About Us
About British Member Quality Accreditation Council (UK)
British Member Quality Accreditation Council (UK) in its role as an independent institution, assesses attests and monitors the technical competence of these bodies, whose services are required in virtually all segments of industry and trade. Accreditation is a procedure in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented. Accreditation by an independent authority means that when you choose a certification body to review your activities you are choosing someone who has been reviewed against defined standards.
Our main activity is to accredit Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), within the UK and overseas, including Laboratories (Testing, Calibration and Medical), Inspection Bodies, Certification Bodies (Management System, Product Certification and Personal Certification), Proficiency Testing Program Providers, Reference Materials Production Activities, Validation and Verification Activities.
By awarding an accreditation, British Member Quality Accreditation Council (UK) asserts that these bodies carry out their duties in accordance with applicable requirements and in a competent manner. In short: British Member Quality Accreditation Council (UK) audits the auditors.
British Member Quality Accreditation Council (UK) through its Policies and strategies has created a system that is transparent for the entire global community irrespective of the industry type- whether it be manufacturers, consumers, or conformity assessment bodies.
BRITISH MEMBER QUALITY ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (UK) is not signatories to the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) hence not evaluated but system of BRITISH MEMBER QUALITY ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (UK) are evaluated by Accreditation committee to provide confidence in the operation of their accreditation program.
accreditation Procedure BMQC
British Member Quality Accreditation Council (UK) through its accreditation Procedure creates trust in the results of certificates, test reports and inspections and supports their global recognition and comparability. Accreditation reduces risk for business and its customers by assuring that accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) are competent to carry out the work they undertake within their scope of accreditation.
AB-AB has voluntarily adopted and follows the guidance and mandatory documents issued by International Accreditation Forum. BRITISH MEMBER QUALITY ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (UK) complies with appropriate international standards and the applicable IAF application documents for the consistent application of those standards.
BRITISH MEMBER QUALITY ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (UK) voluntarily follows the requirement and work as per structure and scope of the IAF MLA is detailed in IAF PR 4 – Structure of IAF MLA and Endorsed Normative Documents.
In this context, British Member Quality Accreditation Council (UK) makes an important contribution to the quality assurance of products and services, consumer protection and the competitiveness of the various economies. The IAF MLA is structured in five levels: Level 1 specifies mandatory criteria that apply to all ABs, ISO/IEC 17011. The combination of a Level 2 activity (ies) and the corresponding Level 3 normative document(s) is called the main scope of the MLA, and the combination of Level 4 (if applicable) and Level 5 relevant normative documents is called a sub-scope of the MLA.
British Member Quality Accreditation Council (UK) is Non-Profit Institution, and is independent from conformity assessment bodies that it assesses for technical competence. It does not hold competition with other national / international accreditation bodies. Through its existence, it warrants Competence, objectivity and impartiality and ensures confidentiality.
BMQAC and Brexit
Following the triggering of Article 50 on March 29, 2017, BMQAC has been working to ensure that those within Government dealing with Brexit are aware of the importance of accreditation to the national economy, and also to trade with the EU and internationally. Regular meetings are being held with Ministers and officials in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) and the Department for International Trade (DIT). Following consultation with customers and stakeholders, the key messages being communicated to Government include:
- Regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, it is vitally important for UK business that BMQAC recognition as the UK National Accreditation Body continues.
- Continued access to notified bodies, or other mutually recognised bodies, will be important for UK businesses.
- If new trade agreements are required between the UK and the EU, consideration will need to be given to how any required testing or inspection is carried out and how the competence of the organisations is assessed. Accreditation is likely to be required for this purpose.
- It will be essential for UK industry that accreditation is given due recognition in any new international trade agreements that emerge.