Vendor Reaccreditation for 2024-2026

• June 2024:
  • Applications for Vendor Auditors will go live
• July 2024:
  • Information will be sent out to the Accredited Vendor Community. 
  • Vendors undergoing reaccreditation will be introduced to their Applicant Liaison and invited to a group call to review the program and ask any questions they have about the process.
  • Public Information will start going live
  • The program will officially launch
  • ICE Testing (Having a Level 2 Professional Inspector on staff will replace the previous program's QCP Inspector requirement. Those who offer inspection services but do not have a Professional Level 2 will have their applications reviewed first.)
• August 2024- October 2024
  • Vendor Auditors will start their training
  • Vendor Auditors will be assigned
• November 2024 - July 2025
  • Audits for the 2024 cycle are completed
• November 2024
  
  • Accredited Vendor Invoices are sent out (This will reflect year 2 of the fee increase.)
  • Annual Compliance Report questions will be sent out
  • ICE Testing (Having a Level 2 Professional Inspector on staff will replace the previous program's QCP Inspector requirement. Those who offer inspection services but do not have a Professional Level 2 will have their applications reviewed first.)
• December 2024
  • Annual Compliance Reports will be sent out.
  • Information will be sent to the Accredited Vendors who are reaccrediting in 2025
• January 2025
  
  • ACCT Conference and Expo / Accredited Member Symposium
  • ICE Testing (Having a Level 2 Professional Inspector on staff will replace the previous program's QCP Inspector requirement. Those who offer inspection services but do not have a Professional Level 2 will have their applications reviewed first.)
• June 2025
  • 2025 cycle may start submitting their applications early
• July 2025-
  • The 2024 cycle should be complete
  • The 2025 cycle will submit their applications
• November 2025 - July 2026
  • Audits for the 2025 cycle are completed
• November 2025
  
  • Accredited Vendor Invoices are sent out (This will reflect year 3 of the fee increase.)
  • Annual Compliance Report questions will be sent out
  • ICE Testing 
• December 2024
  • Annual Compliance Reports will be sent out.
  • Information will be sent to the Accredited Vendors who are reaccrediting in 2026
• January 2026
  
  • ACCT Conference and Expo / Accredited Member Symposium
  • ICE Testing 
• June 2026
  • 2026 cycle may start submitting their applications early
• July 2026-
  • The 2025 cycle should be complete
  • The 2026 cycle will submit their applications
• November 2026 - July 2027
  • Audits for 2026 cycle are completed
• November 2026
  
  • Accredited Vendor Invoices are sent out (This will reflect all services)
  • Annual Compliance Report questions will be sent out
  • ICE Testing 
• December 2026
  • Annual Compliance Reports will be sent out.
  • Information will be sent to the Accredited Vendors who are reaccrediting in 2027
• January 2027
  
  • ACCT Conference and Expo / Accredited Member Symposium
  • ICE Testing 
• June 2027
  • 2027 cycle may start submitting their applications early
• July 2027-
  • The 2026 cycle should be complete
  • The 2027 cycle will submit their applications

Vendor Accreditation Applicant Manual

The ACCT Vendor Accreditation program, a beacon of high standards, ensures that Business-to-Business members meet and exceed these standards in their service areas. The program involves several key stakeholders: Vendor Applicants who seek accreditation, Accredited Vendor Members who have achieved it, Vendor Auditors who review and assess applicants, volunteers supporting the program, and the ACCT staff overseeing the entire process. 

Central to this process is the Applicant Manual. This manual provides comprehensive, transparent, and detailed information on the accreditation process for all stakeholders. This manual outlines the program and applicant process, maintenance and compliance requirements, and fees involved, ensuring a fair and rigorous accreditation process.

YOU MUST DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE SELF-ASSESSMENT AND USE IN EXCEL. ONCE DOWNLOADED, DO A "SAVE AS" AND PUT THE DATE (YEAR/MONTH/DAY) AND YOUR COMPANY NAME. 

