Bond prepares ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in Iraq and Kurdistan.
The competence standard for testing and calibration laboratories. A laboratory is accredited against it for a named scope of methods at a named address, and it is not a company certification.
ISO/IEC 17025 Testing and calibration laboratories · Laboratories
What ISO/IEC 17025 is
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 sets what a laboratory has to do to show that its test and calibration results are valid. It covers impartiality and confidentiality, the competence and authorisation of each analyst, equipment with calibration traceable to the SI, method validation, measurement uncertainty, sampling, quality control and the way results are reported. A laboratory is not certified against this standard. An accreditation body assesses the laboratory and grants accreditation for a named scope of methods at a named address.
What the standard requires
- Clauses 1 to 3 cover scope, normative references and terms. Clauses 4 to 8 are the requirements an assessor checks, and this standard does not use the Annex SL structure that ISO 9001 uses.
- Clause 4, general requirements. Risks to impartiality are identified and controlled on paper, including commercial pressure from an owner who also sells the material being tested, and every client result is treated as confidential.
- Clause 5, structural requirements. The legal entity, the management structure, the range of activities and the people authorised to sign each type of report are written down and kept current.
- Clause 6, resource requirements. A competence and authorisation record for each person against each method, equipment with calibration traceable to the SI, and control of externally provided products and services.
- Clause 6.4, equipment. Calibration certificates from an accredited source, intermediate checks between calibrations, and a record for every item covering purchase, service, damage and disposal.
- Clause 7.2, methods. Standard methods verified in your own hands before first use, non standard and in-house methods validated, and the validation report kept on file.
- Clause 7.6, measurement uncertainty. An uncertainty budget for every method in the scope, and the uncertainty stated on the report when the client asks or when a decision rule is applied.
- Clause 7.7, validity of results. Daily internal quality control with control charts, and participation in proficiency testing or an interlaboratory comparison for each major field in the scope.
- Clause 7.8, reporting. Reports carry the method, the result, the uncertainty where it is required, and the decision rule whenever a statement of conformity such as pass or fail is given.
- Clause 8, management system. Option A builds documents, records, audits and management review inside this standard. Option B applies when the laboratory already runs an ISO 9001 certified system and adds the technical clauses to it.
Who needs ISO/IEC 17025 in Iraq and Kurdistan
The buyers that ask for ISO/IEC 17025
| Buyer or list | What they ask for |
|---|---|
| Kurdistan and Basra operators | DNO, Genel Energy, Gulf Keystone, HKN, Basrah Gas Company and Rumaila accept third party test and calibration reports when the method appears on the laboratory's accredited scope. |
| EPC contractors and supervision consultants | Concrete, soil and welding results on projects in Kurdistan and Basra are checked line by line against the scope published on the accreditation body's register. |
| Ministry of Natural Resources Approved Vendor List | mnronline.com/avl. Laboratory and inspection service categories are evaluated on finances, quality system and HSE. A government fee applies by category, renewed each year. We confirm the current fee before you apply. |
| KRG Approved Suppliers Center | asc.gov.krd. Annual registration. Laboratory services need evidence from a recognised conformity body to clear the quality criteria. |
| Accreditation bodies | UKAS in the United Kingdom, DAkkS in Germany, ENAS in the United Arab Emirates and TURKAK in Turkey grant the accreditation and publish the scope on a public register the buyer can read. |
| Companies certified to ISO 9001 | Clause 7.1.5 of ISO 9001:2015 requires measurement traceability, so a certified company buys its calibration from an accredited laboratory and keeps the certificates on file. |
| Government regulators | The Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control and the environment directorates give weight to results from a laboratory with an accredited scope. |
| Foreign buyers of Iraqi produce and materials | An importer in the Gulf or Europe wants the test report to come from a laboratory accredited by a signatory of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement. |
Two tracks, you choose one
Accreditation, short scope
5 daysA laboratory that needs accreditation for a short named scope of methods so it can be listed by an operator or answer a laboratory clause in a tender. We prepare the compliance system in five working days. The accreditation body then grants the accreditation, and its calendar sits outside the five days.
