2. Are ISO/CEI 17025 and ISO 9001 recognition certificates equivalent?

ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001 have many points in common, but are not equivalent. Laboratories may well wonder which standard to choose. The choice is often made in relation to the client. Many customers of calibration and/or testing laboratories want (if not "demand") ISO 9001 certification, whereas the laboratory prefers ISO/CEI 17025.

In order to avoid redundant expenditure on third-party audits, in 2004 ISO (International Organization for Standardization), ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) and IAF (International Accreditation Forum) reached a compromise in the form of a joint communiqué finalized on June 18, 2005:

"When a laboratory meets the requirements of ISO/CEI 17025, this means that the laboratory meets both the requirements for technical competence and the requirements for a management system, which are necessary...