The Saudi Authority for Accredited Appraisers (“Taqeem”), through its training arm, the “Training and Development Center,” received approval from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) for mutual recognition between the Authority and the Institute through the Fellowship membership granted by the Authority in vehicle damage assessment and the Fellowship membership offered by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI)—which is the highest level of membership granted by the Institute—so that holders of the Authority’s fellowship in vehicle damage assessment can now obtain Institute membership in accordance with the mutual recognition agreement.
This accreditation embodies the Authority’s vision of achieving global leadership in accordance with international standards for a prestigious and reliable appraisal profession. As the regulatory body for the appraisal profession in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and works to establish regulations and legislation that enable appraisers to practice in accordance with approved appraisal standards. It is the first Arab organization to receive this accreditation from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) in the Middle East, specifically in the field of vehicle damage.
The Authority’s Acting Secretary-General, Engineer Faisal bin Badr Al-Mandeel, said that this partnership will help boost beneficiaries’ confidence in the field of vehicle damage assessment, support the appraisal system, and develop the profession and its practitioners in the Kingdom to bring them into line with international practices.
He added that this will positively impact the quality of accredited vehicle damage assessment centers and create a conducive environment to attract more specialized and qualified experts to the vehicle damage assessment sector.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is the only specialized institution of its kind in the world to offer accredited certifications in the vehicle maintenance and repair sector. It was founded in 1920 in the United Kingdom and has more than 800,000 members. The Institute works to train and develop professionals in the automotive sector across all specializations, including damage assessment, repair, establishing manufacturing standards, and testing modern technologies, It collaborates with numerous governments, educational institutions, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), manufacturers, and training centers to develop professional expertise in line with the highest international standards.
It is worth noting that the Authority has previously signed a number of mutual recognition agreements in various valuation fields, such as mutual recognition with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in the field of real estate valuation, the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) in the machinery and equipment appraisal sector, which are, first and foremost, a significant endorsement of the quality of the training programs offered by the Valuation Academy, in an effort to adhere to the highest valuation standards and continuously keep pace with the rapid developments in the sector and the constant changes in the market.