Accreditation – IAF, ILAC and DAkkS

Albert Barillé might well have opened with: "Once upon a time …" In this article we look at the background to accreditation, the legal framework in Europe and the major international accreditation organisations IAF and ILAC. What makes an accreditation body independent and impartial? Why is there no competition between the national bodies? We explain the requirements and give you an overview of the most important IAF documents that have a direct influence on audits and certifications. Dive into the world of accreditation and find out how international standards strengthen quality assurance.

Background to accreditation

In the field of accreditation, a uniform European legal framework was created in 2010. Particular reference should be made to Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 setting out the "requirements for accreditation and market surveillance relating to the marketing of products". Under this Regulation, the following aspects in particular should be highlighted:

  • Since 1 January 2010, EU member states have had to establish a single national accreditation body, which must operate as a public authority because its activity is in the public interest.
  • The responsibilities and tasks of the respective accreditation body must be clearly distinguished from those of other national authorities.
  • The accreditation body meets the specified requirements regarding its organisation, working methods and competence, and ensures that objectivity, impartiality and confidentiality are guaranteed.
  • The accreditation body must not operate on a for-profit basis and must be independent of the conformity assessment bodies it assesses and free from commercial influence.
  • Competition between accreditation bodies is prohibited.
  • Accreditation bodies regularly undergo assessment by another national accreditation body.

On this basis, the German Accreditation Body (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH, DAkkS) was founded on 1 January 2010 and performs these public-authority tasks for the Federal Republic of Germany.

The national European accreditation bodies are organised through the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA). This is the umbrella organisation of all accreditation bodies. The EA is responsible in particular for harmonising and further developing the accreditation system in Europe, and for monitoring and assessing the national accreditation bodies to ensure quality, transparency and independence.

Other accreditation bodies in Europe include:

  • Comité français d'accréditation (COFRAC) – France
  • The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) – United Kingdom
  • L'Ente Italiano di Accreditamento (ACCREDIA) – Italy
  • Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA) – Netherlands

A complete overview can be found on the EA website.

IAF and ILAC

Internationally, the International Accreditation Forum, Inc. (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) are the two most important accreditation organisations. The IAF is the global network of accreditation bodies that accredit certification bodies for products (ISO/IEC 17065), management systems (ISO/IEC 17021) and persons (ISO/IEC 17024). ILAC focuses on the assessment activities of laboratories in the fields of calibration and testing (ISO/IEC 17025), medicine (ISO 15189), inspection bodies (ISO/IEC 17020) and proficiency testing providers (ISO/IEC 17043).

The aims of IAF and ILAC largely correspond to the objectives pursued by the EA at European level. DAkkS is a full member of both IAF and ILAC.

Accreditation – a collaborative and continual improvement process

Against the backdrop of a uniform global approach, the development and further refinement of the existing sets of rules by the members in the committees (IAF and ILAC) is an essential part of their work and collaboration. These documents and requirements, agreed by all members, supplement the principles and guidelines for accreditation under ISO/IEC 17011 (requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies) with the relevant specifics.

Such specifics include, for example, the IAF Mandatory Documents (IAF MD), which have a direct impact on audit work. These are binding documents that must be used by accreditation bodies. They include, for example:

  • IAF MD 1: Requirements for auditing multi-site / matrix organisations
  • IAF MD 2: Definition of the procedure for certificate transfers
  • IAF MD 4: Requirements for conducting remote audits
  • IAF MD 11: Mandatory document for the application of ISO/IEC 17021-1 for audits of integrated management systems
  • IAF MD 26: Requirements for the transition to ISO/IEC 27001:2022
  • IAF MD 29: Requirements for the transition to ISO/IEC 27006:2024

You will find a brief summary of the content of these IAF documents in our blog series.

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