Accreditation Process

imageDetailed perspective of this process is provided in various ( American Hope Petroleum & Energy Accreditation Taskforce) AHPEATAT documents, beginning with AHPEATAT Document 1 – The Accreditation Process.
The entire accreditation process is completed within AHPEAT’s Hope Accreditation Management System (HAMS). Hard copy inquiries, applications will not be accepted.

Inquiry

The first step in the accreditation process is to register and create an account in HAMS. From within HAMS, then complete and submit the Inquiry Questionnaire and processing fee to determine whether your company is eligible to apply for AHPEAT accreditation.

Application

Formal application to AHPEATAT for initial review and consideration to determine eligibility requires the submission of AHPEAT Document – Application for Accreditation, supporting documentation and a process fee. Acceptance of the application is not an indication or assessment of your company’s compliance with Standards for AHPEAT Accreditation but simply an initial indicator of congruence with the eligibility requirements.

Accreditation and Evaluation Workshop

All applicants are required to send at least one representative to the AHPEAT’S Training workshop on Accreditation before submitting the Self-Evaluation Report (SER).

The workshops are designed to provide an in-depth study of the AHPEAT accreditation process in order to help your company in the preparation of the SER, the on-site evaluation and the actions of AHPEAT.

Self-Evaluation Report (SER)

Following acceptance of the application and registration/participation at the Workshop, the institution will complete and submit to AHPEAT the Self-Evaluation Report (SER). The SER is not simply an assemblage of descriptive data and information but must reflect a penetrating analysis of the operation, its strengths and weaknesses. This evaluation is expected to be a vital experience which yields significant insights for a Company’s credibility. The analysis is expected to induce the applicant to reassess its objectives, resources, operations, policies, procedures, and achievements.

Examination Team.

After the SER has been received by the AHPEAT staff, arrangements are made for an examination team to make an on-site visit. Examination team members are chosen with particular regard for the unique characteristics of the Company to be evaluated. Examination teams vary in size and constituency depending upon the focus and complexity of the applicant’s operations. The team members are assigned various individual responsibilities depending upon their area(s) of expertise with one team member serving as Team Leader. Each major operations area will be examined by a competent specialist with an OIL & GAS experiential background in the field. The composition of a team will typically include an AHPEAT Representative, an operations/ fraud /Management/documentation Specialist, and a corporate affairs commission’s expert as needed.

Site Visit

The Site Visit/Examination Team visit is a fact-finding initiative on behalf of the Accrediting Commission. The primary responsibility of the Team during the visit is to establish an objective comparative analysis of the institution’s SER and the operational characteristics relevant to each of the AHPEAT required documents for Accreditation as demonstrated by HAMS.

Team examiners and inspectors will seek to verify the accuracy and validity of the information and data contained in the SER through inquiry, observation, and investigation with sampling techniques. Both administrative and educational activities are reviewed in the context of the AHPEAT standards, policies and procedures.

Inspection Report

The Team prepares a report of the visit and submits it to the AHPEAT office for processing. A copy of this report is sent to the applicant institution, providing an opportunity to respond and to submit additional documentation, pertinent to factors existent at the time of the visit, for consideration by the AHPE Accrediting Taskforce.

AHPEAT Accrediting Action

The AHPEAT meets periodically to review and evaluate companies in Nigeria, and may accredit for a period up to five years (a maximum of one year for initial company applicants), defer accreditation pending further evidence or required changes, deny accreditation or, withdraw accreditation from a company that is currently accredited. A written report of the AHPEAT’s decision is made to the applicant within 30 days from the conclusion of the AHPEAT panel meeting. AHPEAT publishes its reports with detailed explanation of the actions taken at recent AHPEAT accreditation Meetings.

Scheduling

There is no fixed, definitive timeframe for completing the initial accreditation review process; we believe that twelve (12) months is a reasonable time frame estimate for a company committed to a serious investment of the necessary resources.

An initial application expires one year from the date of receipt by AHPEAT, unless officially accepted along with the subsequent receipt of an SER, request for on-site visit and fees within that timeframe. Applicants accepted prior to the conclusion of a given review cycle (January, July or December) may be scheduled for an on-site evaluation during the following review cycle based upon timely submission of the appropriate documentation and fees.
Please make sure you review our Accreditation Calendar.