Accreditation Programs
Accreditation
ISO/IEC 17000 defines accreditation as “third-party attestation related to a conformity assessment body conveying formal demonstration of its competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks.” CPAC, as an independent accreditation organization, uses a formal process to independently assess the capabilities of Training, Testing, Examination and Auditing contractors and Company departments to support the Oil and Gas Pipeline sector.
Benefits of Accreditation
There are many reasons why an organization may consider accreditation. Although all accreditation programs are by their nature voluntary, there may be circumstances where an Authority Having Jurisdiction, through legislation and regulation can require individuals, contractors or Companies to become accredited as in the case of surgeons and hospitals. This level of certification is provided by the Standards Council of Canada and enables the use of the “certification mark”. In many cases, market forces dictate that companies should become accredited for their subject area as evidence of their ability to comply with industry codes and standards and use accredited contractors as evidence for their vendor qualification programs.
Under both Canadian and US regulation, and as specifically detailed by the CSA Z662, companies have the legal obligation to establish the competency requirements for the execution of tasks and ensure that only competent individuals (personnel or contractors) are assigned responsibility for these activities. This is considered 2nd party verification and utilizes a “Monogram” system.
Companies operating in-house training, testing, examination or auditing programs who become CPAC accredited benefit from an independent verification of their activities against industry regulations and standards. The documentation created in the CPAC assessment and follow up audits provides valuable information for organizations to use in their internal audit programs as well as establishing their corporate monogram for personnel qualification.
Companies that mandate services from CPAC accredited contractors benefit with the assurance of standardized compliance and simplified vendor qualification and procurement procedures.
Apart from these two factors, accreditation can be of great value to an organization. Accredited organizations often find that working under a CPAC program simplifies their Safety and Loss Management Systems and improves the efficiency of its staff and operations, along with the quality of its products or services. As well, being accredited by CPAC instills increased consumer confidence in the value, quality, and safety of their pipelines, services, testing and audit results.
CPAC Accreditation Scopes
CPAC currently offers 4 Accreditation programs, each with various defined scopes. A CPAC Certificate of Accreditation identifies the program area and is accompanied by supplementary declaration of Scope. Accreditation Programs and Scopes are as follows:
| Accreditation Type(s) | Available Scopes |
|---|---|
| Training Organization | CSA Z662 Management s. 3 |
| CSA Z662 Design s. 4-5 | |
| CSA Z662 Construction s. 6-9 | |
| CSA Z662 Operation s. 10 | |
| CSA Z662 Distribution s. 12 | |
| CSA Z662 Non-Metallic s. 13 | |
| CSA Z662 Steam s. 14 | |
| CSA Z662 Sour Service s. 16 | |
| CSA W178.1 Welding processes | |
| CSA W178.2 Welding Inspection | |
| CSA Z245 Material series | |
| CSA Z245 Coating series | |
| API 1173 Management | |
| API 1169 Inspection | |
| ASME B 31.3 Process Piping | |
| ASME B31.4 Liquid Pipelines | |
| ASME B31.8 Gas Pipelines | |
| ASME Section IX Qualification | |
| ASTM F3190 Heat Fusion Operator | |
| ISO 9001 Management | |
| ISO 19480 Polyethylene Fusion Operator | |
| IEC 60079-0 General Requirements | |
| IEC 80079-34 Management | |
| Skills Proficiency | |
| Proficiency Qualification Testing Organization | CSA Z662 Welding |
| ASME section IX Welding | |
| CSA Z662 Fusion and Bonding | |
| Theoretical Qualification Examination Organization | Examination Development |
| Examination Invigilation | |
| Safety Management System Auditing Organization | CSA Z662 s. 3 |
| API 1173 | |
| IEC 80079-34 | |
| ISO 9001 |
Cost of Accreditation
CPAC is operated on a standardized cost recovery basis using an equalization formula for three travel zones. Fees include any required travel, accommodation and meals outside of business hours. Each applicant pays an initial application fee which includes a review of scopes, management plan assessment and baseline audit. Once accredited, regular audit and license renewal is required. The normal audit/renewal cycle is 18 months. Where follow-up auditing is required between renewal cycles due to significant procedural issues or non-conformances, the applicant is responsible for the audit cost and receipted expenses. Travel and accommodation costs are carried out following CPAC Travel Policy.
| Travel Zone | North America | Europe/South America | Australia/Asia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Application | $5200. | $6600. | $7100. |
| Scopes | $55. /each | $55. /each | $55. /each |
| Audit and License Renewal | $3800. | $5200. | $5700. |
| Additional Audit/Day | $2200. | $2200. | $2200. |
*This table is displayed in US $. Invoices will be provided in local currencies at time of application.
*Intra-cycle auditing is common after the initial assessment and baseline audit for organizations who have not previously operated under an accreditation program.
Enquiries
Potential applicants may write to Certification@CPACouncil.com requesting further information on the CPAC accreditation program(s) that are applicable to their organization.
Enquiries should include a general descriptions or your organization’s activity and the program(s) for which Accreditation is being sought:
- Training Systems Accreditation
- Proficiency Testing Provider Accreditation
- Theoretical Testing Provider
- Quality Program Auditing (internal or external)