ISO/IEC 17011:2004 specifies general requirements for accreditation bodies assessing and accrediting conformity assessment bodies (CABs). It is also appropriate as a requirements document for the peer evaluation process for mutual recognition arrangements between accreditation bodies.

Accreditation bodies operating in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011:2004 do not have to offer accreditation to all types of CABs.

For the purposes of ISO/IEC 17011:2004, CABs are organizations providing the following conformity assessment services: testing, inspection, management system certification, personnel certification, product certification and, in the context of this document, calibration.