Type of Body | Definition | Primary Role/Focus | Examples | Relevant Standards |
---|---|---|---|---|
Accreditation Body | Accredits certification, awarding, or inspection bodies to ensure compliance with international standards. | – Verifies competence of organizations. – Ensures quality assurance in certifications/awards. |
– Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB). – UKAS (UK). – ANAB (USA). |
– ISO/IEC 17011. – ILAC/IAF requirements. |
Awarding Body | Develops and delivers qualifications, diplomas, or certifications for individuals or institutions. | – Designs qualifications. – Conducts assessments. – Issues certificates/diplomas. |
– Pearson (Edexcel). – UBE(International). – TVEC (Sri Lanka). |
– National Qualification Frameworks (e.g., SLQF, NVQ). |
Certification Body | Certifies individuals, organizations, or products against specific standards or guidelines. | – Issues certifications after assessments. – Focus on compliance and quality assurance. |
– SGS. – Bureau Veritas. – TUV SUD. |
– ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and other ISO standards. |
Regulatory Body | A government or semi-government body responsible for creating and enforcing laws or policies. | – Oversees industries and education. – Ensures compliance with legal standards. |
– UGC (Sri Lanka). – FDA (USA). – Bar Association. |
– Industry-specific legal and regulatory frameworks. |
Professional Body | Membership organization for professionals in a specific field to maintain standards and ethics. | – Sets codes of conduct. – Offers membership or certifications. |
– IEEE. – ICAEW. – CA Sri Lanka. |
– Ethical and professional guidelines. |
Inspection Body | Conducts technical inspections of products, processes, or facilities to ensure safety or compliance. | – Ensures products meet safety or regulatory standards. – Evaluates processes. |
– Lloyd’s Register. – DNV. |
– ISO/IEC 17020. – Safety and environmental regulations. |
Standardization Body | Develops and publishes technical and operational standards for various industries. | – Creates globally accepted standards for quality, safety, and interoperability. | – ISO. – SLSI (Sri Lanka). – BSI (British Standards Institute). |
– ISO standards. – National standardization frameworks. |
Training Provider | Offers courses and training programs to develop skills or prepare individuals for qualifications. | – Delivers training aligned with awarding body or industry standards. | – Vocational Training Authority (Sri Lanka). – British Council. |
– Industry or qualification-specific guidelines. |
Examination Body | Conducts assessments and examinations to evaluate individual knowledge or skills. | – Administers exams for academic, professional, or vocational qualifications. | – Cambridge Assessment. – Department of Examinations (Sri Lanka). |
– Qualification frameworks or education ministry standards. |
Licensing Body | Issues licenses to individuals or organizations to operate or perform specific tasks legally. | – Grants operational or professional licenses. – Monitors compliance with licensing terms. |
– Sri Lanka Medical Council. – RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors). |
– Legal licensing frameworks. |
Credentialing Body | Verifies and validates the credentials (e.g., degrees, certifications) of individuals. | – Ensures credentials are authentic and meet standards. | – WES (World Education Services). – Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE). |
– International recognition frameworks. |
Auditing Body | Evaluates processes, financial systems, or operations to ensure compliance with standards. | – Conducts independent audits. – Identifies areas for improvement. |
– PwC. – KPMG. – EY (Ernst & Young). |
– ISO 19011 (Guidelines for auditing). |
Granting Body | Provides funding for research, education, or projects. | – Allocates grants. – Monitors the use of funds. |
– UNESCO. – Local government funding agencies. |
– Funding-specific guidelines or agreements. |
Industry Body/Association | Represents businesses in a specific industry to advocate for their collective interests. | – Develops industry-specific guidelines. – Lobbies for policy changes. |
– SLASSCOM (Sri Lanka IT sector). – Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. |
– Industry policies and frameworks. |
Laboratory Accreditation Body | Accredits labs to ensure they meet international standards for testing and calibration. | – Ensures labs are competent. – Monitors quality of lab processes. |
– ILAC. – SLAB (Sri Lanka). |
– ISO/IEC 17025. |
Certification Scheme Owner | Develops the criteria and structure for specific certification programs. | – Manages and defines standards for certification schemes. | – IFS (International Featured Standards). – BRCGS. |
– Scheme-specific requirements and ISO standards. |
Quality Assurance Body | Ensures the quality of education, training, or product development. | – Monitors and evaluates quality standards. – Develops improvement strategies. |
– QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education). – NAB (National Accreditation Board). |
– QA frameworks (e.g., ESG guidelines). |
Technical Body | Provides technical expertise, guidelines, or support for specific domains. | – Sets technical specifications. – Offers guidance and resources. |
– ITU (International Telecommunication Union). – IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission). |
– Technical standards relevant to the industry. |