Accreditation represents the top of the pyramid of conformity assessment aiming at establishing confidence of its outputs including (test results, conformity certificates, quality marks, quality management systems certificate... etc). Hence, consumers tend to feel assured towards such a system that comprises manufacturers or service providers, conformity assessment bodies like testing and calibration labs, inspection bodies, certification bodies and finally, the accreditation process that acts as umbrella that assure the credibility of such services and the efficiency of the concerned bodies in pursuit of confident products and services.
The accreditation significance is not restricted to the above mentioned. However, it extends to be a ratified world trade means of mutual recognition among countries and economies. It is utilized to ascertain the efficiency of the procedures of products and services conformity assessment that occur during the stages of designing, manufacturing, production, testing and inspection. Hence, the worldwide slogan adopted by WTO &UNIDO along with other organizations is affected. “One Standard and one Conformity Assessment Procedure then sell and distribute every where”. In other words, Test once and sell every where”. This could be achieved through mutual recognition agreements of accreditation services and through International Accreditation Organizations.
GCC member states in its movement towards economic integration and enhancing the steps of building the custom union., the technical barriers for trade were affecting such integration due to the great differences between the member states themselves and between them and the rest of the world in the means and methods of conformity assessment. Additionally, there is no single conformity assessment scheme that conjoins GCC member states with the outer world. Moreover, GCC member states are all members in WTO, hence they abide by new commitments like the agreements on technical barriers for trade like TBT & SPS.
Accreditation was not given adequate concern either on a national or regional level. It was pursued in primary forms here and their on national levels. The typical ever heard recommendation asserted by savants in the context of international conference and functions goes along the following line; “GCC member states should confront the outer world with a unified accreditation scheme, as this will be a better, more efficient, effective and much more feasible economic option”.
Accordingly, the notion of a Gulf Accreditation Center GAC started to burgeon due to its exceptional technical and economic significance to safeguard consumers. On 11th and 12th of November 2007, Gulf Accreditation Center Steering Committee GACSC in the Abu Dhabi meeting formulated a final draft of GAC Byelaw. The draft was remitted to the technical board of the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) during its 12th meeting held in Riyadh on 25th and 26th of November 2007. Measures were taken to have it remitted to the board of directors. Meanwhile, proposals were received from specialized firms to offer technical assistance to lay the infrastructure of GAC. The National Association of Testing Authorities of Australia (NATA) has been selected to deliver this assistance. GSO contracted NATA on 2 August 2008 to start the first phase of the project. This phase consists from 5 Steps as follows:
a) Confirmation of project scope and participants, document review and review of all work up to this point, and detailed project plan.
b) Visit and review of the current situation in the GCC Member States.
c) Review of the Bylaw and establishment of GAC Rules and governance procedures.
d) Recommending Organizational structure and management structure.
e) Establishing Operational policies and documentation and Accreditation Documents for 3 Scopes.
The first 5 steps has been accomplished . The results of the studies has been submitted to GSO Board of Directors 10th meeting (Muscat 24 May 2009). The Board of Directors endorsed the studies and submitted the GAC Bylaw to GCC Supreme Council with recommendation for approval.
GSO is now in the process of finalizing the contract of the project second phase with NATA. It is expected to have this contract signed by the third week of June 2009. Its start date is the first of July 2009. This project will provide for documentation required to extend GAC Scope for other 8 Scopes.
GACSC has accomplished a feat ,as it is paving the way to establish a unified accreditation center for all GCC members on equal basis. The center mirrors the ambition of GCC member states to deal with the outer world in the form of a single economy within a rather subtle field to eliminate the technical barriers of trade among the Member States on one hand and with the outer world on the other hand. The cornerstone of establishing the quality infrastructure in the member states of the Gulf Council rests on the establishment of the center. The center will also contribute to rebuild the trust of the outer world in the Gulf industrial product.
It is noteworthy that such experience launched by the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) of GCC to take the initiative through a steering committee is highly considered to be pioneering worldwide. It is an unprecedented step to establish an accreditation council to represent 6 countries united in a single political, economic and social council. It is an example for the rest of the world to follow.