Accreditation bodies that meet the requirements for Associates (below) and have also been accepted as signatories to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement. Each accreditation body that is a signatory to the Arrangement agrees to abide by its terms and conditions and by the ILAC evaluation procedures. To do this, the signatory must:
- Maintain conformance with ISO/IEC 17011, related ILAC guidance documents, and a few, but important, supplementary requirements, and
- Ensure that all its accredited laboratories comply with ISO/IEC 17025 and related ILAC guidance documents.
These signatories have, in turn, been peer-reviewed and shown to meet ILAC’s criteria for competence.
Accreditation bodies that, while not yet signatories to the ILAC Arrangement:
i) operate accreditation schemes for testing laboratories, calibration laboratories, inspection bodies, and/or other services as decided from time to time by the ILAC General Assembly.
ii) can provide evidence that they are operational and committed to comply with:
(a) the requirements set out in relevant standards established by appropriate international standards writing bodies such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and ILAC application documents; and
(b) the obligations of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement;
iii) are recognised in their economy as offering an accreditation service;
Accreditation bodies that are:
i) currently operating, being developed or intended to be developed for testing laboratories, calibration laboratories, inspection bodies, and/or other services as decided from time to time by the ILAC General Assembly
ii) declare their intention to operate their accreditation programs in compliance with the requirements set out in relevant standards established by appropriate international standards writing bodies such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and ILAC application documents;
Formally established national bodies have responsibility for the coordination of laboratory and/ or inspection body accreditation activity in particular economies. A National Coordination Body may, at the discretion of its constituent ILAC Full Members and Associates, represent them in the ILAC General Assembly and Committees.
Full Members and Associates in an economy having a National Coordination Body may instead choose to represent themselves at meetings of the General Assembly.
National mutual recognition arrangements under the auspices of a National Coordination Body do not entitle participating bodies to claim signatory status within the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement nor participation in ILAC as a Full Member or an Associate.
Formally established regional accreditation cooperations having objectives similar to and compatible with ILAC, which are committed to the obligations of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement and which consist of formally nominated representatives of the accreditation interests from at least four economies.
Recognised Regional Cooperation Bodies are those whose regional Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA/MLA) have been successfully peer-evaluated by ILAC.
Representative international, regional and national organizations having an interest in the work of ILAC and include bodies such as associations of laboratories, associations of laboratory practitioners, inspection body associations, purchasing organisations, regulatory authorities, consumer associations and trade organisations.
Please email the ILAC Secretariat for all enquiries on ILAC membership.