A new type of accreditation and recognition standard, ISO/IEC 17029:2019, has been published to join existing accreditation programmes, such as certification, inspection and testing.
The new International Standard, ISO/IEC 17029:2019 contains general principles and requirements for the competence, consistent operation and impartiality of bodies performing validation/verification as conformity assessment activities.
It can be used for Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) operating verification and validation, which can provide validation/verification as a first-party, second-party or third-party activity. These CABs can be validation bodies only, verification bodies only, or provide both activities.
It is applicable to validation/verification bodies in any sector, providing confirmation that claims are either plausible with regards to the intended future use (validation) or truthfully stated (verification).
However, it should be noted that the results of other conformity assessment activities (e.g. testing, inspection and certification) are not considered to be subject to validation/verification according to this document. Neither are situations where validation/verification activities are performed as steps within another conformity assessment process.
It is applicable to any sector, in conjunction with sector specific programmes, such as Greenhouse Gas (GHG) verification and validation provided under ISO 14065:2013, that contain requirements for validation/verification processes and procedures.
The new International Standard can be used as a basis for accreditation by accreditation bodies, peer assessment within peer assessment groups, or other forms of recognition of validation/verification bodies by international or regional organisations, governments, regulatory authorities, programme owners, industry bodies, companies, clients or consumers.
A copy of ISO/IEC 17029:2019 can be obtained from BSI here & ANSI here
| ACTION POINTS If your organisation is undertakes verification or validation, you may wish to: 1. Obtain a copy of ISO/IEC 17029:2019. 2. Review and understand the revised requirements. 3. Monitor the revision process leading to full conformity with ISO/IEC 17029:2019. |