UKAS
UKAS is the UK government-appointed National Accreditation Body, accrediting testing, inspection, certification, calibration, validation and verification bodies against international standards across multiple sectors for public and private sector clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersFeltham, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What UKAS does
UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) is the sole UK government-appointed National Accreditation Body, established in 1995 and headquartered in Staines-upon-Thames. The organisation assesses and accredits conformity assessment bodies — testing and calibration laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies, medical laboratories, validation and verification bodies, reference material producers, and proficiency testing providers — against international standards including ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 17020, ISO/IEC 17021-1, ISO/IEC 17065, ISO 15189, and ISO/IEC 17029. The core methodology consists of a formal assessment process: pre-assessment review, initial on-site assessment by lead and technical assessors, ongoing surveillance visits, and re-assessment on a four-year cycle.
UKAS generates revenue through accreditation application fees invoiced on submission, annual surveillance fees, and re-assessment fees on a recurring multi-year cycle, supplemented by training and advisory revenue from UKAS Academy (instructor-led courses and eLearning) and international advisory services to foreign regulators. The customer base is horizontal, spanning conformity assessment bodies across chemicals, construction, energy, environmental, food, forensics, health, industrial manufacturing, metrology, oil & gas, product safety, security, and waste management sectors, with downstream reliance from UK government and private sector procurers of accredited services.
The technology stack is centred on assessment methodology and standards compliance evaluation rather than software products. Digital infrastructure includes the CertCheck online verification database (over 300,000 certification records), the public Find an Organisation directory, E-Certificate digital validation, and a customer area portal for scope extension. The organisation holds signatory status to IAF, ILAC, and EA multilateral recognition arrangements, enabling UKAS-accredited certificates to be accepted in over 100 economies worldwide. A Board, Members, Policy Advisory Forum, Council, and Technical Advisory Committees constitute the governance structure of this independent non-profit entity.
UKAS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UKAS
- Legal name
- United Kingdom Accreditation Service
- Website
- https://ukas.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- UKAS is the UK government-appointed National Accreditation Body, accrediting testing, inspection, certification, calibration, validation and verification bodies against international standards across multiple sectors for public and private sector clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UKAS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Accreditation Services
- NAICS
- Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Standards, Metrology & Accreditation Bodies (BPAIAOAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ)
Keywords
Where UKAS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Feltham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
UKAS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Accreditation Services: UKAS generates revenue through accreditation application fees, annual surveillance fees, and re-assessment fees for the four-year accreditation cycle. Organisations pay application fees upon submission and receive quotations for ongoing assessment work.
- Training and Advisory Services: UKAS Academy provides training courses including eLearning, certification body training, healthcare accreditation training, inspection body training, laboratory accreditation training, and validation and verification courses. These generate revenue through course fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Accreditation application and assessment fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
UKAS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UKAS is the UK government-appointed National Accreditation Body that assesses and accredits organisations providing certification, testing, inspection, calibration, validation and verification services against international standards. It generates revenue through accreditation application fees, annual surveillance fees, and four-year re-assessment fees, and offers a free CertCheck database for verifying accredited certifications. Complementary offerings include UKAS Academy training courses (instructor-led and eLearning), international advisory services, the Find an Organisation directory, and E-Certificates digital validation.
Product overview
UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) is the UK government-appointed National Accreditation Body. The core offering consists of accreditation services against national and international standards for conformity assessment bodies. The primary products include: UKAS CertCheck (an online database for verifying accredited certifications), UKAS Academy (training courses including instructor-led and eLearning options), E-Certificates (digital certificate validation), and Find an Organisation Directory. UKAS accredits organisations across certification, testing, inspection, calibration, validation and verification services, organized under distinct accreditation programmes for laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies, medical facilities, and environmental validation/verification bodies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CertCheck: UKAS CertCheck is a free-to-use online database launched in June 2022 that allows users to independently verify UKAS accredited management systems certification.
Products and services
- UKAS CertCheck Free-to-use online database enabling users to search and verify the validity of UKAS accredited management system certifications; contains over 300,000 certifications issued worldwide by UKAS accredited certification bodies.
- UKAS Academy Training Courses Instructor-led training courses designed to support organisations on their accreditation journey, covering certification bodies, healthcare, inspection bodies, laboratories, and validation/verification sectors.
- UKAS Academy eLearning Courses Virtual/online self-paced training courses covering accreditation standards and requirements for various conformity assessment body types.
- International Advisory Services Advisory services supporting international organisations and regulators in establishing and improving accreditation frameworks and quality infrastructure.
- E-Certificates Digital certificate validation service enabling verification of UKAS accreditation certificates.
- Find an Organisation Directory Searchable directory of all UKAS accredited organisations by type, name, region, and category with Boolean search functionality for advanced queries.
- Laboratory Accreditation Accreditation service for testing and calibration laboratories against the ISO/IEC 17025 standard.
