Accreditation

Accreditation is the third-party attestation that a laboratory meets established standards of competence and quality. In calibration, accreditation bodies such as A2LA, NVLAP, or UKAS assess laboratories against ISO/IEC 17025 requirements and grant accreditation for specific scopes of measurement. The accreditation scope defines exactly which measurements the laboratory is recognized to perform and the best uncertainty (CMC) it can achieve for each.

The accreditation process involves a thorough document review, on-site assessment by technical experts, evaluation of the laboratory's quality management system, witness of actual calibration procedures, and review of uncertainty budgets. Accreditation is not a one-time event — accredited laboratories undergo regular surveillance assessments and periodic reassessments to maintain their accreditation status.

For calibration management, understanding accreditation is vital for selecting calibration service providers and for internal laboratories seeking to demonstrate competence. Accredited calibrations carry greater weight in audits and regulatory inspections. The scope of accreditation should be checked to ensure it covers the specific measurements needed — a laboratory accredited for DC voltage is not necessarily accredited for AC voltage. Many industries, including aerospace (AS6171), defense, pharmaceutical, and automotive, require or strongly prefer accredited calibration services.