Accreditation profiles and scopes explained
An accreditation scope describes the activities for which a laboratory has been accredited. It sets boundaries around the claim: the kind of measurement, range, method, location and other stated conditions matter. UKAS calls the scope or schedule the official statement of the activities covered by accreditation. See UKAS guidance on accreditation scope.
Profile, scope and schedule
In Metra, an accreditation profile groups the laboratory's accreditation identity, validity, controlled seal and scope entries into a revisioned record. A scope entry describes an individual calibration capability. A UKAS schedule is the source document from which those capabilities may be entered or imported.
One profile can contain many scopes. You do not need a separate profile for each instrument family, quantity or range.
For example, a fictional laboratory's profile might contain:
| Scope | Capability recorded |
|---|---|
| Temperature probes | Comparison calibration from 0 to 100 °C, performed in the laboratory, subject to its stated method and conditions. |
| Pressure gauges | Calibration from 0 to 10 bar using the stated medium and pressure reference, at the permitted work locations. |
These are teaching examples, not suggested accreditation claims. A temperature capability does not establish a pressure capability, and a laboratory capability does not automatically cover work at a customer's site.
What to look for in a scope
- Quantity and unit: what is measured and how its value is expressed, such as temperature in °C.
- Instrument and method: which instrument family and calibration method the entry covers.
- Range and boundaries: the lower and upper values, including whether the endpoints are included.
- Work location: laboratory, customer site or both, as supported by the evidence. An optional linked Metra site is a separate restriction.
- Conditions and restrictions: requirements such as medium, environmental conditions or instrument configuration.
- CMC: the calibration and measurement capability's stated uncertainty.
Read schedule location codes with that schedule's own legend. Do not assume the same letter has the same meaning in every document. Retain qualifiers and source page references when reviewing imported scopes.
What is a CMC?
A calibration and measurement capability (CMC) describes the uncertainty capability for the accredited service. The uncertainty on an individual calibration certificate can be larger because the customer's instrument and the actual work contribute additional effects. Do not copy a schedule's CMC into every result as though it were the uncertainty of that calibration. See the CMC explanation in this UKAS schedule appendix.
What approval means in Metra
Creating or importing a profile produces a draft. A reviewer must establish the technical details, and the profile has its own approval workflow. Importing a PDF or uploading a seal does not grant accreditation or verify the laboratory's current status with UKAS.
Metra checks an approved scope against the calibration evidence before using its accreditation mark on a generated certificate. A requirement template's selected profile does not make every resulting certificate accredited automatically. Missing or unresolved scope details need review.
The word scope also appears in audit exports. There it describes the records, sites or dates selected for an export, rather than an accredited calibration capability.