Article 20 of the Saudi Product Safety Law

This article allows the competent authorities to use conformity assessment bodies in carrying out their oversight work.

• Who may use them: the competent authorities, which under Article 1 are the bodies responsible for market surveillance under the Law and regulations.
• Which bodies: conformity assessment bodies accepted by the Authority.
• For what purpose: carrying out conformity assessment for a specific product in accordance with the Law and regulations.

The wording "may" makes this a right of the competent authorities, exercised when needed, and not an obligation on them. The only condition the text states is that the body used must be accepted by the Authority.

The difference between this article and Article 19 before it: Article 19 addresses the person responsible for placing the product on the market and requires them to assign conformity assessment to an accepted body where the technical regulations require it, whereas this article addresses the oversight authorities and lets them use assessment bodies for a specific product.

It is followed by Article 21, which requires accepted bodies to keep professional confidentiality in everything they learn about facts, practices and information through their tasks. Under the definition, conformity assessment procedures include calibration, testing, certification and inspection.