DUBAI, Feb 13th, 2006 (WAM) - Dubai Accreditation (DAC) Centre on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), the world renowned international accreditation body.

The MoU, signed by Eng. Abdullah AbdulRahman Al Shaibani, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Technical Services Affairs and Paul Stennet, Chief Executive of UKAS, seeks to derive mutual benefit from staff interaction, information exchange, cooperative assessments, training and other forms of collaboration, according to a press release.

Eng. Lina Mofleh Qudah, Acting Director of DAC and Head of Accreditation Decisions Section and other officials of the DAC were also present during the signing ceremony.

"This MoU has great significance in the light of the rapid growth in all spheres, particularly, the construction boom that is being witnessed by Dubai today and the government's keenness to place great emphasis on providing quality services," said Al Shaibani.

He said the increased number of cranes used for construction activities in Dubai demands a strict quality check from an accredited body with international recognition in order to ensure their safety.

"We have a lot of international contractors working in Dubai.

Cement and other materials used in construction should also conform to international standards," said Al Shaibani.

"Now DAC will do what UKAS does in England. Since many labs here are giving accreditation, DAC has plans to organize the accreditation sector in Dubai," he said, adding that public can now look for DAC mark for quality.

Stennet said the signing of MoU is a very important step as it formalizes the tradition of cooperation. "DAC is now closely associated with an international body in the field of accreditation.

Through this, DAC can access the service of British engineers and technical hands to check the safety of the cranes and other building materials," he said.

Stennet hoped that through the MoU, DAC can become the number one organization in the region in the accreditation sector. He added that DAC is the first organization in the region to sign a MoU with UKAS.

According to the MoU both organizations see advantages in the development of strong accreditation links and relationships.

The area of cooperation include group joint assessments with DAC assessors being observers in the UKAS assessments taking place in Dubai, possible exchange of information on the status of accreditation taking place by UKAS in Dubai subject to the agreement of individual accredited bodies, mutual guidance and assistance in the preparations of seminars, conferences, and workshops, providing leads for contacting appropriate UKAS technical assessors, cooperation in training projects for specified areas of development, and encouraging implementation of ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) and IAF (International Accreditation Forum) Cross Frontier Accreditation policies in the UAE.

The terms of specific areas of cooperation shall be further considered and agreed upon in writing by both parties prior to the initiation of any particular programme or activity.

Later DAC officials held discussions with Stennet regarding contacting appropriate UKAS technical assessors and experts in the lifting equipment field, particularly crane, cradle, construction hoists, elevators and escalators inspections and training DAC staff in accreditation certification bodies that include product, personnel and management system certification.