Apply for Accreditation of Certification Body in Kenya

Procedure on how to Apply for Accreditation of Certification Body in Kenya The applicant has to submit his/her accreditation enquiry to a Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) Staff. This is followed by a formal response by KENAS Officer on the terms and conditions applicable to provision of accreditation services. The KENAS Inspection and Verification accreditation program, provides Inspection bodies and Verification conformity assessment bodies with a means of demonstrating to their customers their superior competence and professional excellence skills in executing inspection and verification mandates in conformance to ISO/IEC 17020 international standard. This accreditation service is available to all inspection and verification services including in-house and independent services, from one-person operations to large-scale inspection and verification bodies.

• A Certification Body is an independent and impartial organization possessing the necessary competence to carry out the certification of the following: management systems, products, processes, services or personnel.
• The Certification Pillar in Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) offers accreditation to all types of Certification bodies.
• KENAS assesses and accredits Certification Bodies (CBs) that demonstrate competence to audit and certify organizations conforming to management systems products, processes, services or personnel standards.
• Accreditation by a recognized and respected body such as KENAS ensures the impartiality and competence of the CB and fosters confidence and acceptance of the CB’s certifications by end-users in the public and private sectors.

Apply In-Person

1. The applicant has to submit his/her accreditation enquiry to a Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) Staff. This can be either through telephone, email or visiting KENAS offices. Contact information of KENAS can be obtained in our “office and contact “ information section of this page or through the following link
2. This is followed by a formal response by KENAS Officer on the terms and conditions applicable to provision of accreditation services.
3. The applicant should submit the duly filled and signed formal application. The application from can be obtained from KENAS Offices or downloaded from their website through the following link. You submit the application form with all the required documents.
4. This is followed by review of the application including support documents provided by the applicant.( desk assessment /document review)
5. After review, there is a formal response to the applicant regarding the outcome of the review of the application and documentation.
6. This is followed by an on-site assessment visit. Corrective Action Requests will be made to the applicant for review.
7. Follow up assessment of the client is done to determine effective implementation of the corrective action requires (CAR’s) raised.
8. An independent accreditation commitee will then make a formal accreditation decision as outcome and/or report of the assessment.
9. After this a formal communication will be made to the applicant on the decision made.
10. Upon a successful assessment. The applicant will be issued with an accreditation certificate.
11. Periodical surveillance assessments are done of the accredited conformity assessment body.

Required Documents

1. Application form
2. Cross reference matrix of internal documents against the normative standard
3. Quality Manual
4. Operating Procedures/ Methods
5. Evidence of PT / ILC
6. Application Fee paid

Office Locations & Contacts

Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS)
Embankment Plaza, 2nd floor, Longonot Road, Upper Hill
P. O. Box 47400 – 00100 Nairobi
Telephone: +254 725 227 640
Fax: +254 787 395679
Email: info@kenyaaccreditation.org
Website:KENAS

Eligibility

• This accreditation service is available to all inspection and verification services including in-house and independent services, from one-person operations to large-scale inspection and verification bodies.

Fees

• Gazetted Fees

FIRST SCHEDULE Assessment fees

• Application – KShs. 40,000
• Document Review – KShs.95, 000
• Assessment (initial) – KShs. 250,000

Second Schedule
Other Charges

• Pre-assessment – KShs.50,000
• Additional Assessor per day – KShs.60,000
• Application for Extension (all inclusive, except for VAT) – KShs. 250,000
• Review of re-submitted Documents – KShs. 45,000

Third Schedule
Annual fees

• Annual Accreditation Fee – KShs.192,500

NOTE:

• Any fee charged shall be subject to value added tax.
• The assessment fee has taken into account one assessor unit for two days.
• The assessor unit consists of one lead assessor, a technical expert/assessor and Kenya Accreditation Service support required to facilitate the assessment. For complex assessment or wider scopes, the additional assessor/expert shall be charged based on the rate indicated on other charges.
• These fees do not cover the cost of travel and accommodation outside Nairobi. The fees shall be borne by the client in the event that there are no established assessors within the region or location.
• The Kenya Accreditation Service shall retain as penalty ten percent in value of accreditation assessments that are cancelled less than five days to the assessment date.

Validity – Procedure on how to Apply for Accreditation of Certification Body in Kenya The applicant has to submit his/her accreditation enquiry to a Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) Staff.

