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AKZERT · Principality of Liechtenstein

Confidence Built on Competence.

Accreditation is the formal attestation that a conformity assessment body is competent, impartial and consistently operated for defined activities. AKZERT is an accreditation-focused organisation based in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Explore AccreditationAbout AKZERT

Accreditation process

The path from an initial enquiry to an independent decision.

Technical fields

Laboratories, inspection and the three forms of certification.

Standards

The ISO and ISO/IEC documents that frame this work.

Documents

Approved files, and clearly marked unpublished placeholders.

About AKZERT

A Liechtenstein organisation devoted to the discipline of accreditation.

AKZERT explains accreditation and reserves this site for information that can be verified: the meaning of the attestation, the standards that frame it, and the records and documents AKZERT has approved for publication.

The organisation does not, on these pages, claim the position of a national accreditation body, a public appointment, or membership of EA, IAF, ILAC or any other multilateral arrangement. An accreditation is described as granted only when a verified record appears in the public directory.

Read about AKZERT

The Casa da Música in Porto, a contemporary European building
Casa da Música, Porto. The photograph shows a work of European architecture. It is not a picture of AKZERT’s premises.

Technical fields

Activities accreditation is used to frame

All technical fields

Personnel certification, framed by ISO/IEC 17024, is described with the other technical fields.

Accreditation explained

An attestation of the body, for a defined scope

Accreditation

Accreditation attests that a conformity assessment body is competent, impartial and consistently operated for specified activities. The scope states those activities. Work outside the scope is outside the attestation.

Certification, testing and inspection

A laboratory, inspection body or certification body issues its own report or certificate about a test, an item, a system, a product or a person. Accreditation considers the competence of that body. It does not replace the body’s own attestation.

What the discipline is for

  • A scope precise enough that a reader can see what was attested.
  • Assessment of the work as it is performed, including witnessed activity where the activity requires it.
  • A decision taken separately from the assessment.
  • A public record, where a directory is maintained.
  • Surveillance and reassessment after a grant, so that the record is not a single unreviewed event.

These are the purposes of accreditation when it is properly conducted. They are not a claim that AKZERT currently provides them under an international recognition arrangement.

Process

Seven stages on the path to a decision

The sequence below is the ordinary shape of an accreditation. It does not set a day, a fee or a service commitment. Those belong in a procedure that has been approved and published.

  1. 01

    Initial enquiry

    A prospective body describes the activities it may later ask to have considered.

  2. 02

    Application

    A named legal entity makes a formal request for a defined scope.

  3. 03

    Application review

    The request is examined for completeness and for a scope that can be understood.

  4. 04

    Document review

    Policies, procedures and records are read against the applicable requirements.

  5. 05

    Assessment

    Competence is examined where the work is performed, including witnessed activity where relevant.

  6. 06

    Nonconformity management

    The body describes how each finding has been corrected and how recurrence is to be prevented.

  7. 07

    Independent decision

    A decision on the defined scope is taken separately from the assessment.

Where a decision grants accreditation, surveillance and reassessment follow. They are described with the earlier stages on the process page.

Principles

01

Independence

Judgement is formed on the evidence of the matter, and is protected from direction by an interest in the result.

02

Impartiality

Conflicts are identified and arranged so that they do not decide the outcome. Objectivity is a structure, not only an intention.

03

Integrity

The public record matches what has been verified. What has not been verified is omitted, rather than estimated.

International standards

The documents that frame the work

Document centre

Files are published only when approved

Open the document centre

  • Governance arrangements

    Reference not assigned

    Document not yet published

  • Impartiality policy

    Reference not assigned

    Document not yet published

  • Complaints and appeals procedure

    Reference not assigned

    Document not yet published

  • General requirements for applicants

    Reference not assigned

    Document not yet published

Latest updates

No updates have been approved for publication

Notices will appear here only after they have been reviewed and released. The absence of a notice is not an announcement. It means there is nothing approved to show.

Correspondence

Write to AKZERT

Use the contact form for an enquiry, a correction or a complaint. The form states whether delivery is configured. A message is not described as sent when it has not been sent.

Contact AKZERT