TS EN ISO/IEC 17040

TS EN ISO/IEC 17040 addresses the general requirements for peer assessment processes used within conformity assessment by groups of accreditation bodies or conformity assessment bodies. In practical terms, it supports a structured way for organizations to review one another’s practices and strengthen confidence in mutual recognition arrangements.

Purpose and structure of peer assessment

Peer assessment is, in general technical terms, a process in which one organization examines the conformity assessment or accreditation-related activities of another against an agreed framework. It is commonly associated with principles such as competence, impartiality, confidentiality, and consistency. This standard defines the general requirements for organizing such a process within agreement groups; the exact assessment techniques, sector-specific criteria, or detailed operational procedures cannot be assumed beyond the supplied title and abstract.

What the scope includes and what it does not

• It is directed at agreement groups formed by accreditation bodies or conformity assessment bodies.
• Its focus is the peer assessment process itself, not product, service, or system certification criteria.
• Peer assessment is related to auditing, accreditation, and mutual recognition, but it is not a substitute for those concepts.
• The document provides an organizational framework rather than a sector-specific test method.

For organizations operating in multi-party conformity assessment arrangements, this standard serves as a framework for using a common evaluation language and for improving the reliability of peer review activities. It helps align how bodies assess each other’s competence in a consistent and structured way.