ISO/IEC 17040:2005规定了认证机构或合格评定机构协议组执行的同行评估过程的一般要求。它只涉及与同行评估过程相关的协议组的结构和运作。 ISO/IEC 17040:2005不涉及协议组组建、组织和管理安排的更广泛问题，也不涉及协议组在决定协议组成员时如何使用同行评估。此类事项（例如，可能包括申请人对协议组的决定提出上诉的程序）不在ISO/IEC 17040:2005的范围内。 ISO/IEC 17040:2005适用于执行测试、产品认证、检验、管理体系认证（有时也称为注册）和人员认证等活动的合格评定机构的同行评估。 同行评估过程中可以包括多种类型的活动。当被评估机构对多项符合性评估活动进行综合评估时，这一点尤其合适。 ISO/IEC 17040:2005也适用于认证机构之间的同行评估，也称为同行评估。

ISO/IEC 17040:2005 specifies the general requirements for the peer assessment process to be carried out by agreement groups of accreditation bodies or conformity assessment bodies. It addresses the structure and operation of the agreement group only insofar as they relate to the peer assessment process. ISO/IEC 17040:2005 is not concerned with the wider issues of the arrangements for the formation, organization and management of the agreement group, and does not cover how the group will use peer assessment in deciding membership of the group. Such matters, which could for example include a procedure for applicants to appeal against decisions of the agreement group, are outside the scope of ISO/IEC 17040:2005. ISO/IEC 17040:2005 is applicable to peer assessment of conformity assessment bodies performing activities such as testing, product certification, inspection, management system certification (sometimes also called registration), and personnel certification. More than one type of activity can be included in a peer assessment process. This can be considered particularly appropriate when the body under assessment conducts combined assessments of multiple conformity assessment activities. ISO/IEC 17040:2005 is also applicable to peer assessment amongst accreditation bodies, which is also known as peer evaluation.