Suppliers Registration System

The Approved Suppliers Center (ASC) program is part of the Kurdistan Regional Government's Prime Minister's Office. The programme is designed to help modernize the region by making sure suppliers, license holders, and certification bodies meet the highest standards of quality and integrity.

Through its work, the ASC ensures these groups follow the rules, offer quality services or products, and are committed to high standards of operation and improvement. This ultimately helps provide confidence in the business environment in Kurdistan and makes it more reliable for everyone. It also ultimately opens opportunities for international trade.

• To ensure the KRG budget secures high-quality products and services.
• To protect the public interest.
• To align supplier standards in the KRI with global best practices.
• To ensure that certifications are issued based on proper assessments and evaluations, providing trust and confidence in the Certification, in line with International Standards.

The decree will directly impact several key groups, while also having broader, indirect benefits:
Directly affected:

• Certification Bodies
• Suppliers and Contractors of the KRG
• Investors
• Governmental Bodies and Agencies

Indirect Benefits:

The broader population of the KRI will indirectly benefit from improved products, infrastructure, and services. Additionally, the economic environment stands to gain from trust in the certification system. The ASC's public listings of registered certification bodies and suppliers can extend these benefits across the entire economy, enhancing overall quality and reliability.

The ASC conducts sector-specific reviews, in collaboration with KRG entities to identify relevant standards, defines their applicability, mandates certification criteria, sets transition periods, and annually publishes an enforcing list for transparency and compliance clarity.

• Needs Analysis and Standard Identification
• Applicability Area Determination
• Transition Period Definition
• Annual Publication of the Standard Enforcing List

The Approved Suppliers Center (ASC) utilizes a robust operational framework to oversee certification bodies within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), ensuring they meet required standards through:

Registration: Registering with the ASC is mandatory for certification bodies to ensure their issued certifications are acknowledged and accepted by any KRG entity.

Validation: The ASC validates the credentials and capabilities of certification bodies.

Auditor Registration: Certification bodies are required to register their auditors, who are active in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with the ASC, to provide a level of confidence that they meet the required professional criteria.

Compliance Monitoring: The ASC conducts both initial and annual verification assessments to monitor ongoing compliance.

Publication: A list of registered and compliant certification bodies is published for transparency.

Market Surveillance: Regular market surveillance activities are undertaken to ensure certification bodies continue to operate within established guidelines.

This structured approach guarantees that certification bodies contribute positively to maintaining high-quality standards within the KRI’s economic environment.