SELF-ASSESSMENT DOWNLOAD

This document is protected. You can only add content to the open cells. When you give yourself an evaluation grade for your evidence, you must click on either the cell or the drop-down arrow in the bottom right corner of the cell to access your menu options.

The Self-Assessment document is designed for companies seeking accreditation. It provides a structured framework for evaluating their own documentation, policies, and procedures. This Self-Assessment is aligned with the requirements for each service area and is a critical step before the formal application process.

This self-assessment aims to help vendors systematically review their operations and identify necessary improvements to meet accreditation criteria. Applicants must provide clear evidence of compliance with each standard and requirement. The assessment should be thorough, accurate, and reflective of the vendor’s current operations.

Once completed, the self-assessment is reviewed by the Applicant Liaison. This review assesses the organization's readiness for the site visit stage. Approval from the Program Manager and Applicant Liaison indicates that the documentation is complete and adheres to the specified format, but it does not guarantee full compliance or accreditation. The Applicants should submit evidence only for the areas in which they seek accreditation.

The document is organized into separate tabs, each representing a service area with six rows for evidence, including labels such as "Name of Evidence," "Page Reference," and "Notes." Applicants must meticulously reference their evidence, specifying the document name and page number. This ensures a comprehensive record and facilitates a more efficient audit process. The "Notes" section allows applicants to indicate updates or changes, ensuring their evidence aligns with accreditation requirements and communicates pertinent information to the accreditation team.

How Auditors will use the information

The Vendor Auditor will use the self-assessment document as a road map, guiding them to the pre-identified evidence and enabling them to find the necessary information quickly.

ACCT is committed to maintaining confidentiality and not disclosing any sensitive information contained in the documents to unauthorized individuals. The ACCT Tech Use Policy, a crucial component of our commitment, outlines how to handle documents and is a mandatory review and agreement for each Vendor Auditor. This policy is designed to protect the integrity of the accreditation process and the confidentiality of the vendor's information. Vendor Auditors do receive training on document handling both digital and on-site.

Secure Storage: When you provide access to documents as part of accreditation, this is done on your terms. Whether it is digital or hard copies that are reviewed on site. Although we encourage the use of Google Shared Drives for ease and adaptability, we can also use other document sharing platforms. It is up to you as the vendor to set the appropriate settings and protection on your documents. However, if you would like to provide any additional guidance on how you would like ACCT to securely store them, please let us know as quickly as possible so we can make sure we are accommodating your requests. This could include information on how documents are password-protected; if there is any encrypting sensitive information that we would need special instructions for; and/or how you would encourage us to keep hard copies while under review with ACCT.

Limited Access: You should only be sharing your documents with the Program Manager, your Applicant Liaison, and your Vendor Auditor. Please limit access to the documents only to these authorized personnel involved in the accreditation process. Unauthorized individuals should not be given access to the documents under any circumstances.

Access Removal: Once the accreditation process no longer requires access to documents, the Vendor shall remove access for the Program Manager, the Applicant Liaison, and the Vendor Auditor. 

Reporting Concerns: If you have any concerns or incidents related to the handling of documents immediately report this to the Program Manager for prompt investigation and resolution.

The purpose of the Site Audit is for the ACCT Vendor Auditor to review the work, policies, and procedures of the Vendor Applicant against the program requirements. Through training, periodic evaluation, and communication systems with other Vendor Auditors, the program aims to ensure that each Applicant Vendor meets the minimum Program requirements. Further, it is the goal of the program to match experienced Vendor Auditors with Vendor Applicants to help the Vendor benchmark their work, policies, and procedures against that of the community and the program requirements. It is expected that the site audit will benefit the Vendor Applicant in its quest for excellence.  

Site Audit Arrangements 

The Applicant Liaison may request the visit be to a site listed in the application for Design, Installation, and/or Inspection. For Training and/or Practitioner Certification, the application asks for a future schedule to assist with scheduling. The goal is to have all service area audits be in close proximity to each other if it is not possible to review all services at one location. 

