Český institut pro akreditaci, o.p.s.

What Český institut pro akreditaci, o.p.s. does

Český institut pro akreditaci, o.p.s. (CAI) is the national accreditation body of the Czech Republic, established in 1993 and operating as a public benefit corporation (o.p.s.) under the authorization of the Ministry of Industry and Trade pursuant to Section 15 of Act No. 22/1997 Coll. It is the sole domestic body empowered to accredit conformity assessment entities and is notified by the European Commission. CAI serves testing, calibration, and medical laboratories; inspection bodies; certification bodies (for products, management systems, and persons); validation and verification bodies; proficiency testing providers; reference material producers; and biobanks, assessing them against the relevant ČSN EN ISO/IEC standards. CAI is a signatory to the EA MLA, IAF MLA, and ILAC MRA multilateral recognition agreements, covering economies representing 96% of global GDP, and is one of only five European countries with multilateral agreements across all existing accreditation areas.

CAI's technology stack consists of an information management system supporting the Czech national accreditation system, including a publicly searchable Database of Accredited Entities with interactive geographic map display, an Accreditation Portal for application and document submission, a Client Portal at share.cai.cz for secure stakeholder access, an MPA document management system housing methodological guidelines across all accreditation standards, and an e-shop platform for seminar registration and payment. Core assessment work is performed by in-house departmental staff (Testing and Calibration Laboratories, Medical Laboratories, Certification and Inspection Bodies) supported by external technical assessors, with the process structured around ISO/IEC 17011:2017 governance.

The business model is a regulated fee-for-service model layered on a public-benefit mandate. CAI generates revenue from accreditation assessments, surveillance, and certificate issuance (fees not publicly disclosed), supplemented by per-participant seminar fees of approximately 3,500 CZK (excluding VAT). Distribution is direct via the CAI website, the accreditation portal, and offices in Prague and Brno, with no intermediaries, resellers, or geographic expansion outside the Czech Republic. Marketing is conducted through the official website, monthly information bulletins, professional seminars, and public consultation processes for methodological documents. The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no external equity investors, and no funding rounds; it operates under public law as a not-for-profit entity.

Name

Český institut pro akreditaci, o.p.s.

Legal name

Český institut pro akreditaci, o.p.s.

Website

https://cai.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Český institut pro akreditaci, o.p.s. (CAI) is the sole national accreditation body of the Czech Republic, accrediting conformity assessment entities — laboratories, inspection and certification bodies, and biobanks — against ISO/IEC standards under government authorization, supported by a digital portal and accredited-body database.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accreditation Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Standards, Metrology & Accreditation Bodies (BPAIAOAC)

Keywords

• Accreditation services
• Conformity assessment
• Laboratory accreditation
• Certification body accreditation
• Inspection body accreditation

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Český institut pro akreditaci, o.p.s. (CAI) is the national accreditation body of the Czech Republic. It assesses and accredits the competence of conformity assessment bodies — including testing, calibration, and medical laboratories, inspection bodies, certification bodies (products, management systems, persons), validation and verification bodies, proficiency testing providers, reference material producers, and biobanks — against the relevant ISO/IEC standards. It also operates the public Database of Accredited Entities, the Accreditation Portal, the Client Portal, and a programme of professional seminars supporting accredited entities and applicants.

Product overview

Český institut pro akreditaci, o.p.s. (CAI) is the national accreditation body of the Czech Republic, providing accreditation services across multiple conformity assessment areas. The organization operates a Database of Accredited Entities (searchable online registry), an Accreditation Portal, CAI Seminars (educational programs), and a Client Portal for secure access. CAI grants accreditation to testing/calibration/medical laboratories, inspection bodies, certification bodies (for persons, products, and management systems), validation/verification bodies, proficiency testing providers, reference material producers, and biobanks based on relevant ISO/IEC standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accreditation of Conformity Assessment Bodies Formal third-party assessment and accreditation of conformity assessment bodies — testing, calibration and medical laboratories, inspection bodies, certification bodies (products, management systems, persons), validation and verification bodies, proficiency testing providers, reference material producers, and biobanks — to demonstrate their competence against ISO/IEC standards. Customers are operators of such bodies in the Czech Republic seeking official accreditation recognised internationally through EA MLA, IAF MLA, and ILAC MRA agreements.
• Database of Accredited Entities Online searchable registry of all accredited bodies in the Czech Republic, organized by accreditation type, with an interactive map display for geographic visualisation. Used by the public, regulators, and accredited entities to verify accreditation status.
• Accreditation Portal Web-based portal for managing accreditation services and providing information to accredited entities and applicants, supporting application submission, documentation management, and access to accreditation services.
• Client Portal (share.cai.cz) Secure login portal for clients to access CAI services and documentation related to their accreditation applications and ongoing assessments.
• CAI Professional Seminars Educational seminars organised by CAI covering accreditation topics, quality systems, medical laboratories, calibration laboratories, nuclear energy, and proficiency testing providers, delivered in-person in Prague and Brno and booked via the CAI e-shop at a standard fee of 3,500 Kč per participant (approximately 2,892.56 Kč excluding VAT).

Quantifiable outcome

• CAI confirmed as member of EA in all existing areas of accreditation following positive evaluation by European Cooperation for Accreditation in May 2019
• +2 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board): US-based national accreditation body under ANSI, accredited to ISO/IEC 17011. Provides accreditation across multiple conformity assessment areas and is a signatory to ILAC MRA and IAF MLA. Comparable in mandate and breadth to CAI.
• ENAC (Entidad Nacional de Acreditación): Spain's national accreditation body, operating across testing, calibration, medical labs, inspection, certification, and verification bodies. Direct European NAB peer to CAI in structure and scope.
• UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service): UK's sole national accreditation body, providing accreditation across testing, calibration, medical labs, inspection, certification, validation/verification, PT providers, reference material producers, and biobanks. Closest direct peer to CAI by mandate, scope, and structure.
• A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation): US-based private accreditation body focused on laboratory accreditation (testing and calibration) to ISO/IEC 17025 and related standards. Comparable to CAI's laboratory accreditation line of business but operates as a private entity rather than state-designated monopoly.
• COFRAC (Comité Français d'Accréditation): France's national accreditation body covering laboratories, inspection, certification, and verification bodies across ISO/IEC standards. Directly comparable European NAB peer to CAI.
• DAkkS (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle): Germany's national accreditation body, operating across all major ISO/IEC 17000-series areas with EA MLA, ILAC MRA, and IAF MLA signatory status. Directly comparable in scope, regulatory standing, and European institutional context to CAI.
• SCC (Standards Council of Canada): Canada's national accreditation body, providing accreditation services to testing, calibration, medical labs, inspection, certification, and verification bodies. Similar in scope and multilateral agreement participation to CAI.
• ACCREDIA: Italy's sole national accreditation body, designated by the Italian government, signatory to EA MLA, ILAC MRA, and IAF MLA. Provides accreditation across the same conformity assessment categories as CAI.

Regional players

• NABCB (National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies, India): India's national accreditation body for certification bodies under the Quality Council of India, with APAC MRA and IAF MLA signatory status. Comparable scope to CAI's certification-body accreditation but in a different geography.
• IANZ (International Accreditation New Zealand): New Zealand's national accreditation body, signatory to ILAC MRA and APAC MRA. Operates across testing, calibration, medical labs, inspection, and certification — directly comparable mandate to CAI but in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/akreditace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Český institut pro akreditaci, o.p.s.