What is accreditation

1. General Introduction
   The accreditation scheme for certification bodies (VICAS) is one of the accreditation scheme operated by the National Accreditation Bureau (BoA):
   

• Developed and implemented in compliance with ISO/IEC 17011;
  
• A member of regional and international accreditation organizations such as:
  
  • The International Accreditation Forum (IAF);
    
  • The Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC);
    
• A signatory of the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (IAF MLA) for the accreditation of certification bodies in the following areas:
  
  • Quality Management Systems (QMS);
    
  • Environmental Management Systems (EMS);
    
  • Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS);
    
  • Medical Devices Management Systems (MDMS);
    
  • Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS);
    
  • Information Security Management Systems (ISMS);
    
  • Product Certification (PRODUCT);
    
  • GLOBAL G.A.P. Certification.
    

2. Accreditation Subjects
   Entities eligible for accreditation include certification bodies and validation/verification bodies.
   
3. Accreditation Standards
   The applicable accreditation standards include following international standards:
   

• For management system certification: ISO/IEC 17021-1 and applicable standards for each specific certification scheme;
  
• For product certification: ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and applicable standards for each specific product certification scheme;
  
• For personnel certification: ISO 17024 and applicable standards for each specific personnel certification scheme;
  
• For validation/verification bodies: ISO 17029 and applicable standards for each specific validation/verification scheme.
  

4. Scope of Accreditation
   VICAS provides accreditation services for domestic and international certification bodies in the following fields:
   

• Quality Management Systems (QMS);
  
• Environmental Management Systems (EMS);
  
• Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS);
  
• Medical Devices Management Systems (MDMS);
  
• Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS);
  
• Energy Management Systems (EnMS);
  
• Information Security Management Systems (ISMS);
  
• Product Certification (PRODUCT);
  
• GLOBAL G.A.P. Certification;
  
• VietGAP Certification;
  
• Sustainable Forest Management Certification (VFCS);
  
• BRC Certification;
  
• BAP Certification;
  
• Organic Agriculture Certification;
  
• Greenhouse Gas Validation/Verification (GHG);
  
• Personnel Certification (PERSON);
  
• Other certification schemes as requested.
  

5. Benefits of Accreditation

For certification bodies:

• Enhance their competence through the establishment, maintenance, and continual improvement of certification systems aligned with international standards;
  
• Increase credibility of their activities as these are independently evaluated and verified by an accreditation body;
  
• Provide added value to clients, as certification issued in one place are recognized in many others.
  

For Regulatory Authorities:

• Accreditation provides a reliable basis for regulators in evaluating the competence of certification bodies, supporting regulators in designation and supervision activities.
  

For Society:

• Enterprises can reduce testing-related costs, as certification results are widely accepted;
  
• Enterprises can easily export goods to global markets due to the internationally recognized certification results;
  
• Accreditation enhances buyers' trust in the quality of certified products, goods, and services.