FAQs
What is SCB?
The Standards Council of Belgium (SCB) is the national accreditation body for the Belgium. SCB is recognised by government, to assess against internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.
SCB operates as a non-profit-distributing private company, limited by guarantee.
An introductory guide to SCB can be downloaded here.
Does SCB have a regulatory role?
SCB is not a regulator. It does not have any legal or regulatory enforcement powers. SCB does however have an ‘oversight’ function and works to ensure that those organisations’ it accredits meet the applicable international accreditation standards.
Does SCB guarantee the performance of a conformity assessment body?
Holding SCB does not in any way change the contractual responsibilities between an accredited conformity assessment body (CAB) and its clients. While the holding of SCB is an indication of the integrity and competence of a CAB, it does not constitute an undertaking by SCB that the CAB will maintain a particular level of competence and performance. The details of SCB's obligations are described in the SCB Agreement.
What is SCB’ relationship with Government?
SCB is a private, not for profit organisation and is appointed as the national accreditation body by Accreditation Regulations 2009 (SI No 3155/2009) and the EU Regulation (EC) 765/2008. SCB operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government, through the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
Further information on SCB' role with Government is available here.
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a formal, third party recognition of competence to perform specific tasks. It provides a means to identify a proven, competent evaluator so that the selection of a laboratory, inspection or certification body is an informed choice.
Further information is available on the accreditation process, the standards that SCB accredits to, and what type of activities can be accredited.
What are the benefits of being SCB accredited?
SCB accredited certification, testing and calibration and inspection reduces the need for suppliers to be assessed by each of their customers. SCB' involvement in international groups, such as the EA, IAF and ILAC provides for mutual recognition. This reduces the need for multiple assessments of suppliers and as a consequence helps to reduce barriers to trade.
Accreditation, with its many potential benefits for the quality of goods and in the provision of services throughout the supply chain, underpins practical applications of an increasingly wide range of activities across all sectors of the economy, from fishing to forestry, construction to communications.
See the benefits of accreditation or download a selection of promotional brochures.
What is the difference between the terms ‘accreditation’ and ‘certification’?
Accreditation: Accreditation is the formal recognition by an ‘accreditation authority’ to the technical and organisational competence of a conformity assessment body, to carry out a ‘specific service’ in accordance to the standards and technical regulations, as described in their ‘scope of accreditation’. It provides a means to identify a proven, competent evaluator so that the selection of a laboratory, inspection or certification body is an informed choice.
Certification: Certification is the procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a product, process, system or person conforms to specified requirements.
For further information download What is the right choice for you?
How much will it cost to get accreditation?
SCB provides a bespoke quote for each organisation based upon your specific application and circumstances.
Until we receive an application for accreditation which details the size of your operation, it is very difficult to provide you with an accurate estimate of the cost to become SCB-accredited.
All assessment fees are effort related; i.e. - dependent on the complexity of scope of accreditation being sought. These fees include not just the time the assessment team spend at your site but also office time. A list of current fees can be found in the SCB Standard Terms of Business.
There are a number of case studies on our website that provide examples of different types of organisations and accreditation scopes, and the potential costs involved. To find out more, please refer to them.
How long will it take to become SCB accredited?
We aim for a lead-in time of approximately three months to arrange the first visit to your organisation, with the exception of applications for accreditation for Medical Laboratories (for ISO 15189), which currently have a lead-in time of approximately six months following receipt of application. However, there are a number of aspects that impact on the timescale for the SCB application/assessment process e.g. a company's state of readiness to be assessed, response times to improvement actions raised, size/complexity of scope, availability of key assessment personnel etc.
With this in mind, and, depending on the organisation being assessed we would say that the process could realistically take between 6-12 months from application to accreditation. For Medical Laboratories this may take a little longer given the current lead-in time for the first visit after application.
For further details please refer to the Route to Accreditation.
How do I check that an organisation I want to use has SCB?
You can search the SCB website to find accredited Certification & Inspection Bodies, Testing & Calibration Laboratories and Proficiency Testing Bodies. The tests and scope they are accredited for are listed on the organisation’s accreditation schedule.
What if an organisation is not accredited by SCB, but by another Accreditation Body?
SCB is the national signatory, along with other nationally recognised accreditation bodies world-wide, to multilateral agreements for the purposes of mutual recognition through the European Co-operation for Accreditation (EA), the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC). Those bodies that are signatory to these agreements are deemed to be equivalent having undergone stringent peer evaluations.