• Accreditation is valid for a period of one year.

Documents to Use Procedure on how to Apply for Accreditation of Certification Body in Kenya The applicant has to submit his/her accreditation enquiry to a Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) Staff.

• Application Form for Accreditation

Processing Time

• This may take a period of up one and half years. Refer to the service charter through this link

Required Information

• Contact details
  • Organization
  • Address (Physical)
  • Address (Postal)
  • Telephone
  • Email
  • Website
  • Contact person
  • Position within the organization
  • Type and Nature of business
  • If organization operate on several sites
• Organization details
  • The Legal Status of your organization
  • Total Number of Staff
  • List the conformity Assessment Services offered
  • If your conformity Assessment activities are part of a larger organization
  • Other organization activities
• Scope of accreditation
• Declaration
• Signature

Need for the Document

• Accreditation is the independent evaluation of certification bodies against International Standards e.g. ISO/IEC 17021 to ensure their impartiality, competence, and consistency. Accreditation is based on the assessment visits to the certification body to evaluate how their functions are performed in practice and, also includes KENAS witnessing the certification body performing audits.

Information which might help

• Accreditation is a formal third party confirmation that Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) are competent to carry out specific conformity assessment activities. Conformity Assessment Bodies are those bodies that assess the compliance and or conformance of products, services and suppliers to guided specifications and requirements e.g. Testing and Calibration Laboratories, Proficiency testing Laboratories, Inspection and verification bodies, Medical Laboratories, Certification bodies etc.
• Accreditation is distinct from certification because certification focuses on an organization overall compliance with systems and products standards rather than the technical competence which is what accreditation focuses on. Therefore accreditation becomes a formal recognition to the CABs that they are competent to carry out conformity assessment tasks.
• Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) is the only national accreditation body for Kenya that gives formal recognition that Certification Bodies (CBs), Inspection Bodies (IBs) and Laboratories (testing and calibration, medical, veterinary, pharmaceuticals, proficiency testing scheme providers) are competent to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks.
• KENAS offers certification bodies’ accreditation to the international standards ( ISO )listed below

i ISO/IEC 17021 “Conformity assessment – requirements for bodies auditing and certification of management systems”.ii ISO/IEC 17024 “Conformity assessment General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons”iii 17065 “General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems”

External Links

• Accreditation Process
• Step by step Process
• Service Delivery Charter

Others

KENAS is an associate member to ILAC Arrangements based on mutual evaluation and acceptance of other MRA Partner laboratory accreditation systems. Such international arrangements facilitate acceptance of test / calibration results between countries to which MRA partners represent. This developing system of international mutual recognition agreements between accreditation bodies has enabled accredited conformity assessment bodies to achieve a form of international recognition, and has allowed test data accompanying exported goods to be readily accepted on overseas markets amongst the countries which have already qualified as significant to ILAC Arrangements. This effectively reduces costs for both the exporters and the importers, as it reduces or eliminates the need for products to be re-tested in another country.

• A benefit of accreditation is that your laboratory/organization will gain international recognition for its commitment to quality, competency and reliable results.
• In addition, accreditation will signify that you comply with an internationally recognized standard, thus easing the global exchange of valuable information.
• Accreditation is an objective way to assure your customers that you have demonstrated technical competence to provide reliable and accurate results.
• Accreditation is objective because an independent, third party accreditation body performs annual assessments to verify whether your system is meeting all of the requirements of an International Standard. This independent evaluation is important to the customer, because it is an unbiased guarantee that your laboratory/organization is performing at its highest level.
• Accreditation will set your laboratory/organization apart from your competitors. International Standards are an ideal management system model for laboratories/organizations because it aims to control quality costs, improve measurement accuracy and guarantee consistency of results.
• Accreditation is customer-driven especially when implemented correctly. The elements of International Standards work meticulously together to ensure that required quality levels are met and that customers’ needs are satisfied. This can be a powerful strategic tool.
• Any company/ laboratory achieving accreditation to International Standards, is presented with a certificate of accreditation. This certificate can be used in advertising, promotional literature and stationary to show current and potential customers that your laboratory/organization is committed to quality and has demonstrated technical competency to perform services.
• In view of the above, accreditation to International Standards can be a valuable tool. By becoming accredited, you can look forward to an efficient management system, improved services, fewer customer complaints and a strong competitive edge.