Frequently asked questions value of accreditation
What is the value of accreditation?
The products and services you use at home at work or in your leisure time must comply with regulations and standards National or European sometimes worldwide. Specialized companies and institutions test inspect, certify and calibrate. They assess whether the supplier the manufacturer or certain products and services meet these standards. With RvA accreditation, these organizations show that they perform their accredited work competently, consistently and independently. In a bird’s eye view, we take you through the robust system that ensures citizens can have confidence in the quality and safety of products and services. Click here to watch the video.
Learning and improving
RvA accreditation provides an annual touchstone for organizations to determine whether they are performing their work correctly, competently and to the appropriate standards. Through the accreditation process, problems and gaps in processes or capabilities can be identified. This allows an organization to improve the quality of its output.
Consumer confidence
Consumers trust that they can use products and services safely. Accreditation helps recognize credible and competent organizations that perform the testing, certification and inspection activities for those products and services. This ultimately gives consumers the assurance they need to make safe, healthy and reliable choices.
Reducing risk
Accreditation is a business risk management tool. Through accreditation, companies reduce the risk of product failure, help control production costs and demonstrate their diligence when it is called into question.
Trade benefit
Accreditation differentiates products and services. It creates a benchmark that unaccredited competitors have difficulty demonstrating independently.
European harmonization
All European accreditation bodies such as the RvA are affiliated with the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA). The EA is tasked with organizing peer reviews and promoting harmonization among its members. The RvA is active in various EA committees and on the EA board.
Through mutual recognition, all conformity certificates issued under European accreditation have the same status. Thus, an accreditation issued in our country is also accepted in all other European countries. This promotes free trade. For example, it prevents providers of products and services from having to apply for a certificate in every country.
The RvA is a co-signatory to the ILAC and IAF Multilateral Agreements. Conformity declarations from RvA-accredited organizations are thus accepted worldwide. This international recognition, especially for large trading and distribution countries such as the Netherlands, is extremely important.
Public and private tenders
Many government departments require organizations to be accredited when tendering for services. Accreditation is also required by an increasing number of trade associations and organizations in the private sector.