SCG Insight
On 1 January 2026 the two bodies that underwrote international recognition of accredited results merged into one. Here is what actually changed, what did not, and what to check on a report or certificate.
If you procure inspection, testing or certification, you have probably relied on two acronyms without thinking much about them. ILAC underwrote the international recognition of accredited inspection, testing and calibration results. IAF did the same for accredited certification. On 1 January 2026 both ceased to operate independently and became a single organisation: Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, or Global ACI.
The change has had little coverage in Australia, and it is easy to read the headlines as though certificates and reports are about to need reissuing. They are not. But the terminology in tender documents, specifications and quality manuals will take years to catch up, and it is worth understanding which words still mean what.
The short version
- ILAC and IAF merged into Global ACI on 1 January 2026. NATA is a founding member.
- The ILAC MRA and IAF MLA are consolidating into a single Global ACI arrangement.
- NATA has confirmed both arrangements remain operational for signatory bodies and the organisations they accredit.
- Existing ILAC and IAF marks remain valid until the Global ACI mark is fully adopted.
- For buyers: nothing to do today. Scopes, recognition and endorsement arrangements carry across.
Background
What ILAC and IAF each did
The two bodies divided the conformity assessment world between them, and the split is worth understanding because it explains why the merger happened at all.
ILAC — the testing and inspection side
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation covered laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), inspection bodies (ISO/IEC 17020), proficiency testing providers and reference material producers. Its Mutual Recognition Arrangement, the ILAC MRA, is what makes a NATA-endorsed inspection report recognised in other economies.
IAF — the certification side
The International Accreditation Forum covered bodies certifying management systems, products and personnel — the arrangement behind an accredited ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 45001 certificate. Its equivalent was the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement, the IAF MLA.
Two organisations, two arrangements, two sets of marks, largely the same member accreditation bodies signed up to both. The merger removes that duplication. The strategic decision was taken in 2019 and confirmed at the joint General Assembly in Berlin in October 2024.
What changed
What actually changed on 1 January 2026
- One organisation. Global ACI took over all ILAC and IAF functions. ILAC and IAF no longer operate independently.
- One arrangement. The former ILAC MRA and IAF MLA are consolidating into a single Global ACI Mutual Recognition Arrangement covering the scopes previously recognised under both.
- Signatories carried across. Full members and recognised regional cooperation bodies of either arrangement were accepted as signatories of the new one, retaining their existing scopes and approval dates.
- Marks transferred, not withdrawn. Ownership of the ILAC MRA mark passed to Global ACI. Existing ILAC and IAF marks stay valid until the Global ACI mark is fully adopted.
What did not change is as important. Accreditation scopes were not reassessed. Certificates and endorsed reports were not invalidated. The underlying standards — ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection, ISO/IEC 17025 for testing, ISO/IEC 17021 for management system certification — are unaffected. This was a restructure of the international recognition layer, not of the technical requirements beneath it.
Australia
Where NATA sits
NATA is a founding member of Global ACI. On the continuity question NATA has been explicit: the IAF MLA and the ILAC MRA “shall remain operational for signatory accreditation bodies, including NATA, and conformity assessment bodies accredited by them.”
The Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) continues as the regional body, and the APAC MRA continues alongside the global arrangement.
NATA has also flagged the practical friction that follows: regulations and specifications worldwide currently reference the IAF MLA or the ILAC MRA by name, and those documents will take time to be amended. That is the real-world consequence for most organisations — not a change in status, but a mismatch between the words in your contract and the name of the arrangement.
Practical
What to do about it
If you hold accreditation or certification
Nothing to reissue. Keep using existing marks under your current agreement until your accreditation body confirms the Global ACI mark is adopted, then follow its transition instructions. Do not adopt a Global ACI mark before a licence exists to use one.
If you write specifications or tenders
A clause naming the ILAC MRA or IAF MLA still works. When the document next comes up for revision, consider wording that refers to the arrangement operated by the relevant international accreditation body, so it survives the next rename.
If you are buying inspection or audit work
The checks are unchanged, and they were never really about the acronym. Confirm the accreditation number and current status, confirm the specific activity sits within the published scope, and confirm whether the deliverable will be issued as an endorsed report.
The point that matters
Accreditation has always been scope-based, and that is what determines whether a report is defensible. Which international arrangement recognises it is the layer above. The merger changed the layer above; it did not change the question you should ask a provider, which remains: is the activity I am buying inside your accredited scope, and will you report it under that scope?
Our position
What this means for SCG clients
Smale Consulting Group is a NATA accredited inspection body under ISO/IEC 17020 (Accreditation No. 20913), operating as a Type C body with documented impartiality safeguards. Our accreditation, scope and endorsement arrangements are unaffected by the merger. Reports issued within our accredited scope continue to carry the same international recognition they did before 1 January 2026.
Accredited for compliance with ISO/IEC 17020. Smale Consulting Group’s detailed scope of accreditation is available here. Accreditation No. 20913. More about our accreditations.
If you would like the longer explanation of what accreditation under ISO/IEC 17020 actually covers and what to check when procuring inspection work, see What NATA accredited inspection services mean for clients.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do our ISO certificates or accredited reports need to be reissued?
Can we still refer to the ILAC MRA in a specification or tender?
Are the ILAC and IAF marks still valid?
What is the difference between accreditation and certification in this context?
Does this change what we should ask an inspection provider?
References
References
- Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI)
- NATA, Why Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated matters
- NATA, Specifying the use of Global ACI accreditation
- Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC)
- NATA, SCG accreditation record (#20913)
- ISO/IEC 17020, Conformity assessment — Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection.
Checking an accreditation claim?
If you are reviewing a tender response or a report and need to confirm whether the work sits inside an accredited scope, we can help you read the accreditation, the scope and the endorsement arrangements that apply.
About the author
John Smale
John Smale is Director and Principal Consultant at Smale Consulting Group. He leads SCG’s independent assurance, inspection and advisory work across work health and safety, occupational hygiene, environmental health, food safety, water quality and integrated management systems, and delivers Exemplar Global-certified lead auditor training.
