Types of accreditation procedures:
- initial assessment – first assessment after conclusion of the accreditation agreement, which is aimed at verifying the competence and ability of the Body to perform specific conformity assessment activities in accordance with the accreditation criteria;
- repeated assessment – assessment carried out at the end of each accreditation cycle, which is implemented within the framework of one accreditation agreement and is aimed at verifying continuous conformity of the management system of the Body to the accreditation criteria, as well as efficiency of the Body and continuous suitability to the accreditation scope;
- extension of accreditation scope – assessment aimed at verifying the competence and ability of the Body to perform specific conformity assessment activities in accordance with the accreditation criteria within the additionally applied accreditation scope;
- monitoring procedure – a set of activities carried out by LATAK during effective accreditation, the objective of which is to verify that the management system of the Body accredited by LATAK is maintained and retains its compliance with the criteria criteria, incl. the Body is competent to perform specific conformity assessment activities in accordance with the accreditation scope.
- The initial assessment, repeated assessment and scope extension procedures are commenced pursuant to an application of the Body (hereinafter – the Accreditation Application).
- The Body shall indicate in the Accreditation Application the information mentioned in Annex 1 “Accreditation Application” to these Terms and Conditions and shall attach all documents necessary for assessment in accordance with the requirements set in the accreditation scheme of the specific field. At the same time, the Body shall indicate in the Accreditation Application, which information shall be considered commercial secret and cannot be disclosed to third parties.
- If the Accreditation Application does not contain the entire information and documents necessary for assessment, LATAK shall request the Body to submit the missing information and documents within a specific term.
- If the Body fails to submit the information requested by LATAK within the specified term, LATAK shall not commence the assessment procedure of the Body, notifying the Body in writing.
- If the Body submits the Accreditation Application in a field, in which LATAK has not accredited any Body, LATAK shall inform the Body in writing about the necessity to acquire a new accreditation field, indicating a term, in which the accreditation process of the Body can be commenced.
- If the Accreditation Application and attached documents are submitted to LATAK in printed format, the Body shall ensure their submission also in an electronic data carrier.
- The accreditation field indicated in the Accreditation Application, which is subject to the mandatory assessment of conformity of products, processes or services specified in regulatory enactments, shall conform to the terminology used in the respective regulatory enactment and have a reference to the respective regulatory enactment.
- The Body is entitled to technically specify the accreditation field until the assessment visit, except the cases, when it is necessary to make changes in substance, for example, include a new field, when the Body shall submit a new Accreditation Application.
- If the Body wants to narrow, suspend or cancel the accreditation scope, it shall submit an application, indicating precisely the substance of changes.
- If the preliminary accreditation application is accompanied by all documents necessary for assessment and commencement of assessment is possible, LATAK and the Body shall conclude an agreement on the accreditation process of the Body (hereinafter – the Accreditation Agreement).
LATAK reviews the received complaints on the activities of LATAK as well as appeals regarding decisions taken by the LATAK. Procedure for the review of complaints and appeals are described in the LATAK_D.008. Regulation of the Appeal Review Committee is provided in the Annex.
LATAK reviews also complaints regarding the operation of LATAK accredited conformity assessment bodies (CAB). In accordance with the significance of the complaint, LATAK performs prompt activities in order to inspect the provided information and take the respective decisions regarding the accreditation status of the accredited CAB or verify the information within the framework of the planned regular surveillance procedure. Procedure for the review of complaints is described in the LATAK_D.008 document.
All complaints and appeals in appropriate format shall be submitted to the LATAK office: Brīvības Street 55, Riga, LV-1010 or e-mail: pasts@latak.gov.lv
EC regulation 765/2008 article 7 describes the basic principles regarding cross-border accreditation. The policy is that the conformity assessment bodies (CAB) apply for the accreditation in the country were they are registered and performing the commercial activities. LATAK, applying this principle, do not offer the services in the EC member states, if there exists recognized accreditation system. The same policy is applied regarding to other countries outside European Economic area. LATAK cross border policy is in compliance to principles defined in EA-2/13 document.
In the case, if LATAK performs the accreditation in other countries, LATAK provides the information on the activities to the national accreditation institution of that country and also the possibility for the representatives of the accreditation institution to participate in the accreditation assessments.
If the accredited conformity assessment body provides the services in other countries, LATAK can ask the particular national accreditation institution to supervise (witness) the activities of the CAB on behalf of LATAK.
Remote assessment is an accreditation process conducted using technology when onsite evaluation isn't feasible. Typically, platforms like Skype, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or others are utilized. LATAK's primary assessors commonly employ the Microsoft Teams platform, pre-inviting the conformity assessment body and providing meeting details via email, including the date, time, invited attendees, and a clickable link for remote assessment connection.
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