Source: UKAS Update

www.publicsectorassurance.org, a jointly produced website developed by organisations from the global quality infrastructure, is viewed as a valuable resource to demonstrate the value of standards and accreditation to government, regulators and public sector specifiers. The site is now a central reference point for case studies that demonstrate the positive impact that accreditation delivers to regulators, as well as providing access to independent research and evidence to support these claims.

Given this success, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) have stated their intention to develop a similar site that captures and shares data that evidences the benefits of standards and accreditation for businesses. It is planned that the site will be launched in the summer.

End-users are invited to submit examples that provide financial or performance data for consideration. Examples could include:

• Certified businesses that have quantified the benefits of being certified (e.g. increased turnover, energy savings, improved health and safety record, quicker product development, etc.)
• Organisations (certification or inspection bodies, testing or calibration laboratories) that derive a financial benefit from accreditation (e.g. less inspection by regulators, access to new markets that require accreditation, increased profitability, lower error rates, reduced insurance premiums, etc.)
• Schemes that recognise accreditation and reward businesses for compliance (e.g. fewer regulatory inspections, levy reductions, etc.)
• In-house or independent research that shows the value of standards, accreditation or conformity assessment

Please submit any examples for consideration to Jon Murthy at jon.murthy@ukas.com.