APLAC MR 003

ASIA PACIFIC LABORATORY ACCREDITATION COOPERATION

MUTUAL RECOGNITION ARRANGEMENT (MRA) COUNCIL

Application to Become a Signatory to the APLAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement

(APLAC MRA) or to Extend Scope of Recognition
(Please type or write clearly in block letters)
(Please refer to the notes in Appendix 1 for guidance)

Organisation:
Address:

Country:
Telephone:
Facsimile:
Email:
Website:
Contact Person:
Position Within Organisation:
Areas for which APLAC MRA signatory status is sought:
Testing: Calibration: Inspection: ISO 15189: RM producers:

1. Is your organisation a signatory to the MRA of another ILAC or IAF

recognised region?
Yes No

If “No”, does your organisation have a bilateral arrangement with another

accreditation body
Yes No

If “Yes”, please attach details.

2. Please provide the scope of the organisation’s recognition in this

arrangement (e.g. testing, calibration, etc.) and the date on which it
entered into the arrangement. Please attach details.

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3. Please give details of the accreditation services your organisation

provides?
(Please complete the table on page 4 of this application form)

Note: An applicant for RMP must already be a signatory for testing

and/or calibration or be applying for testing and/or calibration and
RMP at the same time. See clause 3.2.5 of APLAC MR 001.

4. Organisation

Are the accreditation activities part of the activities of a larger

organisation, including a government Department or Ministry?
Yes No
If “Yes”, please provide an organisation chart showing how the
accreditation body fits within the larger organisation.

For Laboratory Accreditation Programs (incl. ISO 15189)

In what year did the program/(s) commence? Year

To what extent does the program Fully Partially

meet the requirements of ISO/IEC
17011?

Target date for full implementation of ISO/IEC Year

17011

How many staff are employed by the accreditation body to service

these programs? Full-time Part-time

Please state the approximate number of assessments

and/or surveillance visits carried out date

What percentage of accredited organisations have been

through a full cycle of assessment, surveillance and
reassessment?

For Inspection Body Accreditation Programs

In what year did the programs commence? Year

To what extent does the program Fully Partially

meet the requirements of ISO/IEC
17011?

Target date for full implementation of ISO/IEC Year

17011

How many staff are employed by the accreditation body to service

these programs? Full-time Part-time

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Please state the approximate number of assessments

and/or surveillance visits carried out date:

What percentage of accredited organisations have been

through a full cycle of assessment, surveillance and
reassessment?

For Reference Material Producer Accreditation Program

In what year did the program commence? Year

To what extent does the program Fully Partially

meet the requirements of ISO/IEC
17011?

Target date for full implementation of ISO/IEC Year

17011

How many staff are employed by the accreditation body to service

these programs? Full-time Part-time

Please state the approximate number of assessments/

surveillance visits carried out date

What percentage of accredited organisations have been

through a full cycle of assessment, surveillance and
reassessment?

5. Pre-Evaluation Visit

Is a pre-evaluation visit requested? Yes No

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From Question 4, please complete the table below with details of the
accreditation services provided by your organisation.

AREA DISCIPLINE(S) YES NO STANDARDS APPLIED NO. OF

(e.g. ISO/IEC 17025, ACCRED
PROGRAM(S) √)
(√ √)
(√ ISO/IEC 17020, ISO Guide ORG.
34)
Testing
ISO 15189
Calibration
Inspection
RMP
(Specify)
Others

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For all Accreditation Programs

1. To what extent does the organisation Fully Partially

meet the requirements of APLAC
MR 001, section 3?

Does the economy have access to a Yes No

system of measurement standards
traceable to SI units?

Through which institution(s)? (This may include through overseas

institutions).

At what intervals are accredited conformity

assessment bodies routinely fully reassessed?

Are applicant and accredited CABs Yes No

required to participate in relevant
proficiency testing programs?

Do they participate in APLAC Yes No

proficiency testing programs?

Does the organisation participate in relevant international technical activities

(e.g. APLAC Technical Committee, APLAC Proficiency Testing committee,
ILAC Accreditation Issues Committee, ISO/CASCO activities)? (If yes,
please list the activities and the years in which the organisation has been
involved).

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PLEASE NOTE: The documentation detailed in appendix 2 must be provided to the

team leader before any MRA evaluation (or pre-evaluation) is scheduled.

“Set A” enclosed? Yes No

“Set B” enclosed? Yes No

Reports on any recent evaluations enclosed? Yes No

6. Declaration

I hereby declare that the above information is correct. I further declare

that I understand the provisions of the APLAC MRA and accept that the
evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the procedures and
requirements set out in APLAC MR 001. The organisation agrees that it
shall continue to be bound by and at all times abide by the APLAC
Constitution and APLAC Code of Ethics as agreed when it was granted
Full membership of APLAC. It also agrees to meet the evaluation
expenses as detailed in Section 4 of APLAC MR 001.

