NSI is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), which operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government through the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
UKAS is the sole national accreditation body recognised by the government to assess organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services against international standards. UKAS approval demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of these evaluators.
UKAS ensures that bodies like NSI run their certification schemes in accordance with the International Standard for Accredited Certification such as ISO 17021 and ISO 17065.
View a full list of NSI schemes with UKAS accreditation
NSI fully understands the importance of impartiality in carrying out its certification activities. Its structure is designed to manage any conflict of interest and ensure the objectivity of its management system and product certification activities.
NSI is controlled by a management board and has a committee for the management of impartiality.
The Management Board take into account the opinion of interested parties including:
- Insurers
- NSI approved companies
- Customers of security product and service providers
- Government departments
- Police
In 2006, NSI was appointed as an assessing body for The Approved Contractors Scheme (ACS) run by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).
The objective of the SIA’s Approved Contractor scheme is to raise performance standards and to assist the private security industry in developing new opportunities. The scheme is voluntary and was developed in consultation with representatives from across the industry; it only covers those parts of the industry that are regulated by the SIA and the Private Security Industry Act 2001. There is a single scheme, with sector-specific approval based on a relevant set of qualifying criteria.
NSI is a member of The British Institute of Facilities Management
