The United Kingdom starts the transition to ISO/IEC 17020:2026
From 1 September 2026 the UK accreditation body assesses inspection bodies against the new edition. It becomes mandatory on 1 January 2028.
- The new edition requires planned development and validation of non-standard inspection methods — the way ISO/IEC 17025 requires it for test methods.
- Requirements on data and information are formalised: software validation and data security become a separate assessment point.
- The appeals and complaints procedure must be publicly available, and risk and opportunity management replaces the former preventive action.
Source: UKAS — Technical Bulletin