NFRC will be strengthening its flagship Product Certification Program (PCP) in 2025. This effort will raise the credibility of the certified product ratings that program participants use and help NFRC fulfill its strategic goal to achieve greater recognition in the domestic and international residential fenestration market. An accredited PCP will benefit all stakeholders.

NFRC will pursue accreditation for its flagship Product Certification Program (PCP) to the ISO/IEC 17065 standard. Accreditation of the PCP will:

• Increase the credibility of NFRC and our certified product ratings,
• Streamline processes for all participants, labs, and IAs,
• Ensure manufacturers using NFRC-certified product ratings comply with domestic and international regulatory bodies,
• Provide a sustainable future for the certified product ratings used by participants, and
• Identify NFRC and its PCP participants as partners with allied industry organizations and government agencies.

The NFRC Board of Directors has authorized the following staff actions:

• Pursue accreditation through both the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC),
• Create a board working group to assist staff,
• Inform membership of the plan to achieve accreditation, and 
• Ensure transparency throughout the process.

A timeline has been developed for pursuing accreditation and implementing the program. Costs will not be known until accreditation and implementation of the certification program is complete. At that time, NFRC will revisit fees associated with participation in the PCP.

NFRC staff will continue to evaluate and manage the costs of operating an accredited certification program with an emphasis on streamlining and reducing overhead.

There will be some changes to the PCP affecting members and participants:

• Document approval process: The NFRC 700 document will be converted to the NFRC 7000 series of documents. 
  • "NFRC 7018: NFRC Labeling and Mark Usage Requirements" and "NFRC 7019: PCP Extension and Waiver Process" documents are published and implemented on the Program Documents page.
  • Some NFRC 7000 documents will be revised with public comment periods prior to publication, consistent with accreditation requirements. Public review periods will be announced in program bulletins and in the NFRC Update newsletter. Links to the documents and the comment form can also be found on the Documents in Public Review webpage during public comment periods.
• CPD: The Certified Products Database will be updated to incorporate new business rules and processes. Some of these changes are being implemented with the Product Certification Management System (PCMS) that labs and IAs are already using for new and recertified product lines. More information on PCMS for labs and IAs can be found here.
• License agreements: New license agreements will be developed for participants, IAs, labs, and policy committees. Information on the license agreement requirements can be found here.
• Training: NFRC will create and conduct training for staff, IAs, laboratories, and PCP participants as required for changes to documents, processes, and websites.

No. You will not need to switch labs or IA.

No. The IAs will continue to administer the program through their review of test and simulation reports, and quality assurance inspections. NFRC will not assume those duties from the IAs. Accreditation does mean that NFRC will standardize the processes that the IAs and labs follow and NFRC will sign the certification documents -- Certificates of Authorization (CA) or Certification Authorization Reports (CAR) -- that you receive now.