National Accreditation Services

NAS Certification Body Recognition Requirements:

Before a certification body can issue either an ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 50001 certificate with an NAS accreditation logo, the body must be
recognized and approved by NAS.  NAS recognition of a certifying body is maintained by NAS along with the application and recognition process.  Certification bodies must show that it has performed a risk assessment pertaining to its certification activities and that it is capable to cover liabilities as a result of it’s operations.

Operations Requirements:

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Certification bodies shall have documented its organizational structure including roles, responsibilities and authorities within the organization.  Key processes, operating procedures, their interactions shall be defined by the certifying body.  Measures of effectiveness must also be demonstrated.

Each certification body shall identify top management having overall authority and responsibility for each of the following areas:

• Policy
• Implementation of Policy and Procedures
• Defining Auditor Competency Requirements
• Defining Audit Methodology
• Finance
• Management System Development and Implementation for Certification
• ​Effectiveness Monitoring of Key Process to Objectives
• Performance of Audits and Certification along with complaint response
• Certification Decisions
• Authority Delegation as necessary
• Contractual Obligations
• Providing Adequate resources for Certification Operations
• Internal Audits

Internal Audits:

Each Certifying Body shall have a process for internal audits including effectiveness checks for corrective actions.  At least one internal shall be planned and performed on an annual basis to cover all identified processes.  Internal audits shall be performed by qualified personnel using a process approach.  Actions as a result of an internal audit shall be performed in a timely manner and all audit results, actions and activities shall be included in the management review process.