Accreditation bodies

Accreditation is not another name for product certification. Its subject is a conformity assessment body, such as a laboratory, inspection body or certification body, and its competence to perform specified activities. ISO/IEC 17011 addresses the accreditation body that performs that evaluation. A reader therefore needs to follow a chain of scope rather than a chain of logos: which accreditation body, which recognized activity, which provider and which particular service or output is being relied upon?

The standard concerns competence, consistent operation and impartiality in accreditation. These matters differ from the technical requirements used to evaluate a product and from the competence standard applied to the provider. A testing laboratory may be assessed against ISO/IEC 17025; an inspection body may use ISO/IEC 17020. The accreditation body’s own requirements form a further layer. The document identity is supported by ISO Open Data, while recognition arrangement information comes from its operator.

The selected record is ISO/IEC 17011:2017 (edition 2, published 2017-11-29). It was checked on 19 October 2026 in ISO Open Data. ISO/IEC 17011:2017 is the documented competence standard for accreditation bodies. Recognition under the Global ACI MRA is a separate, scoped relationship. The organizational transition that became operational in 2026 does not automatically rewrite national laws or every historical document that refers to IAF or ILAC.

A procurement team selecting a calibration supplier can first identify the relevant accreditation body and then check the supplier’s scope for the quantity, range and capability required. An accreditation certificate without that scope leaves the central technical question unanswered. For a product certification provider, the corresponding review follows the product category and scheme. The same legal organization may hold several accreditations, but a result issued from one activity cannot automatically be represented as covered by all the others.

Global ACI became operational in 2026, assuming the former roles of IAF and ILAC. It operates a recognition arrangement. Global ACI itself does not assess or accredit conformity assessment bodies. Accreditation bodies perform that role within their respective scopes. Recognition supports acceptance of accredited results, but it does not guarantee every regulator or purchaser will accept every output. National appointment requirements and sector programs can impose additional conditions. A law referring to an older arrangement retains its legal wording until changed by the competent process.

Examine recognition at the correct level. Is the accreditation body recognized for the relevant main scope and, where applicable, specific sub-scope? Does its provider directory show the exact organization, location and current status? Does the provider’s scope cover the method, scheme or activity being purchased? Are restrictions, suspensions or withdrawals relevant? A broad statement of international membership does not answer these questions. The result must also be attributable to the accredited activity rather than an unrelated service offered by the same business.

International recognition and technical suitability complement each other. Recognition can establish confidence in the accreditation process, but the method, sampling, configuration and decision rule still determine whether a result answers the user’s question. The evidence chain is strongest when each link is explicit. This reference describes that chain using licensed publication metadata and current arrangement information. It does not confer recognition, certify a provider or determine how a national authority will interpret its own statutory requirements.

The laboratory, inspection and product certification references explain the activities that accreditation can cover. Measurement uncertainty addresses the technical meaning of a result, which accreditation alone cannot supply. Follow this chain when checking a provider: recognition arrangement, accreditation body, accredited activity and the particular report or certificate used for the decision.

Official sources were checked on 19 October 2026. Publication identifiers, editions and dates use ISO’s deliverables metadata under ODC Attribution License 1.0, with ISO credited as its source. Global ACI identifies recognised accreditation bodies and their recognition scopes. The accredited provider’s own current scope must then be checked in the relevant accreditation body’s official directory. The full competence standard remains available from its publishers. A correction request can identify a disputed statement, the document and supporting official evidence.