Customer area
Extending or amending accreditation
A UKAS customers scope (or schedule) is the official statement of those activities for which accreditation has been granted.
Customers may choose at any time to extend or amend this scope and this process may include changes such as:
- The addition of a new assessment activity (e.g. tests inspection, calibration, areas of certification)
- The addition of a flexible scope
- The addition of a new location/site (this can be in the UK or overseas)
- The request to reduce the scope of accreditation by removing assessment activities
- The request to remove a location/site from the scope of accreditation
It is appreciated that requests to amend or extend a scope of accreditation are often as a result of changes in regulations/requirements or the demands of new customers, which can occur at any time during your accreditation cycle and cannot always be planned for in advance. However, we would encourage all UKAS customers to follow the key steps below if they are planning to amend or extend their scope of accreditation.
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Key steps to extend or amend the scope of your accreditation
- Contact UKAS (normally your UKAS Assessment Manager) in advance of, and as soon as you decide that you may need to extend or amend your scope. This early contact allows us to discuss your requirements, timescales and the information we need ahead of a formal submission.
- In cases where a customer is intending to apply for a flexible scope it is recommended that they read UKAS Publication Gen 4 which details our policy and guidance on the implementation of a flexible scope.
- Prepare and produce the documentation and evidence needed to support your request – required information will be detailed in the application form.
- Ensure your submission is clear and that supporting documentation is clearly labelled and referenced. Some customers find it is helpful to index this information.
Note: unless you are a customer in our Corporate Customer section, UKAS would not normally accept applications submitted without accompanying documentation.
When you are ready to apply to extend or amend your scope of accreditation, please complete the appropriate AC form.
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UKAS' post-application process
On receipt of an application to extend or amend your scope of accreditation UKAS will: –
- Confirm and acknowledge receipt
- Review the application. This will include in the case of an Extension to Scope a decision on whether the activity can be accredited (*see note below)
- Undertake a contract review which will determine the assessment approach and amount of effort required to assess. The assessment approach will depend upon several factors such as technical complexity, similarity to existing scopes, etc. Where the request is an amendment or reduction in scope there may still be a need to undertake a review or assessment and this would be chargeable.
- Confirm the assessment approach and anticipated timeline to progress the request.
Note: if you have contacted us in advance of your submission timescales, the assessment approach may have already been discussed - Book and complete the assessment which may include the identification of improvement actions (IAR)
- Complete the independent decision process following successful assessment and closure of any improvement actions.
- Confirm the outcome of the decision process (subject to no queries being raised). Any decision outcome e.g. confirmation of grant will include details of changes to the ongoing costs of maintaining your accreditation as a result of the application.
- Update and publish the UKAS schedule of accreditation
*If the request to extend your scope relates to an area where UKAS has not previously offered accreditation, it is likely the Extension to Scope will be handled using our development process. Where this is the case, time frames are likely to be extended beyond that of a normal Extension to Scope. In such cases we will discuss the process with you.
