ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2024 - 8

accredited by A2LA (American Association for Laboratory
Accreditation) to the requirements of ISO/IEC
17025:2017, General Requirements for the Competence
of Testing and Calibration Laboratories, which " ensures
a quality assessment with technical experts who have
experience in the fi eld of measurement being assessed,
resulting in greater customer confi dence in measurement
results, " 2 and ISO/IEC 17065:2012, Conformity Assessment
- Requirements for Bodies Certifying Products,
Processes and Services, " which provides confi dence that
products, processes, or services meet the intended use
or need in the marketplace. " 3
Further ensuring the CRP has integrity and value,
AMCA International has in place a number of strict
protocols, including:
■
■
The allowance of public challenges to certifi cations.
The listing of certifi ed products in a searchable database
on the AMCA International website (https://bit
.ly/CRP_Search).
■
The policing of participants' websites, catalogs, and
advertisements for program violations.
■
The reporting of program violations on the AMCA
International website (https://bit.ly/CRP_violations).
As of September 2024, 302 manufacturers around
the world representing 4,410 products are enrolled in
the AMCA CRP.
Seal Use
A manufacturer whose product is certifi ed to bear an
AMCA International seal is not required to display the
seal. Thus, in project submittals and specifi cations, it
is best to state a product " shall be certifi ed to bear the
AMCA Certifi ed Ratings Program seal. " Including with
a submittal literature showing the appropriate AMCA
International seal has the same effect.
An AMCA CRP seal can be applied only in accordance
with the rules laid out in the respective AMCA
CRP publication. For example, a seal can be associated
only with a product currently certifi ed to bear it and
cannot be displayed on the cover of a catalog containing
both certifi ed and noncertifi ed products without clear
defi nition of the products that are certifi ed.
AMCA International recently added to its seals a
QR code linked to the AMCA Certifi ed Rating Program
8
2024 AMCA inmot ion
Search page on the AMCA International website. There,
users can select the corresponding certifi cation and see
CRP participants offering products. This is a way to
quickly determine if a manufacturer's claim of certifi -
cation is legitimate. AMCA International also has introduced
QR codes for use in product catalogs containing
certifi ed performance data. These QR codes take users
deeper into the AMCA Certifi ed Rating Program Search
function, linking them to pages where certifi ed products
can be found.
'Certifi ed' vs. 'Tested to'
A common source of confusion concerns the difference
between a product that is AMCA International-certifi ed
and one that was tested to an AMCA International standard.
A product tested to an AMCA International standard
is not necessarily an AMCA International-certifi ed
product.
An uncertifi ed product " tested in accordance with "
an AMCA International standard was subject to no direct
observation by AMCA International.
Specifi cation Language
Through its free specifi cation-review service (for more
information, contact Senior Manager, Certification
Services, Charles Meyers at cmeyers@amca.org or 847704-6268),
AMCA International has concluded that
most air-system specifi cations are written ineffectively
with regard to certifi cation, leaving the door open for
non-certifi ed products to be installed when certifi ed
products were intended. Based on feedback from specifying
engineers, AMCA simplifi ed its guideline specifi
cations, reducing paragraph-long statements to single
sentences. Engineers are encouraged to incorporate this
new and more effi cient language into their specifi cations
to ensure AMCA-certifi ed products get installed:
All (product type) shall be certifi ed to bear the AMCA
Certifi ed Ratings Program seal for (certifi cation type[s]).
Conclusion
Because of the rigorous testing requirements and procedures
of the AMCA CRP, specifi ers, purchasers, and other
decision-makers who choose products certifi ed to bear the
www.amca.org
https://bit.ly/CRP_Search https://bit.ly/CRP_Search https://bit.ly/CRP_violations http://www.amca.org
ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2024
