Verification of Testing-Body Qualifications
GSQA-EVD-001 · 2.0 · 2026-10-19
1. Four dimensions of institutional qualification
Check the legal institutional name, actual test site, method and parameter scope, and qualification at the time of testing. Target-market requirements for specific acceptance, designation or listing are checked separately and are not interchangeable with general competence accreditation.
2. Retaining official sources
Retain official-record links, institutional numbers, scope-attachment versions and enquiry dates. State current status separately from qualification at the time of testing. Investigate the effect of suspension, withdrawal or scope discrepancies.
3. Reports, accreditation and certification
Laboratories issue reports, accreditation bodies assess competence, and product certification bodies certify under specific programmes. A certificate held by a group or accreditation at another site does not establish the qualification of the site responsible for this report.
4. Determine the qualification required for the product
Some requirements call for specific regulatory acceptance, designation or listing. Others are checked against laboratory accreditation scope and competence. No single accreditation mark establishes eligibility in every market.
5. Verify the issuing entity and site
Record the legal name, institutional number, report-issuing address, testing date and qualification period. Group reputation or another branch’s accreditation does not automatically cover the report.
6. Match methods to recognised scope
Check whether the official scope attachment covers the actual method, product or technical parameter and its restrictions. Where regulatory qualifications are required, verify them in the relevant official system.
7. Equal treatment under equivalent conditions
Bodies meeting the same parameter- and market-specific qualifications are not treated differently because of size or commercial relationships. Gold Standard Quality Awards does not designate or recommend partner laboratories or receive referral commissions.
8. 01 Establish institutional identity
Read the complete legal name, site, institutional number and issuing details from the report. A brand, trade mark or group-headquarters name cannot replace the actual issuing entity.
9. 02 Check the relevant official directory
Locate the regulatory or accreditation directory for the target market and specific product. Check record status, qualification period and actual site, rather than relying on report logos.
10. 03 Examine the scope attachment
Methods, technical parameters, product coverage and restrictions must cover the tests in question. Check qualification at the time of testing separately from current status, retaining the date and source.
11. 04 Resolve discrepancies and questions
Differences in names, sites, methods or editions must be explained and independently confirmed. Applicant statements cannot replace qualifications or reports that cannot be verified. Confirm with the issuing body where necessary.
12. Records, administration and correction
For matters covered by this document, records must retain the application or case number, specific product and market, version used, documents and page references, responsible personnel, material dates, reasons and formal notices. Personal information and trade secrets are handled according to access permissions. Questions about a record may be raised through correction, complaint or reconsideration channels available to an entitled applicant. Submission alone does not alter an existing decision or licence. The outcome is determined by the formal notice and current record.
13. Effective date, application and version control
Version 2.0 of this document is published and takes effect on 19 October 2026. It applies to relevant matters formally submitted after that date. Existing applications retain their original snapshot and rules. Material changes are notified separately and handled under transitional arrangements; new conditions are not retrospectively inserted into historical decisions. Website and downloadable texts must agree. Superseded versions identify their replacement, and name or wording corrections are recorded separately from substantive amendments.