| 1 | Objective |
| 1.1 | This policy document covers operating procedures of ACC for ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation. |
| 2 | Definitions |
| 2.1 | ACC: ANAB Accreditation Committee. |
| 2.2 | PILR: Product, Inspection, Laboratories, and Related Activities |
| 3 | Introduction |
| The ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) operates an accreditation program for products, processes, and services certification bodies to ensure that the market, including public agencies and public interest organizations, can rely on the competence, consistency and impartiality of ANAB accredited bodies. This document provides operating procedures for the ANAB Accreditation Committee (ACC) associated with this accreditation program. |
| 4 | Authority |
| a) | PRO-PL-102: Manual of operations for accreditation of product certification programs |
| b) | ISO/IEC 17065:2012: Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services |
| c) | ISO/IEC 17011:2017: Conformity assessment - Requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies |
| d) | PRO-PR-003: Competence Procedure-Committee Members and Staff |
| 5 | ANAB Accreditation Committee |
| a) | assisting with the development and review of policies for the operation of the accreditation program; |
| b) | providing feedback on procedures and criteria for assessment, as requested; |
| c) | granting or denying accreditation for initial assessments; |
| d) | recommendation on reducing, suspending, and withdrawing accreditation; |
| e) | providing feedback on the implementation of Accreditation Program policies, as
requested; and |
| f) | develop committees or ask individuals, as required, to undertake defined activities on its behalf. |
| The responsibilities of ANAB Accreditation Committee members include: |
| 1) | attending at least 2 of the ACC meetings as scheduled; |
| 2) | serving on task groups/sub-committees as appointed by this Committee; |
| 3) | serving on Evaluation Task Groups to evaluate the accreditation process and recommending actions to ANAB; |
| 4) | serving on appeals panels as appointed by ANAB; and |
| 5) | providing timely feedback/responses to ballots/requests from ANAB. |
| 6 | Governance and Structure within ANAB |
| 6.1 | The ANAB Accreditation Committee assists ANAB staff with the development and review of policies for the operation of the accreditation body. The accreditation program, including the ANAB Accreditation Committee's own activities, operates under these policies. |
| 6.2 | ANAB shall appoint a non-voting staff secretary for the ANAB Accreditation Committee. |
| 6.3 | The PILR Vice President and Senior Directors are designated ex officio voting members of the ACC. |
| 7 | Membership |
| 7.1 | ANAB Accreditation Committee membership shall consist of a balanced representation of all parties interested in the accreditation of products, processes and services certification bodies. Criteria for membership include personal attributes, expertise that complements that of current membership, experience in the conformity assessment field, and membership within ANAB. Attendance at a formal orientation program is mandatory for new members. Total membership will be limited to ensure operational effectiveness. However, the ANAB Accreditation Committee should endeavor to disseminate information to and receive input from stakeholders across the United States involved in the certification of products, processes, and services. |
| 7.2 | The ANAB Accreditation Committee shall have a voting membership of not less than ten persons. ANAB Accreditation Committee vacancies created by members leaving before the expiration of their terms may be filled for the remainder of the term. Nominations for each ANAB Accreditation Committee member and member's alternate(s) will be submitted by the Nominating Subcommittee. |
| 7.3 | The Committee's voting membership shall include representatives from industry, government, conformity assessment, and other interests concerned with products, processes and services certification activities. Any single- interest category shall be limited to less than one half of the actual ANAB Accreditation Committee membership. Ideally, representation should conform to the following members of the Committee: industry (3-5), federal and state government (3-5), conformity assessment organizations (3-5), and assessors (3-5) at-large stakeholders (3-5) and voting staff (3-5). |
| 7.4 | Members may designate an alternate from the same interest category. An alternate may vote and act on behalf of the member at meetings, when the member is absent. Federal/State/Local regulatory agency representatives may have more than one alternate, if such alternates are from other federal/state/local regulatory agencies. Representatives from federal/state/local regulatory agencies may also share the membership seat, but only one federal/state/local regulatory agency representative will be allowed to vote at a meeting. |
| 7.5 | Members shall be appointed for a term of three years and shall be eligible for reappointment for two additional terms. When a member resigns before the end of the term and is replaced by a new member, the new member serves until the end of his/her predecessor's term of office. If this period is one year or less, it is considered a preliminary term and does not count toward the three-term limit; if it is more than one year, it is considered a full term. The duration of time during which an ACC member is acting as Chairperson or Vice-chair does not count towards their terms on this committee. The intention of this procedure is to maintain the continuity of the ANAB Accreditation Committee members. |
| 7.6 | A former member will be eligible for reappointment after at least one year of non-membership to the committee, provided that the criteria for such membership is fulfilled. |
| 7.7 | A membership roster shall be maintained by ANAB and reviewed at least annually. |
| 7.8 | A member who has decided to resign shall submit a letter of resignation to the Chair with a copy to the ANAB staff secretary. |
| 8 | Officers |
| 8.1 | ANAB Accreditation Committee leadership shall consist of a chairperson and vice-chair. The chair and vice chair shall serve for a term of one calendar year or until a successor is chosen. |
| 8.2 | The chair and vice-chair shall be elected and shall be eligible for re-election in accordance with this procedure. |
| 9 | Subcommittees, Task Groups, and Liaisons |
| 9.1 | The ANAB Accreditation Committee may establish subcommittees and task groups to advise it on its activities. Members of such subcommittees and task groups other than the subcommittee or task force leader need not be members of the Committee. The ANAB Accreditation Committee shall select persons to serve on subcommittees, task groups, and as liaisons, based on their recognized technical expertise. |
