delivery of healthcare services to patients and commissioners.
The following is the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department of Health and Social Care’s agreed policy on accreditation in health and social care:
- UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) is the sole government recognised national accreditation body for organisations.
- UKAS operates under a MoU with government that specifies the activities that UKAS is recognised to accredit, these include healthcare scientific and diagnostic services.
- UKAS’ role as the National Accreditation Body thus applies in the health and care sectors as in all others. In accordance with UK legislation, health and social care quality assurance schemes must be developed and maintained with the engagement of UKAS, taking account of the existing principles that apply to accreditation and conformity assessment.
- Where new quality assurance schemes are planned in the NHS or in social care, particularly where there is interest in developing schemes awarding certification or other form of recognition, their initiators must work with UKAS from an early stage to ensure that the schemes are sufficiently rigorous to meet UK accreditation requirements.
DBT – DHSC November 2023
Conformity assessment
Conformity assessment provides assurance that what is being supplied meets the expectations specified or claimed. It can be applied to:
- products
- services
- processes
- systems
- bodies
- people
Conformity assessment includes activities such as testing, inspection and certification. The organisations that make these checks are called conformity assessment bodies.
Read the government’s policy on conformity assessment and accreditation.
For all queries, please contact OPSS.enquiries@businessandtrade.gov.uk.
Updates to this page
-
Page revised.
-
DBT and DHSC agreed joint policy statement added.
-
Link added to refreshed MoU between DBT and UKAS.
-
Updated at the end of the transition period to reflect amendments to the regulations.
-
First published.