How does my laboratory obtain AASHTO Accreditation?
1. Ensure that your laboratory’s quality management system meets the requirements of AASHTO R18 (AASHTO Bookstore).
2. Schedule an on-site assessment with AMRL for asphalt binder, emulsified asphalt, hot mix asphalt, aggregate, soil, or metals testing accreditation. For concrete, cement, or masonry testing accreditation, please contact CCRL for the on-site assessment. You can find out when we'll be in your area on our website.
3. If you received a CCRL assessment, you will need to submit your quality system manual and supporting documentation such as your most recent internal audit records and management review records. These items will be evaluated for conformance to AASHTO R18.
4. Pay your application fee of $250 and all applicable on-site assessment fees.
5. Enroll in the appropriate AMRL or CCRL proficiency samples. AMRL will automatically enroll you once we receive your request for accreditation. You should contact CCRL for enrollment in their program.
6. Resolve the nonconformities from your on-site assessment within 90 days of the issuance of the report.
7. Submit your Criteria Compliance Document and your responses to the AASHTO Accreditation Program (aap@amrl.net).
8. We accept submittals by fax, mail, and email.
How long does it take to get my laboratory accredited?
That depends on how quickly you are prepared to get your on-site assessment, whether or not we have an assessor available to get to your laboratory quickly, and how quickly you can complete the process. Most of the process is in your hands – you are responsible for resolving all of the nonconformities in a timely manner. It can take 3 weeks or it can take 3 months.
Where can I get a detailed program description?
Download the Procedures Manual for a complete explanation of the AASHTO Accreditation Program policies and procedures.
Where do I submit my responses to low ratings on proficiency samples and to nonconformities noted during my most recent AMRL or CCRL assessment report?
You can submit the responses to your Quality Analyst by fax, mail, or email.
I need to show that I am accredited in order to bid for a job. Where can I get something that shows the tests for which I am accredited?
Go to our accreditation directory and search for your laboratory. Once you locate it, click on “Show This Entry Only”, which will be located just under your laboratory name and location. Print the page that shows your laboratory’s information and submit it to your specifier as a means of proving your accreditation status.
At the bottom of this page, you will see the date for which this information is considered valid. The specifier may wish to check the website directory themselves to ensure that the information is accurate. Our online directory shows the most current accreditation information.
How do I resolve a suspension?
If the suspension is due to unresolved items from an AMRL or CCRL report, the laboratory must provide corrective action and substantiating evidence (in the timeframe specified) for each item listed in the suspension notice.
If the suspension is for low ratings received in proficiency sample testing, the laboratory may elect to wait until the next round or order an extra proficiency sample. If the laboratory ordered an extra proficiency sample to resolve a suspension, the laboratory is required to receive satisfactory ratings on the next regularly scheduled round of proficiency samples in order to prevent another suspension from occurring.
If the suspension is due to unpaid invoices, the laboratory must make full payment on the invoice and wait for up to 2 weeks for the payment to clear with the bank.
There are other possible reasons for suspensions, and the suspension notice will explain the process. Keep in mind that resolving any suspension takes time, and reinstatement of accreditation is not immediate even if the issue has been resolved.
See the Procedures Manual for a complete description.
How do I find an accredited laboratory in my area?
Go to our accreditation directory and search based on your location. You can search by city or by entire state.
What is the difference between an observation and a nonconformity?
Some people call them gigs, docks, dings, notes, or deficiencies. CCRL calls them footnotes. AMRL once called them footnotes also, but now calls them findings. AMRL further classifies findings into 2 categories: observations and nonconformities, which are defined below:
Nonconformity: A finding that indicates policy or practice contrary to the requirements of applicable AASHTO or ASTM standards or documented quality system procedures.
Observation: (1) A technically-related nonconformity that judgment and experience indicate is not likely to affect the ability of the laboratory to produce valid and accurate test results; (2) A minor failure in some part of the documented quality system, such as a single observed lapse in following one item of the company’s quality system; (3) Specific technical information provided for informational purposes only.
Which findings/footnotes on my AMRL On-Site Assessment or CCRL Laboratory Inspection report are required to be resolved?
All findings (nonconformities and observations) on AMRL reports need to be resolved unless they are designated as “informational” within the text of the note. Once you resolve each finding, you are required to submit an explanation of the corrective action taken to resolve only the nonconformities (or footnotes for CCRL reports). This submittal must include any substantiating evidence to support your explanation. If the nonconformity is a repeat issue, you must perform a root cause analysis and complete an On-Site Assessment Correction Action Form if your company does not have its own version of this document that includes all of the information that our form does.
Although your findings that have been designated as observations require corrective action to be taken, you are not required to submit an explanation of this corrective action to us in order to maintain your accreditation.
