The growing business handbook : inspiration and advice ... - Sparkler

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Fit for market
3.6
Confidence is the key to better-quality contracts, which is why accrediting your
products and using accredited services is the best route to becoming ‘fit for
market’, says Jon Murthy at UKAS
Regardless of where the economy is headed, companies need to have confidence
in the goods and services they procure. This is true of all companies, whether
large, small, public or private. Developing better-quality contracts – with suppliers
and customers – demands confidence, which is why accreditation is becoming
increasingly popular as a tool. Accreditation is a method of ensuring an organization’s
competence. This means that companies that hold or utilize services that have
achieved accredited status can be sure that they are fit for purpose.
What is UKAS accreditation?
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the national accreditation body
for the UK. This means it is the only body recognized by government to assess –
against internationally recognized standards – certification, inspection, testing and
calibration services. Accreditation by UKAS is a guarantee that an organization is
competent to carry out one or more specified tasks. As many of these organizations
are conformity assessment bodies, this means that UKAS effectively ‘checks the
checkers’.
How does it work?
Accreditation is a robust and rigorous ongoing process that takes place over a
four-year cycle. The initial assessment is to establish that the organization:
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is impartial;
is technically competent to perform the task specified;
has the appropriate resources and facilities;
can perform to the required standard; and
is capable of sustaining this level of performance.