Third party accreditation
Third party accreditation (or certification) is the formal, independent recognition that a prescribed standard of performance has been achieved. A third party organisation reviews a process, product, system, organisation, person etc. and certifies compliance with a required standard of safety, quality or environmental performance etc. This may involve, demonstration of qualifications, systems, testing processes, materials, testing, inspections of facilities and so on.
If the standard is achieved, the third party provides written assurance or certification that it conforms to the specified requirements. Some certification systems will provide graded result, such as; excellent, good, poor and so on.
Such certification, provides a means for potential clients to make informed choices in terms of selecting proven and competent suppliers, as well as ensuring compliance with their own standards or policies.
In the UK, the British Board of Agrément (BBA) is one of the leading bodies offering approval, certification and test services to construction industry products and systems. For more information, see Agrément certificate.
Products and systems that receive BBA and other forms of certification, are recognised by building control, government departments, architects, specifiers and industry insurers that there is a certain level of quality and fitness for purpose.
Other organisations provide certification of a number of aspects of products, design and construction, such as:
- BREEAM.
- CEEQUAL.
- Construction Skills Certification Scheme.
- Department for Communities and Local Government.
- Forest Stewardship Council.
- Gas safe.
- Health and Safety Executive.
- Home Quality Mark.
- International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
- Kitemark.
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
- Passivhaus.
- Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
- Robust details certification scheme.
- Ska rating.
- NHBC.
- WELL.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Accreditation body.
- Agrément certificate.
- British Board of Agrément.
- British standards.
- Building Research Establishment BRE.
- BTTG.
- CE marking.
- Construction products regulations.
- Examining the 2021 construction materials shortage.
- Gas Safe.
- Green Seal.
- How to check certification.
- International Organisation for Standardisation.
- ISO 14024.
- Kitemark.
- Quality assurance.
- Quality management system.
- UKCA mark transition extension for construction products requested.
- Water Regulations Advisory Scheme WRAS.
Featured articles and news
Tackle the decline in Welsh electrical apprenticeships
ECA calls on political parties 100 days to the Senedd elections.
Resident engagement as the key to successful retrofits
Retrofit is about people, not just buildings, from early starts to beyond handover.
What they are, how they work and why they are popular in many countries.
Plastic, recycling and its symbol
Student competition winning, M.C.Esher inspired Möbius strip design symbolising continuity within a finite entity.
Do you take the lead in a circular construction economy?
Help us develop and expand this wiki as a resource for academia and industry alike.
Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce
Risks of undermining UK’s energy transition due to lack of electrotechnical industry representation, says ECA.
Cost Optimal Domestic Electrification CODE
Modelling retrofits only on costs that directly impact the consumer: upfront cost of equipment, energy costs and maintenance costs.
The Warm Homes Plan details released
What's new and what is not, with industry reactions.
Could AI and VR cause an increase the value of heritage?
The Orange book: 2026 Amendment 4 to BS 7671:2018
ECA welcomes IET and BSI content sign off.
How neural technologies could transform the design future
Enhancing legacy parametric engines, offering novel ways to explore solutions and generate geometry.
Key AI related terms to be aware of
With explanations from the UK government and other bodies.
From QS to further education teacher
Applying real world skills with the next generation.
A guide on how children can use LEGO to mirror real engineering processes.
Data infrastructure for next-generation materials science
Research Data Express to automate data processing and create AI-ready datasets for materials research.
Wired for the Future with ECA; powering skills and progress
ECA South Wales Business Day 2025, a day to remember.
AI for the conservation professional
A level of sophistication previously reserved for science fiction.