I hired a laboratory to work on a project because they said that they were AASHTO Accredited. I checked the directory, and they are not listed. Why would this be?
It is because the laboratory is not accredited. Our database shows the current accreditation status of all laboratories in our program.
If you find that a laboratory is claiming accreditation when they are not actually accredited, you should contact AMRL about this false claim of accreditation.
Can I find out why a laboratory’s accreditation is suspended?
We cannot give you the specific details for a laboratory suspension, but it would most likely be one of the following reasons:
- Lack of adequate resolution of nonconformities noted during their last AMRL or CCRL assessment report.
- Repeated low ratings or non-participation in the AMRL or CCRL proficiency sample programs relevant to the laboratory’s accreditation.
- Non-payment of invoices for services rendered by AMRL.
- Some other lack of conformance to the guidelines of the AASHTO Accreditation Program.
I am already accredited and need to add D3666 right away so I can bid for an airport job. Can you help me?
That depends – do you meet the requirements of D3666? You can submit evidence to your Quality Analyst showing that your laboratory meets the requirements. We charge $100 for the review of this documentation.
Often laboratories request D3740, D3666, C1077, and E329, and they need it right away. The problem is that those standards require technician certifications, and the courses are not offered as quickly as the laboratory needs them to be. It is up to the laboratory to obtain the required certifications before applying for accreditation.
AMRL will not grant your laboratory the accreditation that you need unless you meet the requirements of the specification or test method.
Why am I getting a bill for the AASHTO Accreditation Program?
When you apply for the AASHTO Accreditation Program, you pay a $250 application fee. The following April, you will receive a bill for AAP which covers the accreditation for the time between your initial application and April. Each year thereafter, you will pay for the previous year’s accreditation. Click here to see a detailed explanation of the billing process. If you do not pay your bill, your accreditation will be revoked for the entire scope of the accreditation.
AMRL used to send out bills for all services at once, but it was deemed to be too expensive all at one time. Now it is split out and itemized. The AAP fees cover the administrative costs of managing the accreditation program.
Why am I being billed for last year’s accreditation?
When AMRL split apart its annual invoices and began itemizing all program costs, it was deemed appropriate to bill for the accreditation that was held throughout the year. Sometimes the laboratory does not gain the scope of accreditation for which it seeks – so invoicing for accreditation services ahead of time would not be accurate. To avoid complications, AAP bills represent the accreditation held throughout the previous year as stated at the time of invoicing.
The AAP Invoice shows the billing cycle. This information is new to the printed invoice, but there was no change in the way our billing is processed.
How is the pro-rated discount calculated?
We are pro-rating the AAP fees for new fields of accreditation this year. If a laboratory added a field or is totally new to AAP, their invoice will be prorated for the billing cycle indicated. This does not affect individual methods within an already established accredited field of testing. Here is how it works:
- Take the subtotal for the new field and divide by 12.
- Multiply by the number of months that the lab was not accredited to determine their discount.
Why was my laboratory accreditation suspended even though I submitted corrective actions to low ratings on proficiency sample testing?
The AASHTO Accreditation Program suspends accreditation any time a laboratory either does not participate or receives ratings of 0 or 1 on both proficiency samples in the set for two rounds in a row. Participation is only required for samples that include test methods covered under the scope of the laboratory accreditation.
This suspension occurs whether or not a corrective action has been submitted by the laboratory. This is because after receiving the first set of 0s or 1s, an accredited laboratory should be able to take effective corrective action to resolve the issue(s) that led to the low rating.
What is the difference between AMRL and CCRL?
AMRL is part of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), which is sponsored by the state DOTs, the FHWA, the Port Authority of NY/NJ, the Washington DC DOT, and the Puerto Rico DOT. AMRL offers assessments and proficiency samples in the fields of asphalt binder, emulsified asphalts, hot mix asphalt, aggregate, soil, metals, and plastic pipe.
CCRL is part of ASTM International, which is a standards organization that includes both private and public sector membership. CCRL offers assessments and proficiency samples in the fields of concrete, aggregate, cement, pozzolan, masonry, and metals.
If a laboratory is seeking AASHTO Accreditation, they must submit all responses to nonconformities noted in the AMRL and/or CCRL report to the AASHTO Accreditation Program, which is part of AMRL. Responses may be submitted to aap@amrl.net.
What is the minimum amount of tests that I need to perform to gain AASHTO Accreditation?
The minimum is technically one test, but you should always contact the agencies that require the accreditation to find out exactly what they suggest. If your laboratory is not accredited for the list of test methods or the quantity of test methods required by the specifying agency, the accreditation may not qualify your laboratory for certain jobs.
I don’t see the answer to my question. Can I ask a new question?
Yes, you can. Send us your question, and we might add it to the FAQ page.