An inspection body is judged on a different set of questions than a laboratory. Not "how did you validate that method?" but "who inspected this, were they still qualified that day, and who decided the appeal?" ISO/IEC 17020 asks you to prove independence as a type, to monitor inspectors in the field, and to run appeals through someone who was not part of the inspection. None of that fits in a laboratory quality tool.
OnQMS covers ISO/IEC 17020:2012 with its own clause tree, its own workflow and its own menu — 19 clauses mapped to the module that resolves each one, with live status drawn from your real records.
The inspection workflow, end to end
| Stage | What OnQMS records | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Request review | Client, channel and date received, requested scheme, scope, location, requested date — and whether the conditions to accept were met, recorded before work starts. | 7.1 |
| Inspection schemes | The method you inspect against: code, title, normative basis and its checklist. The scheme is what makes two inspectors produce comparable results. | 7.1 |
| Scheduling & team | Who is assigned, in which role, and when — with inspector workload visible before you commit to a date. | 6.1 |
| Items & custody | Each item inspected: reference, type, quantity, condition on receipt, anomalies found, who it was received from and the custody note. | 7.2 |
| Checks & results | Requirement by requirement: the clause reference, the method used, what was measured, what was expected, and the outcome. | 7.3 |
| Reports & certificates | Issued from the inspection record itself, not retyped — with the signature and the change history attached to it. | 7.4 |
| Complaints & appeals | Appellant, grounds, the inspection appealed, acknowledgement, the decider and the due date — so you can show the appeal was handled by someone who was not part of the original decision. | 7.5 |
Two things a laboratory tool will not do for you
Declare your type. Annex A of ISO/IEC 17020 classifies inspection bodies as Type A (independent third party), Type B (a separate in-house part serving only its parent) or Type C (inspecting for its parent or others without organizational separation). The assessor asks for the classification and the evidence of its safeguards. OnQMS holds the declared type in configuration and ties it to the impartiality record: signed declarations per person and a nine-factor impartiality matrix with periodic review. If the type has not been declared, the cockpit says so instead of showing green.
Monitor inspectors in the field. Clause 6.1 expects ongoing monitoring of each inspector, not a certificate filed once. OnQMS records the monitoring type, the date, who evaluated, the result, the findings, the next due date — and links a finding straight to a nonconformity when it needs one. Overdue monitoring shows amber before an assessor finds it.
The clause cockpit, for the inspection standard
The same "show me clause 4.1" screen that laboratories use, built on the ISO/IEC 17020 tree: general requirements, structural requirements, resources, inspection processes and the management system — each clause showing what the standard asks, how OnQMS resolves it, and the live count from your own records. Clauses backed by the inspection modules read their status from the actual inspection tables: the cockpit never invents evidence that does not exist.
One application, two standards
OnQMS is one product with a pack per standard. A body accredited only for inspection sees the inspection menu — and the analytical quality group becomes Sampling, because method validation and proficiency testing are not its world. A laboratory that also inspects gets both trees and shares one core: documents, competence, equipment, internal audits, management review, nonconformities and the audit trail are the same records serving both standards. You do not keep two quality systems in sync.
Commercial model
Perpetual license per site plus the Normative Surveillance Plan — no subscription, no hostage data. It runs on your server, against your SQL Server database, with a fully bilingual interface (English/Spanish).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need OnLIMS to use the inspection module?
Yes. OnQMS works only with OnLIMS: it is a separate module, licensed apart from the core OnLIMS package. The inspection records live in their own tables, and the records both sides share — people, equipment, documents — are the same ones in OnLIMS, not a copy.
Which version of the standard does it follow?
OnQMS is structured on ISO/IEC 17020:2012. ISO/IEC 17020:2026 was published in March 2026, and accreditation bodies are now running their transition from the 2012 edition — UKAS, for example, published its transition bulletin on 30 March 2026. The successor edition is under surveillance in our Normative Surveillance Plan; pack updates are delivered while the Plan is active.
Does it handle Type A, B and C bodies differently?
The type is declared in configuration and drives what the impartiality clause expects of you. OnQMS does not decide your type — that is a structural fact about your organization that your accreditation body assesses.
Can an inspection be appealed by someone outside the body?
Yes — the appeal record holds the appellant, the grounds, the acknowledgement and the decider, precisely so you can demonstrate the decision was taken independently of the original inspection.
Does OnQMS accredit my inspection body?
No. Only your accreditation body does that. What OnQMS does is keep the evidence alive, complete and ready to demonstrate on the day they ask.
Related reading
- Article From Mine Sample to Port Inspection: Why Analytical Integrity Must Survive Every Handover
- Article Copper concentrate commercial evidence: when one result can change the value of a shipment
- Article A Result Is Not Evidence: How OnQMS Builds the ISO/IEC 17025 Evidence Chain
- Solution OnQMS accreditation evidence (ISO/IEC 17025)
- Solution ISO 17025 LIMS