Steps- We read the tender or the buyer requirement on day one and fix the scope: which methods, which matrices, which ranges and which address the accreditation will cover.
- We choose the accreditation body with you on day one from the ILAC signatories that assess in Iraq, and we collect the application forms and the fee schedule.
- We write the management system under Option A or Option B on day two and day three, plus a work instruction for each method in the scope.
- We build the uncertainty budget, the equipment calibration plan and the internal quality control for each method on day three and day four.
- We enrol the laboratory in proficiency testing on day four, because the schemes run on their own fixed calendars and the results have to be on file before the assessment.
- We run the internal audit and the management review on day five, then close the findings.
- We file the application at the end of the five days, and the accreditation body sets the document review and the on site assessment dates. We prepare the laboratory, attend both, and answer the assessors' findings.
- The laboratory system, complete in five working days
- Scope statement listing every method, matrix, range and address
- Quality manual and procedures under Option A or Option B
- Work instruction and measurement uncertainty budget for each method in the scope
- Equipment register with calibration certificates traceable to the SI
- Proficiency testing enrolment and result records
- Internal audit report and management review minutes
- The accreditation body's assessment report with every finding closed
Accreditation, full scope
6 to 14 weeksA laboratory going for a wide scope, or one whose reports have been challenged by an operator or a supervision consultant, and that wants method validation and daily quality control running properly before the assessors arrive.
Steps- We analyse what the laboratory tests, what its clients require and what the accreditation body publishes for that technical field, then send a proposal.
- We set the full scope with the technical staff and write a validation plan for every non standard method.
- We write the management system and the technical documentation in the language the laboratory works in.
- We validate the methods, build the uncertainty budgets, and set up control charts so quality control runs with every batch.
- We enrol the laboratory in proficiency testing for each technical field and work through the returned scores with the analysts.
- We train the analysts and the authorised signatories, then run the internal audit and the management review.
- We prepare the laboratory, attend the document review and the on site assessment, answer the findings, and set the surveillance calendar.
- Full scope written method by method with ranges and matrices
- Method validation and verification files
- Measurement uncertainty budgets and control charts in daily use
- Equipment register, calibration plan and intermediate check records
- Proficiency testing results with the analysts' review of every score
- Competence and authorisation records for each analyst and each signatory
- Internal audit programme, reports and management review minutes
- Assessment report, closed findings and a surveillance calendar we run with you
The accreditation body grants the accreditation.
The implementation track, week by week
| Phase | Weeks | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and accreditation body | Weeks 1 to 2 | We fix the methods, matrices, ranges and address the accreditation will cover, and we choose the ILAC signatory with you. Nothing is written before this is fixed. |
| Validation plan | Weeks 2 to 3 | We go through each method with the technical staff, separate the standard methods that need verification from the ones that need full validation, and write the plan. |
| Documentation | Weeks 3 to 7 | Quality manual, procedures and a work instruction for each method, written in Arabic, Kurdish or English with the technical text in English. |
| Validation and uncertainty | Weeks 4 to 9 | The analysts run the validation work on the bench. We turn the data into validation reports and an uncertainty budget for each method. |
| Proficiency testing and quality control | Weeks 5 to 11 | The laboratory takes part in a proficiency testing round for each technical field, and control charts start running with every batch. The scheme's own calendar sets this timing, so enrolment happens in week 2. |
| Training and internal audit | Weeks 10 to 12 | We authorise the analysts and the signatories against each method, run the internal audit against every clause, and hold the management review. |
| Application and document review | Weeks 11 to 13 | The application goes to the accreditation body with the scope and the system. The body reviews the documents and sends its comments before it travels. |
| On site assessment | Weeks 13 to 14 | A lead assessor and a technical assessor for each field come to the laboratory, watch the analysts work, and check the records. We prepare the laboratory, attend, and answer the findings. |
What we do, what you do
We do
- Fix the scope with you method by method, and confirm which accreditation body the buyer accepts, before any work starts.
- Write the whole management system under Option A or Option B in the language the laboratory works in.
- Write a work instruction for each method and build the measurement uncertainty budget behind it.
- Plan and supervise the method validation and verification work the analysts run on the bench.
