Accreditation means the formal recognition of the technical and organizational competence of an authority to execute a specific service as described in the scope of accreditation. Competence is the key to transparency, confidence and comparability.

Competence
Personnel	Technical infrastructure	Organisational structure
Technical know-how	Decisive criteria	Independence
Practical experience in the relevant technical field /td>	Premises and equipment	Impartiality
Continuous education	Procedures	Quality Management

Accreditation is a confidence-building measure, which allows authorities, economy and society to judge, if testing, inspection or certification bodies (conformity assessment bodies) fulfill specific tasks with the demanded high reliability.