SNAS: from 30 September 2026 a new edition of guideline MSA-08 on information and communication technology in conformity assessment; a physical testing laboratory cannot be a “virtual site”
The Slovak National Accreditation Service (SNAS) issued guideline MSA-08 (edition 2), applicable from 30 September 2026. It is a translation of the mandatory document Global ACI-TECH-3-003 (M), version 1.0 of 10 July 2026, on the use of ICT for conformity assessment purposes, and replaces MSA-08 of 16 April 2025.
- Global ACI moved IAF MD 4:2025 into its own series without substantive changes in content. It covers management systems, validation and verification, certification of persons and of products, and applies to conformity assessment bodies and accreditation bodies. ICT is not mandatory, but where it is part of the assessment methodology the document must be followed; ICT includes smartphones, laptops, drones, cameras, wearable technology and artificial intelligence, among others.
- A virtual site is a location where the client organisation performs work or provides a service in an online environment. A site cannot be considered virtual if processes must take place in a physical environment — the document gives storage, manufacturing, physical testing laboratories, installation and repair of physical products as examples. A virtual site counts as a separate site when calculating audit or assessment time.
- Use of ICT must be agreed by both parties before the assessment, with information security and confidentiality ensured; without agreement other methods must be used. The body identifies and documents the risks and opportunities of each use of ICT, checks the parties’ infrastructure during application review and defines in the plan how and to what extent ICT will be used.
- Team members and other persons (e.g. drone operators, technical experts) must be competent with the tools used; reports and records must state the extent and effectiveness of ICT use, and virtual sites in the scope must be identified together with the activities performed there. Together with MSA-08 SNAS announced MSA-10 on harmonisation of sanctions (Global ACI-TECH-3-025, from 30 September) and a new MSA-09 on criteria for evaluating conformity assessment schemes and scheme owners (Global ACI-TECH-3-019, from 25 September).