- Enrol the laboratory in proficiency testing for each technical field and review every returned score with the analysts.
- Train the analysts and the authorised signatories, then run the first internal audit and chair the management review.
- Apply to the accreditation body, collect its fee schedule, and agree the document review and assessment dates.
- Prepare the laboratory, attend the document review and the on site assessment, and write the corrective actions for every finding.
- Keep the surveillance and reassessment dates in a calendar, and prepare each scope extension before new work is quoted.
You do
- Name a technical manager and a quality manager who can each give about six hours a week.
- Give us the method list, the equipment list with its calibration certificates, the client reports issued in the last year and any procedures the laboratory already keeps.
- Release the analysts for the validation work on the bench, which runs to several days per method depending on the technique.
- Pay for the proficiency testing rounds and the calibration of the equipment that has drifted out of date.
- Release each analyst for a half day of training and each signatory for a half day of authorisation against the methods they sign.
- Have the technical manager present for the whole on site assessment, because the technical assessor works next to the analysts at the bench.
- Pay the accreditation body directly, or through us at cost with the receipts.
- Run the daily quality control during the live period so the assessor sees real control charts.
What moves the price
- Number of methods and technical fields in the scope, which is the main driver of assessor days and of how many technical assessors travel.
- Number of addresses, and whether the assessors have to travel to Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Baghdad or Basra, plus their international travel to reach Iraq.
- How many methods are standard methods needing verification and how many are in-house methods needing full validation.
- Headcount of analysts and signatories, because each one needs a competence and authorisation record per method.
- The proficiency testing schemes available for the field, their fees and how often each round runs.
- Condition of the equipment, and how much recalibration or replacement the equipment review finds.
- Whether the laboratory runs Option A or already holds ISO 9001 and can run Option B.
- Languages the management system and the work instructions are written in.
- Number of findings at the on site assessment and how much evidence the accreditation body asks for to close them.
The proposal names the scope, the deliverables and the dates before work starts.
ISO/IEC 17025 questions we are asked
We prepare the compliance system in five working days on the certificate track. The implementation track runs six to fourteen weeks. The accreditation body then works to its own calendar, and a proficiency testing round can take 8 to 12 weeks to return a score. Assessors travelling to Erbil or Basra need lead time.
The proposal names the scope, the deliverables and the dates before work starts.
Yes. We work anywhere in Iraq, in Basra, Baghdad, Kirkuk, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok, and in the Gulf. The office is in Erbil and the team travels to the site.
IQAS in Iraq is not a member of the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement, and for laboratories the arrangement that matters is the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement. Laboratories in Iraq and Kurdistan that need their reports accepted by operators, EPC contractors or foreign importers normally take accreditation from an ILAC signatory such as UKAS, DAkkS, ENAS in the United Arab Emirates or TURKAK in Turkey. We confirm which body the buyer accepts before any application is filed.
Operators come first. DNO, Genel Energy, Gulf Keystone, HKN, Basrah Gas Company and Rumaila accept test and calibration reports when the method is on the accredited scope. EPC contractors and supervision consultants check concrete and welding results the same way. The MNR Approved Vendor List at mnronline.com/avl carries laboratory categories with an annual government fee, and the KRG Approved Suppliers Center at asc.gov.krd renews annually. Accreditation covers a named scope of methods, matrices and ranges at a named address, so an operator such as DNO or Basrah Gas Company reads the scope document line by line and not only the front page.
It stays in force while the laboratory keeps meeting the requirements. The accreditation body runs a surveillance assessment every twelve to eighteen months and a full reassessment at the end of a four to five year cycle. Adding a method or a second address needs an extension assessment before that work is covered. We keep those dates in a calendar, and a lapsed scope will fail a check at the KRG Approved Suppliers Center or an operator's supplier file.
Usually no. A clinical or medical laboratory accredits to ISO 15189, which covers patient samples, clinical reporting and the pre-examination steps that ISO/IEC 17025 does not address. An inspection body accredits to ISO/IEC 17020 instead. A hospital in Erbil that also runs water or environmental testing can hold 2 accreditations, one per activity. We say which standard applies before any work starts.
Business inquiry
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