| 1. What information is available to our company once we are an ACLASS customer? |
| ACLASS has a completely open system. All customers have access to any documentation that is not restricted based on privacy, accreditation mandate or other legal issues. This includes checklists used in the accreditation process. |
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| 2. Is ACLASS Internationally Recognized? |
| Yes. ACLASS is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) MRA, the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) MRA, and the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) MLA. |
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| 3. If ACLASS is selected, will you provide us with a status letter for communication with our customers? |
| Yes, the letter states that the accreditation process is in progress so your customers can see that you are in the process of getting accredited. |
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| 4. How much advance notice will be provided for schedules? |
| Assessment schedules for current customers are maintained approximately 120 days in advance. Customers typically receive assessment schedules 30 to 60 days in advance. |
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| 5. How long will it take to receive notification of Accreditation results after the assessment? |
| At the end of the Accreditation Assessment our customers receive a copy of the assessors checklist and any non-conformities. The assessor will let the organization know prior to leaving the facility if they are being recommended for accreditation. The accreditation manager then processes the assessment reports within five business days of receipt and begins the accreditation decision review process. The decision review process takes several days. A certificate and scope of accreditation is issued if approved for accreditation. |
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| 6. How do we establish the scope of accreditation? |
| The "Scope" is a detailed description of the specific tests and/or calibrations for which your laboratory is accredited. The format must be written in accordance with NIST 811, Guidelines for the Expression of SI Units, to ensure consistent uniformity for all scopes of accreditation. Please also refer to the ACLASS Guidance Document on Scopes of Accreditation. |
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| 8. Are all of ACLASS’ fees disclosed in the quote? |
| The only charges not disclosed in our quotes are for actual travel costs and reimbursement for assessor travel time. If travel is required, we work very hard to keep expenses to a minimum. ACLASS monitors our assessor's travel arrangements to ensure the overall travels costs to the customers are as low as possible. Please keep in mind that assessment time (days on site) may vary depending on the complexity of the proposed scope of accreditation. |
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| 9. As our partnership matures, will there by any additional fees for our services? |
| Absolutely not, in fact we recommend that as you compare accreditation bodies, you ask for pricing extended through a minimum of four years. This way you will pull out all of the "hidden fees". At ACLASS, we do not have any hidden fees. |
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| 10. Why should we use your services? |
| Becuase ACLASS is internationally recognized, committed to customer service, technically competent, provides quality and value, and offers fair pricing. Not only do we recruit new assessors based upon their technical competence we also look for exceptional personality and communication skills. This provides a pleasant and more beneficial experience for our customers. |
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| 11. What are the benefits of Accreditation? |
| Accreditation results in organizations capable of producing data that is accurate, traceable, reproducible and cost effective; critical components in not only governmental decision making but industry as well. Accreditation provides formal recognition to competent organizations, providing a conduit for regulators and industry to find reliable products and/or services able to meet their specific needs. Accreditation is a means to help reduce costs, reduce redundancy, eliminate trade barriers and most importantly, accreditation is a means to give credibility to industry and government decision-makers that accredited organizations are competent and that their results can be relied upon. |
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| 12. How do we start the accreditation process? |
| The best way to beging the accreditation process is the call ACLASS directly at 877.344.3044. This will allow for a mutually beneficial dialogue and the best vehicle for information gathering. In a short amount of time we can recommend specific guidance documents, provide pricing information, explain the estimated timeline of accredition for your company's situation, and answer any questions you may have. From here we will send out a quotation, application for accreditation, and all necessary documentation. The sooner we receive a completed applicaiton with associated documentation the sooner we can put a customer on the assessment schedule. You may also dowload an application from our web site. |
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