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Implementation walkthrough

How to implement ISO/IEC 17020: video walkthrough

A walkthrough of preparing an inspection body for ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation, in the office and in the field, from the independence type to the witnessed inspection.

  • Implementation walkthrough
  • 3 min 14 s

Key takeaways

  • Inspection bodies are accredited to ISO/IEC 17020, not certified.
  • Professional judgement is what distinguishes inspection from testing.
  • Decide the independence type before applying.
  • Impartiality risks are identified on an ongoing basis and managed.
  • Accreditation assessors witness inspections in the field.

Inspection is professional judgement, and it has to be trusted

ISO/IEC 17020 is the international standard for bodies performing inspection. It defines inspection as the examination of an item and determination of its conformity with detailed requirements or, on the basis of professional judgement, with general requirements. Professional judgement is what separates inspection from testing: the inspector decides whether the item conforms, drawing on experience as much as on instruments.

For those judgements to be trusted, the standard requires impartiality and a declared level of independence, competent and authorised inspectors, controlled equipment, documented methods, records, reports with the required content, a route for appeals and complaints, and a management system that keeps it all running. Inspection bodies are accredited, not certified. This short film walks through how a body prepares.

An ISO 9001 system is a good base for clause 8, but it does not satisfy ISO/IEC 17020: impartiality, inspector competence, equipment, methods, records and reports still have to be built and demonstrated.

Preparing for an accreditation assessment

Define the scope, the independence type and the accreditation body: which fields and types of inspection, items, methods or schemes and locations go on the application; whether the body is Type A or another independence type; and which accreditation body to apply to. Every body publishes its own procedure, but the steps are common to all.

A gap analysis then checks the body clause by clause and the process clauses inspection type by inspection type: the impartiality risk register covering ownership, commercial pressure, other services and personal relationships; confidentiality undertakings; inspector competence and authorisation; equipment; methods; records and reports; appeals and complaints. Implementation closes the gaps, and internal audit and management review follow before the application. The accreditation body then assesses, witnesses inspections in the field and decides.

Sterling's expert and experienced consultants support the preparation and implementation under Sterling OS™. ISO/IEC 17020:2026, the third edition, was published on 27 March 2026, replacing the 2012 edition; the transition follows the timetable your accreditation body confirms.

ISO/IEC 17020 at a glance

Purpose
Competence, impartiality and consistent operation of bodies that inspect products, installations, plants, processes or services
Relevant to
Third-party inspection agencies and the inspection departments of manufacturers, operators and utilities, of any size
Edition
ISO/IEC 17020:2026, the third edition, published 27 March 2026, replacing the 2012 edition; a three-year transition to 27 March 2029 is expected, subject to your accreditation body's confirmation
Accreditation
Assessed and granted by an accreditation body for a defined scope of inspection, with inspections witnessed, then surveillance and reassessment
Sterling's role
Consulting with your team, Effivity, training, internal audit and assessment readiness, then Sustain™
Cost and timing
Total investment for an ISO/IEC 17020 inspection body management system depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 5 to 10 months

ISO/IEC 17020: the complete guide →

ISO/IEC 17020: questions people ask

Is ISO/IEC 17020 a certification or an accreditation?

An accreditation. An accreditation body assesses competence, impartiality and consistent operation for a defined scope, witnesses inspections and, if satisfied, grants and publishes the scope. Certification bodies certify management systems; they do not accredit inspection bodies, and a "17020 certificate" from one is not accreditation.

What are Type A and Type non-A inspection bodies, and what happened to Type B and Type C?

The 2026 edition categorises inspection bodies as Type A or Type non-A by their level of independence, replacing Type A, B and C; the requirements sit in clause 5.1 and the normative Annex A, and impartiality applies equally to both. Under the 2012 edition, Type A was the independent third party, Type B a body inspecting only for its parent organisation and Type C one inspecting for its parent and others. A body accredited as Type B or C should not assume its position carries over; it reassesses against the new annex during the transition.

Which accreditation body should we apply to, and will our reports be accepted abroad?

Normally the national body, for example PAB (Philippines), NABCB (India), UKAS (United Kingdom), EIAC (Dubai), GAC (Gulf states), ANAB or A2LA (United States), NATA (Australia) or SAC (Singapore), provided it is a Global ACI MRA signatory for inspection. Signatories recognise one another's accreditations as equivalent, except where regulation or law provides otherwise, so check the register and ask whoever will receive the report.

We are already accredited to ISO/IEC 17020:2012. What do we have to do, and by when?

Transition to the 2026 edition before your accreditation body's deadline. The internationally agreed period is three years from publication, which accreditation bodies have published as 27 March 2029, and they are already assessing to the new edition: UKAS from 1 September 2026, with the 2012 edition no longer assessed from 1 January 2028. Bodies also apply ILAC P15:05/2020, written for the 2012 edition; ask yours how it applies during the transition. Expect a gap analysis against the new text, changes to the impartiality register, the independence statement, data control and the system documents, then a transition assessment.

Does ISO 9001 certification satisfy ISO/IEC 17020?

No. ISO 9001 addresses the quality management system; ISO/IEC 17020 adds impartiality and independence, inspector competence, equipment, methods, records, reports and appeals, assessed with inspections witnessed. An ISO 9001 system is a good base for clause 8, but clauses 4 to 7 still have to be implemented and demonstrated.

More ISO/IEC 17020 questions and answers →

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