Today marks World Accreditation Day, an initiative jointly established by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), to promote the value of accreditation, accredited conformity assessment and standards.
This year the theme focuses on how accreditation adds value to supply chains and procurement activities.
Supply chains provide a vital role in delivering products and services for consumers, business and the public sector in a timely, cost-efficient and quality manner. Accreditation and, with it, other quality infrastructure tools such as standards, metrology and conformity assessment, provide widely accepted tools that help deliver value to the supply chain. These tools help with trust and assurance, enabling confidence in both final products and services and the manner in which they are placed on the market and used.
As in previous years, the day will be celebrated across the world with the hosting of major national events, seminars, and press and media coverage, to provide the opportunity to explore how accreditation can help deliver a safer world and to support businesses, government and regulators to find standards, conformity assessment and accreditation tools to support them in this goal.
To support the day, key industry and government stakeholders have published ‘Quality in the Supply Chain’ – A guide to what makes a ‘good’ ISO 9001 audit from the perspective of the customer and an organisation certified by an accredited certification body.
Conformity Assessment Bodies and UKAS Stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the day. The following materials can be circulated as they are (or adapted for your own use) through your channels of communication:
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Resources such as www.business-benefits.org and www.publicsectorassurance.org will support events, press and television coverage, and workshops and seminars will take place in conjunction with the celebration of World Accreditation Day in over 100 economies to raise awareness of the value that accreditation plays supporting supply chains.