Periodic assessment of competence
Periodic assessment of competence is carried out by the accreditation body in accordance with assessment plans in the manner established in Chapter 3 of the Accreditation Rules.
Periodic assessment of competence can be scheduled or unscheduled.
Intervals of scheduled periodic assessment of competence are established by the accreditation body after the decision on accreditation has been made and taking into account the following:
- the first periodic assessment of competence is carried out no later than twelve months after the decision on accreditation has been made;
- subsequent periodic assessments of competence are carried out during the validity period of the accreditation certificate at intervals of no more than twenty-four months.
The interval of twenty-four months is established if the following conditions are met:
- in the absence of nonconformities during the previous periodic assessment of competence;
- in the absence of complaints on the activities of the accredited body.
According to Chapter 8 of the Accreditation Rules, an accredited body, forty working days before the appointed date of the periodic assessment of competence, submits through the information system “Accreditation” an updated passport of technical competence, including current information about its activities. The form of the Passport of Technical Competence is established by Appendix 3 to the Accreditation Rules and is available at the following links:
An unscheduled periodic assessment of competence in relation to accredited bodies using one of the assessment techniques and their combinations may be appointed by the accreditation body to consider the facts set out in the received requests from citizens, individual entrepreneurs and legal entities, as well as in the information received from government agencies and other government organizations in the following cases:
- failure of the accredited body to provide information on the request or the impossibility of objectively and comprehensively considering the request without conducting an unscheduled periodic assessment;
- receipt of information regarding accredited bodies from government organizations containing information on the unlawful issuance of conformity assessment documents and (or) the issuance of unreliable research (test) and measurement results for mandatory conformity assessment by a testing laboratory (center);
- changes in the activities (locations of activities, technical equipment, composition and qualifications of personnel) of the accredited body (except for certification bodies);
- the need to renew the accreditation certificate suspended on the grounds specified in subparagraph 18.3-1 of paragraph 18 of the Accreditation Rules.
The results of the periodic competence assessment are formalized in the final assessment report, one copy of which is transferred to the accredited body. Non-conformities noted in the non-conformity sheets and in the final assessment report, shall be closed by the accredited body within the timeframes agreed upon with the team leader (assessment group). The accredited body shall submit to the accreditation body a report on the implementation of the planned corrective actions.