If the request is not forthcoming, the Applicant Liaison will make another recommendation. If all requests for locations are not forthcoming from a Vendor Applicant, the Program Manager will let the applicant know their application has been withdrawn. 

Upon receipt of the location decision, the Program Manager will assign a Vendor Auditor from a pool of Approved Vendor Auditors. In rare situations, more than one Vendor Auditor may be assigned. 

Vendor Applicants are responsible for covering the cost of travel, lodging, and food for the Vendor Auditor. The Applicant Liaison is to report confirmed site audit schedules to the Program Manager as soon as available and not less than 30 business days prior to the event. All applicants are to provide general details for each day’s schedule of the site visit(s) no less than 30 business days prior to the event(s).

Vendor Audit

When the Vendor Auditor arrives at the Vendor Applicants location, the Vendor Auditor may review documents if they were not available to review before arrival. It will substantially decrease time on-site as well as potential costs if documents are shared before the Vendor Audit. During scheduling, the Vendor Auditor should provide information on what they need to see while they are on-site. 

Each requirement on the Vendor Audit Report has been identified as being reviewed through documents, observation on-site, or both. Your audit may also include interviews with staff. 

The amount of time an auditor is on site is dependent on whether or not documents have to be reviewed on-site, how may service areas they are reviewing, and how efficient the Vendor Applicant is while working with the auditor.

Vendor Auditor Report. 

The Vendor Auditor(s) shall forward to the Program Manager a written report on an approved template within 30 business days of the completion of the site audit. The report shall include the pass/fail grade for each applicable item and include the Vendor Auditor’s comments and observations for the Program Manager to review. The written report of the Vendor Auditor should clearly distinguish between statements about actual or potential deficiencies in meeting criteria and statements offering consultative recommendations to the vendor. 

The ACCT Program Manager and applicable volunteers review the Applicant Vendor response to the identified priorities. The Program Manager will communicate with the Vendor Applicant if additional insight and/or clarity are needed.

• The following outcomes may be considered based on the report:

  • ACCT Program Manager and Applicant Liaison reviews and accepts the Vendor Auditor(s)’ positive recommendation for Vendor Accreditation. Reports out to a applicable volunteers for ratification. The Executive Director is notified of approval.

  • ACCT Program Manager and Applicant Liaison reviews the Vendor Auditor(s)’ recommendations and prioritized follow-up request(s) based on the Vendor Auditor(s)’ written recommendations. Once the Vendor Applicant has addressed the priorities to the satisfaction of the ACCT Program Manager and the Applicant Liaison reports out to applicable volunteers for ratification. The Executive Director is notified of approval.

  • ACCT Program Manager and Applicant Liaison reviews the Vendor Auditor(s)’ recommendations. If it is determined that the Vendor Applicant does not meet the criteria for becoming an Accredited Vendor. ACCT Program Manager and the Applicant Liaison reports out to a applicable volunteers for ratification of denied accreditation. The Executive Director is notified of denied accreditation.

Regardless of the outcome, all balances must be paid in full before the final determination regarding accreditation.

Awarding Accreditation

Upon approval, the Vendor will receive the Vendor Agreement. This agreement needs to be reviewed, signed, and returned to the Program Manager. Once received, the Accredited Vendor is provided with a credential user packet and ongoing/re-accreditation requirements and benefits, including:

• Copy of the Vendor Audit Report(s)

• Issuance of a Confirmation Letter and Accredited Vendor Certificate.

• Access to ACCT Accredited Vendor Logo files.

• Access to Accredited Vendor listserv.

• Access to Accredited Vendor Resources on the ACCT website.

• Annual compliance reporting and dues requirements.

• Publication of status on ACCT Website.

Accreditation Rejection

Through substantial evidence, if a Vendor Applicant does not meet the criteria for becoming an Accredited Vendor, they will receive the following from ACCT Staff:

• A letter with detailed information, including the Program requirements that were not met.

• Copy of the Vendor Audit Report(s).

• List of potential resources and recommendations for growth.

• Information for the Appeals Process.

• Information to reapply.