UKAS SUSPENSION FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

UKAS has instigated a temporary suspension of the BBA’s accreditation status. During this period, BBA is unable to deliver accredited testing, inspection, and certification activities, or publish these. We can continue to deliver any services that fall outside of UKAS accreditation. BBA continues to maintain certificates, as expected and required during our suspension.

The BBA is accredited. Your BBA assessed product is certified. This means that our processes and programmes are rigorously assessed by an authoritative body (in this case, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service or UKAS). Being accredited means that we are under continuous assessment of our ability to perform our duty to required standards, in order to provide and maintain our schemes, such as the BBA Agrément Certification Scheme. Accredited work is delivered under UKAS recognised accreditation standards. During the suspension, all work is clearly identified as being delivered outside of that accreditation framework.

The process of reinstatement is ongoing. A confirmed date for reinstatement is not currently available as this is dependent on UKAS. The BBA has not received any confirmation from UKAS on when this may be resolved. We are working closely with UKAS but we are unable to give a definitive timescale for resolution. This rests with UKAS and is outside of our control, we are responding to any and all requests as quickly as possible when they are received. Please rest assured that as soon as we have more information, we will ensure we communicate that where possible.

The suspension relates to a change in BBA's corporate structure. This being the case, it affects all of our activities under that company name – hence the suspension across the entire accreditation scope. We have addressed all findings and await to hear from UKAS. For more information about the timeline of events, please visit a previous blog posted earlier in the year. Read the blog here

Yes. The BBA believes in the importance of accreditation and the independent oversight that it provides.

Yes. BBA continues to operate and deliver services. However, all activities are undertaken outside of UKAS accreditation during the suspension period. We will only progress with work with approval of our clients, and for some activities require this to be confirmed via a Waiver Document for clarity.

Work completed during this period is delivered outside of accreditation. Its applicability will depend on the specific requirements of the client, project, or regulatory context. If there is a cost to bring this work back within the UKAS accreditation framework, BBA will not pass this on to our clients.

There is no published requirement indicating that work will need to be repeated. Any such considerations would depend on UKAS requirements and the specific circumstances at the time. Again, any such work will be undertaken by BBA at no cost to our clients, where the work is purely to bring the project into accreditation.

BBA is unable to deliver and publish new accredited certification and test reports during the suspension.

Yes. We are able to provide a letter that confirms successful assessment completion (eligibility criteria apply). Please contact your client advocate should you wish to know more.

Applications and associated work can continue to progress; however, no new certificated content can be issued at this time. Once suspension is lifted we will publish the certificates - if they have successfully been tested and have gained their certification requirements in accordance with BBA process.

No. At this point no new certificates are issued. BBA continues to operate and deliver services outside of UKAS accreditation. Any outputs provided during this period are clearly identified as non-accredited. We will not be publishing “unaccredited” certification as that would both confuse the market and be non-compliant with UKAS expectations. The BBA's focus remains on working with UKAS to lift the suspension.

No. It is only the BBA that offers the BBA Agrément certificate scheme in this remit. Whilst there are other certification providers, they are not UKAS-accredited.

The current published position relates to the suspension of accreditation for new certificates. Existing certificates remain live (please go to myBBA Here to confirm) unless otherwise formally notified. Under suspension BBA have a duty to maintain existing certificates and it is vital that the maintenance programmes for these certificates continue as planned, this underpins the continued validity of the certificate.

All existing BBA Certificates remain valid, are subject to continuing surveillance and maintenance and can continue to be relied on.

Acceptance of certification is determined by individual scheme owners and third parties. Clients should confirm directly with relevant bodies and on specific projects where required. We are in continuous dialogue with these partners, and they are supporting us and our clients in encouraging maintanenance of certificates whilst the suspension continues diligently.

If the BBA stops trading, all certificates cease to be valid.

All certificate holders are encouraged to maintain their certificates. Stakeholders have confirmed that this is high priority and that they are looking for certificate holders to ensure process is upheld. The certificates remain live on my BBA and as such remain so, if maintained. Third parties such as NHBC and NH have issued guidance to this effect.

