QAICL considers its accreditation requirements on an ongoing basis and matches these with the needs and expectations of its globally diverse customer base.
There are customers that often only require third party validation of their operations for their domestic market needs and this is where QAICL may issue an attestation or ‘own brand’ certification (available for areas outside of accreditations already held by QAICL). Should an extra layer of validation be required, particularly as operators expand deeper into their supply chain activity, then certifications may be supplemented or reinforced with locally accredited registration. In this way, QAICL maintains cost-competitive options for its SME customer base, with certification that keeps pace with market needs.
Larger customers and Multinational organisations, conducting International trade in global markets under WTO or negotiated trade agreements, usually subscribe to more comprehensive accreditation as part of their trade agreement. In this case, QAICL will employ an IAF recognised accreditation body to service anticipated needs and expectations and a full suite of certification, may include registrations from several accreditation providers. QAICL’s main accreditation providers are members of the IAF and include UKAS (QMS/EMS/FSMS/BRC) and CNAS (OHSAS). The accreditations maintained by QAICL can include approvals from other accreditation bodies and therefore, multiple registration certificates may bear the marks of several providers, in order to cover the complex range of scopes that may be applicable to QAICL as an International certification registrar and a customers marketing mix, when operating across several markets or product sectors.
Multiple accreditations also assist QAICL in meeting its risk management obligations, allowing strategic objectives to be fulfilled through the management of complexity and comprehensive risk reduction, whilst maintaining best value philosophies for the ultimate benefit of consumers. Multiple accreditations through the ‘equivalence’ mandate of the IAF ‘Mutual Recognition Agreement’ offers the following value added benefits:
• Risk reduction of localised market threats
• Reduction of site visit costs affecting prices for certification
• Matching of accreditations to the needs of the focal market
• Cross fertilisation of best practice in the compliance audit process
• Enhancement of stakeholder trust particularly for customers, supply chain partners and the end user of products and services provided by certified organisations
Diverse certification programmes require the best accreditations, from the most trusted accreditation bodies, relative to the certification standard(s) involved and professional advice can be sought from QAICL directly, should there be any questions arising about an organisation’s particular accredited or mixed brand certification package.
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