(Name)
(please print)

(Position)

(Signature)

(Date)

Application to be forwarded by courier or post, together with supporting

documentation to:

Chair
Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation
C/- APLAC Secretariat
Level 1
675 Victoria Street
Abbotsford VIC 3067
AUSTRALIA
fax: +61 3 9421 0887
email: [email protected]

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Appendix 1: Instructions to Applicants

1. The application form shall be completed in English and sent to the Chair of
APLAC with copies to the APLAC Secretariat and to the Chair of the APLAC
MRA Council.

2. In the application form, the representative of the applicant body signs to

indicate that (s)he understands the provisions of the APLAC MRA and accepts
that the evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the requirements and
procedures set out in APLAC MR 001.

3. The applicant body shall indicate whether the application is for calibration,
testing, ISO 15189 (medical testing), RMP and/or inspection body
accreditation. An applicant for RMP recognition shall either already be a
signatory to the MRA for calibration and/or testing, or be applying for testing
and/or calibration at the same time.

4. The applicant body shall indicate whether a pre-evaluation visit is requested.

5. An initial applicant shall complete all sections of the application from. An

applicant for an extension to its scope of recognition shall complete all sections
relevant for the requested extension.

6. The two sets of documents (Set A, Set B) (see Appendix 2) shall describe in
full the operation of the applicant body relevant to the scope of the requested
evaluation. Set A documents shall be provided in English, the official language
for APLAC evaluations. If these documents have been translated, they are not
to be considered as legally binding when documents in the native language
exist. Set B documents shall be supplied as published.

NOTE: Set A documents 5 and 6 shall be provided by completing sections 4

and 3 respectively of the APLAC evaluation report template (MR
009), a Word version of which is available from the “members only”
section of the APLAC web site.

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Appendix 2: Set A and Set B Documents

Set A:

1. the applicant body’s quality documentation in which its policies and

procedures, and the responsibility for implementation of the quality
system are clearly described. Full details of the staff of the applicant
body, including their professional qualifications and experience, and
length of experience in each type of accreditation activity shall also be
provided if not given in the quality documentation;

2. accreditation criteria and associated generally applicable technical

criteria that the applicant body publishes;

3. all other general criteria published which include formal rules or

regulations affecting the applicant body’s operation and the
responsibilities and obligations of its accredited organisations;

4. a checklist or other cross-reference showing the applicant body’s

compliance with the requirements of the relevant ISO(/IEC)
standard(s);

5. self-evaluation report against the ILAC/IAF KPIs (A3) by completing

section 4 of the APLAC evaluation report template (APLAC MR 009);

6. background and history of the applicant body by completing section 3

of the APLAC evaluation report template (APLAC MR 009);

7. a report on its analysis of its relationship with related bodies to

determine the potential for conflict of interest (ISO/IEC 17011, clause
4.3.7);

8. details of any organisations to which assessment activities are sub-

contracted, either routinely or from time-to-time;

9. the policy for measurement traceability routes;

10. the written guidance provided for the calculation of measurement

uncertainty for calibration laboratories, testing laboratories and RMPs;

11. the policy on the surveillance and re-assessment of accredited

organisations;

12. the policy on the implementation and use of proficiency testing;

13. if applicable, the policy statement on the use of peer inspectors for
inspection body assessments;

14. operational procedures covering proficiency testing, including criteria

for statistical evaluation and corrective action procedures;

15. summary listing of all proficiency testing activity undertaken in the last
two years by accredited (and applicant) organisations, e.g.

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(i) APLAC and/or international (other regional) proficiency testing

programs (where a final or interim report has been issued),
including details of any associated corrective actions.

(ii) programs run by the accreditation body itself;

(iii) external programs (national or international) that have been

mandated by the accreditation body;

(iv) measurement audits and/or any other on-site practical tests;

16. list of international comparisons in which the economy’s national

metrology institute (NMI) has been involved in (e.g. comparisons run
by Comité Internationale des Poids et des Mésures (CIPM), Asia
Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP) or other Regional Metrology
Organisations (RMOs));

Note: The list of CIPM and RMO key comparisons is available on the
BIPM (Bureau Internationale des Poids et des Mésures) website
(http://kcdb.bipm.org/).

17. detailed scopes of accreditation (or draft scopes of accreditation) of all

CABs to be visited during the evaluation visit.

Set B:

1. any other documentation that describes the mechanics of operation of

the accreditation system, including annual reports, questionnaires,
newsletters, guidance documents, summary reports of proficiency
testing programs (where applicable), etc;

2. a copy of the applicant body’s directory or other listings providing the

name and scope of accreditation of each accredited organisation. If
the directory is published through the Internet, the web site address of
the directory should be given;

3. descriptions of any separate functions or affiliations of the applicant

body to activities other than accreditation (such as standards writing,
etc);

4. description of the economy’s metrological infrastructure (e.g. national

measurement institute or links to any other national measurement
institutes);

5. details of any formal agreement or recognition to which the applicant

body is party either nationally or internationally, including with
government authorities, private sector organisations, other
accreditation systems, etc;

6. reports of any recent evaluations carried out by other relevant

organisations, if applicable.

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