An Agrément Certificate is awarded to a product by the BBA only after it has successfully passed a comprehensive assessment involving laboratory testing, on-site evaluations and inspections of production, the latter to check that the manufacturer has a factory production control system in operation that will ensure the specification of the product will be maintained consistently.

The main focus of the Agrément process is the evaluation of the extent to which the product allows compliance with relevant Building Regulations and other statutory requirements to be achieved.

Regulatory requirements are, however, only a part of the overall Agrément procedure: Specifiers in particular look for further information on many performance characteristics, especially those affecting durability.

Tests are carried out, either by the BBA or approved external laboratories, to ensure that a product will meet certain predetermined levels of performance in particular areas.

Many of the BBA test facilities are formally accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). This accreditation underlines the BBA’s commitment to the highest levels of accuracy in its test procedures and is yet another reason why products approved by the BBA can be selected with confidence by specifiers and purchasers.

In addition to laboratory work, BBA technical staff also visits sites where products under evaluation are being installed and also, if possible, where they have been installed for some time. This enables the BBA to provide valuable information, in conjunction with the manufacturer and installers, on items like transport, storage, fixing, maintenance and durability.

This last point is a particularly important one for anyone involved in the selection of products. Every Agrément Certificate gives a statement on product durability, either in years or as a factor of the anticipated life of a building in which the product might be incorporated.

The third element of the Agrément process, the evaluation of the production facility is carried out early in the assessment so that any areas of concern will be rectified at that point. The BBA expects a formal and documented quality system to be in operation, although accreditation of this by an external body, once the BBA is involved itself, is not a requirement.

Product manufacture is monitored throughout the life of an Agrément Certificate, usually twice a year and more intensively at the end of each 3 year period during the formal Review procedure (5 years for HAPAS). It is this thoroughness and rigour of examination that has helped to give the BBA and its Agrément Certificates the high reputation it holds among all those involved in the selection or acceptance of building products.