ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the place of third-party assessment in the context of quality management systems and provides some examples of the methods used by the various certification bodies. Third-party assessment bodies can be used to assess against any required standard. Certification bodies are normally paid by the company that they assess and they have no other association, including consulting services, with the assessed body. Third-party assessment has been a common feature of commerce in the United Kingdom for many centuries. When an assessment has been successfully conducted, the certification body will issue a certificate of compliance to the specific standard, attached to which is a definition of the scope of activities that have been assessed. The tendency appears to be toward a worldwide recognition of the value of complying with the International Standards Organization quality system standards and continued progress toward third-party registration as being a reliable demonstration of compliance.