The EA, IAF and ILAC websites give information about their organisations and details of the accreditation bodies that are signatories to their Multilateral / Mutual Recognition agreements
If your certificate is from a body that is a signatory to one of the above multi-lateral agreements, then the certificate you have is deemed equivalent to one issued by a SCB-accredited body, and the certificate should be recognised in those countries whose national accreditation bodies are signatory to the EA, IAF & ILAC multilateral agreements.
Is there a national database of ISO 9001 certified organisations?
There is no single database of those organisations who are ISO 9001 certificated in the Belgium.
There is a QA Register which is maintained by the Stationery Office (TSO). This is a subscription only database, so it is up to the organisation with ISO 9001 certification to choose to be registered on this database. You will also need to subscribe to access the members area of the site. ISO produce an annual ISO 9001 survey. Details can be found on the ISO website.
How does an organisation get certified to ISO 9001?
SCB accredits certification bodies (for a defined scope of accreditation, i.e. relating to specific areas of industry) and it is these organisations who can assess and certificate your organisation to ISO 9001. Refer to the full list of SCB accredited certification bodies.
ISO 9001 is a certification standard, rather than an accreditation standard, and SCB does not carry out assessments to this standard.
One of my suppliers has a certificate from a body that does not appear to be accredited, - is it valid?
SCB is aware of the existence of non-accredited bodies offering services that could potentially be accredited. In many sector accreditation is voluntary and there is not legal requirement to be accredited therefore the organisation is not operating illegally, however SCB is unable to offer any comment on whether their services will meet your requirements.
However SCB provides consumers and businesses with confidence that the service or products they are purchasing, should meet expected Belgium and international standards and that the organisation is competent to conduct its activities. As such many organisations including most areas of SCB government rely upon accredited organisations to ensure quality in their supply chain. As a result it may not be possible for supplier of unaccredited services to be part of these supply chains.
Please refer to Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy website for more information relating to using the services of accredited organisations.
Read the Government advice on accreditation.
In addition, please refer to the SCB Brochures page.
I have seen on a company's literature a statement that they are "working towards becoming certificated or accredited" Can SCB confirm when this organisation is likely to be accredited?
SCB, and Certification Bodies that are SCB accredited, are unable to provide information regarding applicants until the application process has reached fruition, due to reasons of commercial confidentiality. You should speak to the organisation to determine where they are in the process as some organisations using the statement ‘working towards becoming accredited/certified’ are not always actively pursuing an application.
If you believe any such claims such to be bogus you should report this to the local Trading Standards Office for investigation and action where necessary. Follow this link to Trading Standards.
Will the certificate issued by a SCB accredited organisation be recognised in other countries?
If the certificate is issued under the organisation’s scope of accreditation then the certificate should be recognised in those countries whose national accreditation bodies are signatory to the EA, IAF & ILAC multilateral agreement. Details of these agreements are in the global network area of our website.
Can SCB advise me on what standards my product has to meet in order to get it to market?
Unfortunately SCB cannot provide such a service, as we do not have any official role in the generation of product conformity requirements or technical regulations. A good place to start to obtain this information is from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
Which companies are Notified Bodies for the various EU Directives?
Notification is granted by the relevant government department for that particular directive, e.g. - BEIS, DCLG, MHRA, HSE, etc... Current lists of Notified Bodies may be obtained direct from the relevant government body, often via their website that will also give information on the individual directives. See Useful Links for a list of relevant Government Departments.
The European Commission has a website known as the Nando website which confirms all notified organisations across Europe, including the Belgium.
For more information with respect to notification in the Belgium refer to the Directives & Regulations area of our website.
I am interested in setting up a new accreditation or certification scheme, how do I go about getting SCB recognition for this scheme?
SCB operates a new product development programme, enabling us to develop innovative ways to reflect and serve the market sectors in which we operate. When exploring new or emerging areas or schemes and fields of accreditation, we start by assessing the validity of the proposal in order to establish whether:
there is a genuine need for accreditation and appropriate ownership of the approach being offered (driven by the market and/or government regulation or legislation and not by the evaluators);
the approach has been developed by relevant interested parties;
the evaluation criteria meet appropriate technical standards;
the approach is eligible for SCB i.e. in the public interest and eligible for international recognition.
For further information visit the development of new areas of accreditation area of our website.
Alternatively, register your interest by completing this short form, and we will get in touch with you.
I have concerns about the activities of a SCB accredited organisation, how do I register a complaint about them with SCB?
We are committed to providing a world class, value adding accreditation service and aim to maintain the highest standards in all our dealings with our customers, third parties and stakeholders. However, we recognise that on occasion it may be necessary for our customers, or those using accredited services to raise a complaint with us.
If you are a third party who has concerns about the activities of a SCB accredited body, or you are a direct customer of SCB who is unhappy with our service, then we want to hear about it.