Accredited certification assisting the public sector

Many of the aspirations of the public sector can be delivered with the use of accredited certification: reducing risk; driving costs down; supporting business growth and offering consumer protection are just a start. As a policy tool, the specification and use of accredited certification starts delivering levels of assurance, supporting policy goals, regulation and legislation.

Certification to management systems standards enhances the confidence stakeholders have in a policy or an organisation’s ability to deliver against key government policy key objectives.

There are four clear way conformity assessment (standards, certification and accreditation) can assist the public sector:

Government can improve its own performance by the use of conformity assessment within its own departments
Government can help improve the performance of business by encouraging the use of conformity assessment
Conformity assessment can help government deliver its policies
Conformity assessment helps regulators regulate.

publicsectorassurance.org carries a wide range of information as to how other conformity assessment tools such as management system certification, accreditation and product certification can deliver the above four things. This website includes:

Case studies demonstrating public sector organisations who have benefited from conformity assessment and examples of government stipulating the use of conformity assessment
Guidance for the public sector in using or stipulating conformity assessment (standards, certification and accreditation)
External academic research on conformity assessments’ successes for government and regulators.