Date of Issue: FINAL September 1, 2023 / Version 4 / Issuing Authority: Forensic Science Standards Board 1

OSAC Organizational Priorities 

Purpose

Forensic science seeks to help answer fundamental questions such as: What substances 

are in this questioned sample? Does a sample contain an illicit substance? Did a questioned 

sample and a known sample originate from the same source? What is the provenance of the 

sample? What caused an injury or damage? When did an event occur? Forensic scientists 

develop and use methods to help answer such questions. Method creation and standard 

development in forensic science are on-going activities.

This document identifies priorities for the OSAC and its activities.

In this document,

● “shall” indicates a requirement.

● “should” indicates a recommendation.

● “may” indicates a permission.

● “can” indicates a possibility or a capability.

Organizational Priorities

Standards Development

The OSAC’s primary mission is to facilitate the development and promote the use of highquality, technically sound standards for the forensic sciences. These standards define 

minimum requirements, best practices, standard protocols, and other guidance to help ensure 

that the results of forensic analysis are reliable and reproducible. 

The topics of these standards and expected details within them are defined in the 

Mandatory Requirements for Standards Development.

Accreditation

The OSAC supports the accreditation of all entities engaged in the full- or part-time delivery 

of forensic services. It supports accreditation programs based on International Organization for 

Standardization (ISO) standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 170251

, ISO/IEC 170202), and supplemental 

standards specific to forensic science and associated guidance documents (e.g., based on ILAC 

G193

). It also supports the use of an accrediting body that is a signatory to the ILAC 

1 ISO/IEC 17025, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. 

2 ISO/IEC 17020, Conformity assessment – Requirements for the operation of various types of bodies 

performing inspection.

3 ILAC G19, Modules in a Forensic Science Process.
Date of Issue: FINAL September 1, 2023 / Version 4 / Issuing Authority: Forensic Science Standards Board 2

(International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) Mutual Recognition Arrangement in 

accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011.

Certification

The OSAC supports the certification of all individuals engaged in the full- or part-time 

delivery of forensic services. It supports the use of a certification body accredited to ISO/IEC 

17024 by an accrediting body that is a signatory to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) 

Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 

17011.

Proficiency Tests

OSAC supports the use of a proficiency test provider accredited to ISO/IEC 17043 by an 

accrediting body that is a signatory to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement in 

accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011.

Outreach

To strengthen the nation’s use of forensic science and advance professional practice, the 

OSAC is committed to effective communication and outreach to forensic science stakeholders. 

Outreach shall include:

● international standards organizations

● standards developing organizations

● justice system

● forensic science service providers

● accrediting bodies

● certifying bodies

● proficiency test providers

● professional scientific organizations

● professional forensic science organizations

● forensic scientific working groups

● academia and the broader scientific community

● peer-reviewed scientific journals

● public and private research funding agencies

● suppliers of forensic-science related products

● the general public

OSAC shall engage with these groups by seeking feedback during OSAC comment 

periods, hosting OSAC stakeholder feedback sessions, delivering presentations during 

professional conferences, offering webinars through OSAC and with external partners, sharing 

assessments of research needs, providing monthly publications on the status of standards, 

and corresponding with SDOs.