General Background Screening Accreditation Program (Formerly Global Accreditation)

APPLICATION PERIOD NOW OPEN TO ALL ORGANIZATIONS

The General Background Screening Accreditation Program is part of PBSA's global expansion designed to meet the needs of PBSA member organizations that deliver background screening services outside the United States for employment, employment-related, contractor, or volunteer screening.

Applications are currently being accepted for any organization that wishes to be announced or accredited with the Beta Testing Group. Applications for Group 1 are being accepted through February 28, 2023. Please note that an LOI is NOT required for Group 1. Organizations that are granted accredited status will be accredited for a five-year period, will undergo a surveillance audit during the third year, and will have the opportunity to renew at the end of the five-year period.

Apply to be part of Group 1

If your organization would like to be included in Group 1:

Review the updated Accreditation FAQs.
Review the resources and timeline below.
Review and complete the Application.
- The application may be returned by mail to the address included in the application or via email to accreditation@thepbsa.org.

2022/23 Beta Testing Timeline*

*subject to change as necessary

June 30:	Application period closes.
July 27:	BSCC reviews applications in a blind fashion.
August 1:	Applicant Organizations informed if chosen for the Beta Testing Group and receive confidentiality agreement.
September 1:	Signed Confidentiality Agreement and fees due.
August 12 to November 30:	Organizations in the Beta Testing Group prepare materials for the desk audit.
November 30:	Audit Materials Upload Due
December 1 - February 3, 2023	Desk Audit Phase
January 15 - March 4, 2023	Virtual Audit Phase
April 3, 2023:	Organizations informed if granted accredited status**

**Note that any organization selected for beta testing is required to keep their participation confidential throughout the entire process. At the completion of beta testing, applicants that are awarded accreditation will not be able to publish their status until Group 1 (non-beta applicants) is accredited.

2023 Group 1 General Accreditation Timeline*

*subject to change as necessary

February 28, 2023	Application period closes.
August 31	Audit materials due.
TBD:**	Desk Audit phase
TBD:**	Virtual Audit phase
TBD:**	Organizations informed if granted accredited status.

**Dates noted as TBD will be determined upon receipt of all applications.

Resources

Application Documents

Accreditation & Re-Accreditation Application (Includes pricing.)

If you have questions, please email accreditation@thepbsa.org.

***A note about the clause numbering: You may notice some inconsistent numbering in the clauses. As the General Standard is modeled on the BSAAP (U.S.) Standard, the clause numbers and names have been applied to both wherever possible. This is done to make it easier to compare the requirements of the two Standards and therefore aid organizations that wish to consider securing accreditation under both the U.S. Standard and the General Standard.

For example, Clause 1.1: Information Security Certification is titled the same as in the BSAAP (U.S.) Standard while U.S.-centric clauses have either been renamed (e.g., Clause 2.2) or removed altogether (e.g., Clauses 2.4 and 4.4).