| 10 | Nominations and Elections |
| 10.1 | The Chair of the ANAB Accreditation Committee shall appoint in the last meeting of each year a Nominating Committee of not less than three Committee members to serve until December 31st of the following year. By majority vote, on or before October 31st of each year, the Nominating Committee shall nominate the following: |
| a) | candidates to serve as Chair and Vice-Chair; and |
| b) | candidates for Committee membership to fill vacancies and expired terms. |
| 10.2 | The Nominating Subcommittee shall forward its annual nominating report to the staff secretary, who shall submit it to the ANAB Accreditation Committee. Other nominations may be submitted by a petition signed by ANAB Accreditation Committee members or ANAB members prior to the last ACC meeting of the year. At the last Committee meeting of the calendar year, the ANAB Accreditation Committee shall elect individuals for each officer position for the succeeding year, and vote on memberships to fill vacancies and expired terms, as appropriate. |
| 11 | ANAB Accreditation Committee Meetings |
| 11.1 | The Committee shall hold a minimum three scheduled meetings each year. A schedule of the meeting dates, times, and locations shall be established during the last meeting of each year. The staff secretary shall distribute the schedule to the ANAB Accreditation Committee members. The schedule may subsequently be changed at the discretion of ANAB Accreditation Committee members. |
| 11.2 | The Chair may call special meetings. The staff secretary may also call a special meeting
on receipt of a petition signed by at least fifty percent of the current ANAB Accreditation
Committee voting membership. |
| 11.3 | The staff secretary shall give notice of all meetings at least fourteen days before the
meeting date. The notice shall include a preliminary meeting agenda containing the
principal items to be considered. |
| 11.4 | At ANAB Accreditation Committee meetings, the presence of a simple majority of the
current ANAB Accreditation Committee voting membership, which includes members
who are participating by phone/internet/video-teleconference, shall constitute a quorum. |
| 11.5 | The staff secretary shall be responsible for the preparation of minutes of all Committee
meetings. Minutes shall be issued in a timely manner to all ANAB Accreditation
Committee members, but no later than three weeks prior to the next meeting. Minutes
shall be electronically distributed. Measures shall be taken to safeguard the confidential
minutes to ensure only authorized individuals have access to them. The minutes shall be
approved at the next ANAB Accreditation Committee meeting. |
| 12 | Committee Action |
| 12.1 | The Vice President, PILR, delegates the following actions: |
| a) | final action by the Committee related to granting or denying accreditation for Initial Accreditation. The approval or denial of initial assessments require two-thirds (2/3) of the participating ANAB Accreditation Committee voting members, excluding abstentions, but not less than a majority of the total voting membership. Voting may be at a meeting or by letter/electronic ballot. Voting results are to be recorded and kept on file. |
| b) | The letter ballot voting period shall typically last two weeks. The results of the ballot shall remain confidential within the Committee and ANAB. |
| c) | All negative votes must be accompanied by a written explanation and shall be reported to ANAB Accreditation Committee members. ANAB and the Accreditation Committee members will be provided an opportunity to respond to negative votes. Committee members may use the additional information to either reaffirm or change their votes based on the additional responses to the negatives within two weeks after the ballot closing date. |
| d) | ANAB Accreditation Committee reviews and recommends any proposed changes to policy and procedure documents. |
| e) | recommendation on reducing, suspending, and withdrawing accreditation |
| 12.2 | All other actions (except those in 12.1) may be taken by a simple majority of the voting
members present at a Committee meeting. In the event a quorum is not present at a
Committee meeting, all substantive decisions made at the meeting must be affirmed by a
letter ballot or at a subsequent Committee meeting at which a quorum is present. |
| 12.3 | If a Committee vote is taken on a specific certification body or subject in which an ANAB Accreditation Committee member has either a direct or potential conflict of interest, the member shall declare such a conflict prior to the onset of the meeting where a vote for that Certification Body will be discussed. That member shall abstain or be excluded from voting, and the abstention shall be noted in the minutes and/or voting record. The ANAB Accreditation Committee member shall leave the room or excuse themselves during discussion and not vote. The appropriate action will be determined by the ANAB Accreditation Committee chair and/or the ANAB Vice President. All members of the ANAB Accreditation Committee shall have signed Statements of Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest. The staff secretary shall remind the ANAB Accreditation Committee member of the identified conflict of interest at the onset of each meeting allowing those with a conflict to declare at the onset of the meeting. In addition, each ANAB Accreditation Committee member has the obligation to verbally indicate a conflict of interest with any discussion or action. |
| 13 | Member Participation |
| 13.1 | Absence by a Committee member or that member's alternate at two or more meetings in one calendar year may be construed by the Committee as a lack of interest in serving on the Committee. The Committee may recommend that the appointment of the member or member's alternate to the ANAB Accreditation Committee be terminated. |
| 14 | Parliamentary Procedure |
| 14.1 | On questions of rules for the meeting not covered by these Procedures, Roberts' Rules of Order (latest edition) shall prevail. |
| 15 | Confidentiality |
| 15.1 | The ANAB Accreditation Committee members shall safeguard confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of accreditation decision activities and other activities related to the ACC Responsibilities. |
| 15.2 | Except as required in this document, information about a particular body shall not be disclosed to a third party by any ANAB Accreditation Committee participant without the written consent of the body. Where the law requires information to be disclosed to a third party, the body shall be notified that such information has been provided. |
| 15.3 | All members of the ANAB Accreditation Committee shall have signed Statements of Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest. |