No general position on compensation has been published. Any commercial considerations would be subject to contractual terms and conditions. Any queries will be reviewed individually. The BBA has a process in place to support any clients who wish to progress assessment work until the point of publication. If you'd like to understand more about how this works, please get in touch.

BBA continues to work with UKAS to resolve the matter. Clients should assess timing considerations based on their own project needs. It is our intention to remain an accredited body going forward. All other Agrément on the market remains outside of 3rd party accreditation, and we plan to maintain our unique position in this respect.

The BBA intends to maintain accreditation for all services that it provides. At this point in time, we don't think it is helpful to speculate. The BBA provides a number of service offerings and schemes; some our own and others on behalf of 3rd parties such as National Highways and MCS. Accreditation isn’t mandatory for the Agrément certificate, and where the BBA provides schemes for 3rd parties, we are working closely with those organisations to minimise any impact on our clients. At this point in time, our focus remains on working with UKAS to resolve the current situation and lift the suspension. We are unable to comment on anything beyond the removal of the suspension, which we hope is imminent. However, should the situation change at any point, we will be in touch with all clients to discuss any concerns.

The BBA maintenance cycle is part and parcel of our certification schemes. All published certificates, can be accessed and verified via MyBBA on the BBA's website, they are underpinned by maintenance, such as the Annual Maintenance Fee (AMF / AMF+) payment structures. While your BBA certificate remains live, you are obligated to maintain that certificate as normal. Failure to do so may result in suspension or even withdrawal of that certificate entirely. The BBA's assessment and maintenance programme underwrites the performance claims of your product. In order for us to do so, it is not optional to pause any maintenance cycles or payment thereof.

All of our existing Certification in support of UKCA marking remains valid during our period of suspension, although operating outside of UKAS accreditation. We have kept MHCLG briefed throughout the process.

All existing Certificates of Factory Production Control remain valid; for new work we are progressing contracts, but are unable to issue Certificates while we remain under suspension. Again, should UKAS require any work to be repeated as a condition of reinstatement, we will do so at no additional charge to our clients.

All existing certificates remain valid, albeit outside of UKAS accreditation. Clients should review their obligations against relevant legislation and scheme rules to confirm the specifics on a project by project basis. Third Party Certification via the BBA Agrément scheme for example in the main is not mandatory- albeit considered best practice.

Yes. BBA continues to deliver testing, inspection, and assessment services, but these are carried out outside of UKAS accreditation. Not all testing is, or needs to be, UKAS accredited. We will continue to accept testing evidence from other providers (please contact us for further information to explore options).

Accredited work is delivered under UKAS-recognised accreditation standards. During the suspension, all work is clearly identified as being delivered outside of that accreditation framework.

Any work with us during this period is not UKAS accredited and must not be referenced as such.

Any risks will depend on whether UKAS-accredited outputs are required for your specific application. This should be assessed against project and regulatory requirements. The best option is to reach out to us directly.

BBA continues to operate and deliver services, maintaining its technical capability and working towards reinstatement of accreditation. We are able to work with our clients to assess risk, and once you have gone through all of your testing and certification process, up to the stage of publishing, we can work with you on the best way to communicate to your customers.

Clients should refer to BBA’s published statement and clearly distinguish between accredited and non-accredited activities when communicating with stakeholders. We are also happy to field questions and queries from your clients where you feel they need to hear directly form us.

BBA is actively working with UKAS toward reinstatement. No alternative long-term scenario has been published at this stage. We will seek to be an accredited company into the future. It is our belief that independent oversight, as provided by accreditation, is vital to what we do, what our clients need, and what the market and its stakeholders demand.

No formal external detail on contingency arrangements has been published. Our focus now is to work with UKAS toward lifting our suspension. We are also limited in terms of what we can communicate whilst under suspension and working through the appeals processes available to us.

This would depend on client requirements and acceptance criteria of third parties or regulatory bodies. If you need UKAS accredited Agrément, then there is no other provider. Our advice is to read the scope of any provider offering construction product Agrément, and to make sure it fulfils the requirement of the specifier you are working with.

Yes. BBA can provide written clarification of its current position upon request.

Yes. Clients can refer to BBA’s published statement and request supporting communications if required.