ACC Certification Process

Certification Process Training: ACC will provide a free informational training session to familiarize your management personnel with ACC's certification process. This can be accomplished by our local Sales Representative or via teleconference.

Pre-Assessment: ACC can perform a brief or detailed evaluation of the implementation of the documented quality system at your facility. This is optional - not required but usually beneficial to determine readiness for certification.

Documentation Review: ACC will review your quality manual and procedures to evaluate your company's documented compliance to the appropriate requirements for your quality system. This is performed during the Stage 1 portion of our Certification Process.

Certification Assessment: ACC's qualified assessor, or team of assessors evaluate the compliance of your quality system to the appropriate requirements of the applicable standard(s), as well as the system's effectiveness. This is conducted in two stages:

Stage 1:
a) Audits the system documentation.
b) Review the understanding of the requirements of the standard with the client.
c) Establish the scope, processes, statutory and regulatory aspects and compliance.
d) Review the allocation of resources for stage 2 audit and agree agree with the client on the details of the stage 2 audit.
e) Provide a focus for planning the stage 2 audit by gaining a sufficient understanding of the client's management system and site operations in the context of possible significant aspects.
f) Evaluate if the internal audits and management review are beeing planned and performed.
g) Evaluate that the level of implementation of the management system substantiates that the client is ready for the stage 2 audit.

Stage 2:
Audits:
a) Information and evidence about conformity to all requirements of the applicable management system standard.
b) Monitoring, measuring, reporting and reviewing of performance against key objectives and targets (consistent with the expectations in the applicable management standard).
c) Performance of the client's management system as regards legal requirements.
d) Operational control of the client's processes.
e) Performance of internal auditing and management review.
f) Management responsibility for the client's policies.
g) Links between normative requirements, policy, performance objectives and targets (consistent with the expectations in the applicable management system standard), any applicable legal requirements, responsibilities, competence of personnel, operations, procedures, performance data and internal audit findings and conclusions.

C/PA Follow-Up Assessment: ACC performs corrective/preventative action follow-up assessments to verify the effectiveness of the corrective/preventive action(s), if necessary.

Annual Surveillance: ACC performs an annual, as a minimum, review of the continuation and development of your quality system. The first annual surveillance must be conducted no later than twelve months from the last day of the certification audit.

Continuous Monitoring: ACC performs semi-annual reviews (2 per year) that assures assessment of the quality system every 3 years.  Even with this option, the 3^rd year Re-Certification is required.

3^rd Year Re-Certification: ACC performs a complete re-evaluation of your quality system on the 3^rd year after the original certification, and must be performed at least four to eight weeks prior to th expiration date of the certificate.