- Certification Body Accreditation Accreditation for certification bodies offering certification of management systems (ISO/IEC 17021-1), persons (ISO/IEC 17024), and products/processes/services (ISO/IEC 17065).
- Inspection Body Accreditation Accreditation for inspection bodies against the ISO/IEC 17020 standard for various inspection activities.
- Medical Laboratory Accreditation Accreditation for medical laboratories against the ISO 15189 standard and Point of Care Testing (POCT) services.
- Validation and Verification Body Accreditation Accreditation for validation and verification bodies against ISO/IEC 17029 and ISO 14065 for environmental information including greenhouse gas (GHG) validation and verification.
Quantifiable outcome
- Accredited once, accepted everywhere - certificates recognised in 100+ economies
Companies that use UKAS
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
UKAS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
UKAS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation)coreUKAS is a signatory to ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, enabling international acceptance of accredited laboratory and inspection body certifications across ILAC member economies.
- IAF (International Accreditation Forum)coreUKAS is a signatory to IAF multilateral recognition arrangements, enabling international acceptance of accredited certification body certifications across IAF member economies.
- EA (European Cooperation for Accreditation)coreUKAS is a signatory to EA multilateral recognition arrangements, enabling recognition of UKAS accredited certifications across European member states.
- AI Quality Infrastructure Consortium (AIQI)coreUKAS supports the AI Standards Stack podcast series from AIQI, contributing to the development of quality infrastructure for AI technologies.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
UKAS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation): A2LA is a US-focused accreditation body specialising in testing and calibration laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025. It overlaps directly with UKAS's laboratory accreditation programme and competes for international recognition.
- DAkkS (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle): DAkkS is Germany's national accreditation body and a fellow EA, ILAC and IAF signatory. It offers the same accreditation programmes as UKAS across laboratories, certification and inspection bodies, making it a direct European peer.
- JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand): JAS-ANZ is the government-appointed accreditation body for Australia and New Zealand, providing certification body, inspection and laboratory accreditation. It is a fellow IAF, ILAC and APAC signatory and an obvious functional peer.
- COFRAC (Comité Français d'Accréditation): COFRAC is France's national accreditation body, providing accreditation across laboratories, certification and inspection bodies. As a fellow EA signatory, it competes with UKAS for cross-border recognition in European trade.
- ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board): ANAB is the US national accreditation body, operating as the US equivalent to UKAS. It accredits management system certification bodies, testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies and personnel certification bodies, making it the closest direct functional peer.
Others
- IAF (International Accreditation Forum): IAF is the worldwide association of accreditation bodies of which UKAS is a signatory. It is not a competitor but an enabling infrastructure that shapes accreditation standards and mutual recognition globally.
- ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation): ILAC is the global cooperation body for laboratory and inspection body accreditation, of which UKAS is a signatory. It is an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, defining mutual recognition arrangements that underpin UKAS's international value.
Broad incumbents
- NVLAP (NIST National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program): NVLAP is a US government-run laboratory accreditation programme operated by NIST. It offers testing and calibration laboratory accreditation broadly comparable to UKAS's laboratory accreditation services.
- NACLA (National Association of Conformity Assessment Bodies): NACLA is a US accreditation body for forensic science and inspection bodies, offering ISO/IEC 17020 and 17025 accreditation programmes comparable to UKAS's inspection and laboratory services.
- CNAS (China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment): CNAS is China's national accreditation body, one of the largest globally, with broad accreditation programmes across laboratories, certification and inspection bodies. It is a key IAF/ILAC peer operating at much greater scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
UKAS social profiles
Digital presenceUKAS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UKAS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
UKAS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UKAS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UKAS
What does UKAS do?
UKAS is the UK government-appointed National Accreditation Body that assesses and accredits organisations providing certification, testing, inspection, calibration, validation and verification services against international standards. It generates revenue through accreditation application fees, annual surveillance fees, and four-year re-assessment fees, and offers a free CertCheck database for verifying accredited certifications. Complementary offerings include UKAS Academy training courses (instructor-led and eLearning), international advisory services, the Find an Organisation directory, and E-Certificates digital validation.
Is UKAS a public or private company?
UKAS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was UKAS founded?
UKAS was founded in 1995. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is UKAS based?
UKAS is headquartered in Feltham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does UKAS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Accreditation Services are the primary driver. The others are training and Advisory Services.
Who are UKAS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation), DAkkS (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle), JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand), COFRAC (Comité Français d'Accréditation) and ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board). Others are IAF (International Accreditation Forum) and ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation). Broad incumbents are NVLAP (NIST National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program), NACLA (National Association of Conformity Assessment Bodies) and CNAS (China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment).
Does UKAS have an API?
No public API is recorded for UKAS.
What industry is UKAS in?
UKAS's product category is Accreditation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAOAC, Standards, Metrology & Accreditation Bodies, with a secondary code of EDADACAJ, Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations. Its NAICS code is 54138 and its SIC code is 8734.