Yes. Alliance Quality Assurance can support laboratories from the early stages of accreditation preparation through to assessment readiness.
We can review your current position, identify gaps, help develop or improve your management system, support implementation, conduct internal audits and assist with preparation for your accreditation assessment.
The level of support can be tailored to your laboratory and how much work you have already completed.
ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard covering the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.
Accreditation provides independent recognition that a laboratory has demonstrated competence to perform specific testing or calibration activities within its accredited scope.
It considers both management-system requirements and technical areas such as personnel competence, equipment, methods, metrological traceability and the validity of results.
ISO/IEC 17025 applies to organisations carrying out testing, calibration and associated laboratory activities across a wide range of industries.
This can include construction materials, geotechnical, environmental, mechanical, electrical, chemical, food, manufacturing and calibration laboratories, among many others.
The applicable requirements and accreditation scope will depend on the laboratory's particular activities.
Yes. A newly established laboratory can work towards accreditation.
However, it will need more than a set of procedures. The laboratory needs to implement its management system and develop sufficient evidence to demonstrate its competence and effective operation.
Alliance Quality Assurance can help new laboratories build accreditation requirements into their operations from an early stage.
There is no single timeframe that applies to every laboratory.
The preparation period depends on factors including the laboratory's size, proposed scope, number and complexity of methods, existing systems, personnel, equipment and the amount of work required.
The accreditation body's own application and assessment timescales also need to be considered.
Alliance Quality Assurance can assess your current position and help establish a realistic preparation plan.
Having procedures written does not necessarily mean a laboratory is ready.
Your management system should be implemented and supported by appropriate records and evidence demonstrating that laboratory activities are being controlled effectively.
Alliance Quality Assurance can conduct a gap assessment or accreditation-readiness review to identify areas requiring attention before you proceed.
A gap assessment compares your laboratory's existing arrangements against applicable ISO/IEC 17025 requirements and identifies areas that may require improvement.
Alliance Quality Assurance can review documentation, records and relevant laboratory processes to provide a clearer picture of your current position and what should be addressed.
Yes. You do not necessarily need to start again.
Alliance Quality Assurance can review your existing management system, identify gaps and recommend targeted improvements.
Where existing procedures and records are suitable, they can remain in place. The objective is to strengthen your system rather than replace working processes unnecessarily.
Templates can provide a useful starting point, but documentation alone does not demonstrate conformity or laboratory competence.
Your management system needs to reflect how your laboratory actually operates and must be effectively implemented.
Alliance Quality Assurance can review existing documentation and help adapt it to your laboratory's activities.
Yes. Alliance Quality Assurance can help develop or improve management-system documentation appropriate to your laboratory's operations.
This may include policies, procedures, forms, records and associated controls.
Our objective is to create a practical system that supports laboratory operations rather than unnecessary paperwork created simply for an assessment.
Potentially, yes.
Alliance Quality Assurance can review your existing management system for unnecessary duplication, excessive documentation and inefficient processes.
Where requirements can legitimately be met more simply, we can help develop a more practical and proportionate approach.
Yes. Alliance Quality Assurance can provide independent internal auditing of your management system and relevant laboratory activities.
This can be particularly useful where internal resources are limited or where personnel cannot provide sufficient independence for particular audit activities.
The first step is to establish what has been missed and why.
Alliance Quality Assurance can review your existing audit programme, identify outstanding areas and help establish a structured approach for bringing the programme back under control.
Records should never be backdated to suggest that an audit occurred when it did not.
Yes. Appropriate audit documentation can be provided detailing the audit undertaken and findings identified.
These records can form part of your laboratory's internal audit evidence and help management track any resulting actions.
Yes. Alliance Quality Assurance can help prepare and facilitate your management review and ensure the relevant information is systematically considered.
The laboratory's own management must remain appropriately involved because management review remains a management responsibility.
Yes. Alliance Quality Assurance can conduct a focused accreditation-readiness review before your assessment.
This can help identify significant gaps, overdue activities and weaknesses requiring attention while there is still an opportunity to address them.
Yes. A mock assessment can provide an independent review of your laboratory before the formal accreditation assessment.
Depending on the agreed scope, Alliance Quality Assurance can examine management-system implementation, records and relevant laboratory activities to identify potential weaknesses.
Not necessarily.
The amount that can realistically be achieved depends on your current position and the time available.
Alliance Quality Assurance can help prioritise significant issues and determine what can reasonably be addressed before the assessment. We will also be clear where issues cannot legitimately be resolved simply by creating last-minute documentation.
Yes. Alliance Quality Assurance can help personnel understand the assessment process, their responsibilities and the areas they should be able to demonstrate.
The objective is not to teach staff scripted answers. Personnel should genuinely understand the activities they perform and the procedures they follow.
Yes. Alliance Quality Assurance can review the findings, help you understand the issues raised and support the development of appropriate corrections, root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
We can also review supporting evidence before it is submitted to the relevant accreditation body.
Yes.
Understanding the actual finding is essential before developing corrective action.
Alliance Quality Assurance can review the relevant findings and help establish what needs to be addressed, allowing your laboratory to focus on the underlying issue rather than making unnecessary changes.
Yes.
Alliance Quality Assurance can review the original finding, your response and any feedback received to help identify why the corrective action may not have been accepted.
We can then assist with developing a more appropriate response and supporting evidence where required.
Recurring findings can indicate that the immediate problem has been corrected without adequately addressing the underlying cause.
Alliance Quality Assurance can review previous findings and corrective actions to help identify whether broader improvements to processes, responsibilities, training or controls may be necessary.
Yes. Alliance Quality Assurance does not only work with laboratories seeking their first accreditation.
Existing accredited laboratories may require support with internal auditing, management review, corrective actions, documentation, surveillance preparation, scope changes and ongoing management-system maintenance.
Potentially, yes.
Alliance Quality Assurance can review the laboratory's current position, identify immediate priorities and provide agreed quality-management support while your organisation determines its longer-term arrangements.
Ongoing outsourced quality support can also be considered where appropriate.
Yes.
Expanding an accredited scope can require additional preparation involving methods, equipment, personnel competence, technical records, quality controls and management-system documentation.
Alliance Quality Assurance can review the proposed expansion and help identify what needs to be addressed before progressing with the accreditation body.
No. Alliance Quality Assurance can provide consultancy support to laboratories internationally, subject to the nature of the project and applicable accreditation arrangements.
Many management-system activities can be supported remotely, while on-site consultancy can be considered where appropriate.
Yes.
You may only require an internal audit, gap assessment, management review support, corrective-action assistance or accreditation-readiness review.
Alliance Quality Assurance can provide individual services as well as more comprehensive or ongoing support.
The cost depends on the service required, laboratory size and complexity, scope of work, current level of implementation and whether support is provided remotely or on-site.
Alliance Quality Assurance will establish the requirements before providing an appropriate quotation.
Where the scope can be clearly defined, a fixed quotation may be provided.
No reputable independent consultant can guarantee accreditation.
The decision to grant, maintain, extend, suspend or withdraw accreditation belongs to the relevant accreditation body.
Alliance Quality Assurance can help your laboratory understand the requirements, identify gaps, strengthen its management system and prepare effectively, but the final accreditation decision remains independent.
Every laboratory is different. If your ISO/IEC 17025 question or accreditation issue isn’t covered above, contact Alliance Quality Assurance to discuss your requirements.
Whether you are preparing for your first accreditation, maintaining an existing accreditation, facing an upcoming assessment or dealing with nonconformities, Alliance Quality Assurance can determine how we may be able to support your laboratory.
