DAkkS: the time from completed assessment to accreditation certificate fell from an average of 235 days in 2024 to 112–118 days; the government is preparing another revision of the DAkkS fees
On 29 September 2026 the German accreditation body DAkkS published an interview of its managing director with the magazine QZ (of 18 August) on the DAkkS reform. According to him the time to certificate has been halved and the whole procedure can be handled in the DAkkS-PORT portal; the government’s reply to the Bundestag of 26 August announces a revision of the fee ordinance.
- The federal government’s reply to a parliamentary question (Bundestag printed paper 21/7731 of 26 August 2026) states that at the end of March 2026 the economy ministry (BMWE) drew up key points for an accreditation strategy and a DAkkS reform agenda; the aim is a modern, digital, service-oriented provider of a broad portfolio of accreditation services. No special measures to stabilise DAkkS finances have been taken so far as they were not needed; another revision of the fee ordinance (AkkStelleGebV), which sets the hourly rates, is in preparation.
- In the interview the managing director (in office since June 2026) says that the 235 days from completed assessment to certificate are the 2024 average and the figure is now 112–118 days, part of which is reserved for corrective actions by the customer. In the DAkkS-PORT portal the customer submits the application and documents, downloads reports and the certificate; an area for assessors is being built. He sees the potential of artificial intelligence mainly in document analysis.
- On costs: DAkkS must operate on a cost-recovery basis, and in his view the key to the balance of service and price is the number of hours charged rather than the hourly rate itself; he calls targeted support for SMEs a political matter. He wants to settle complaints about gold-plating and the level playing field on concrete cases, including in the EA committees.
- Of the 17 points of the reform agenda he singled out three: looking at the system as a whole, digitalisation, and developing DAkkS into an authority combining service and supervisory tasks. DAkkS takes part with BAM, PTB and DIN in the “QI Digital” initiative, which has produced among others the digital calibration certificate, the digital accreditation symbol and the digital product passport. According to the government reply (questions 15–18) the reform process is being pursued with the involvement of the new interim management, all DAkkS shareholders and the ministries concerned.