CAF Excellence Recognition
The CAF Excellence Recognition (CER) assessment process enhances the practical value of the CAF model for public sector organizations. It provides a formal mechanism through which organizations can benchmark their performance against established quality standards and comparable organizations, helping them identify strengths and areas for improvement. Feedback from peers and experts involved in the CER assessment process delivers detailed, evidence-based, and valuable insights, making the assessment more meaningful and practically useful. The feedback obtained is comprehensive and covers various aspects of organizational performance, including process efficiency, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement, thereby providing a holistic picture of the organization’s current state.
Achieving CER recognition through this process not only increases employee and management satisfaction by acknowledging their efforts but also motivates them to continue striving for excellence. Furthermore, it strengthens accountability and transparency, as CER recognition demonstrates to stakeholders that the organization is actively committed to maintaining high-quality standards. In addition, it significantly enhances the organization’s reputation, sending a clear signal to citizens, partners, and other public sector entities that it is a leader in quality management and dedicated to continuous improvement.
Five General Principles of the CER Assessment Process
- The CER assessment process is a common European system implemented voluntarily within national contexts.
- The CER assessment process promotes feedback on the implementation of the CAF model and its impact on the organization. This feedback is provided by external assessors who have completed CER training delivered by the European CAF Resource Centre and/or national organizers.
- The CER assessment process leads to one of three possible levels of recognition (CER*, CER**, or CER***), each valid for three years.
- Responsibility for implementing CER lies at the national level with each member state and its national organizer. Where no national organizer exists, support is provided by the European CAF Resource Centre.
- The CER assessment process is based on three pillars:
- The self-assessment process
- The improvement process
- The maturity of Total Quality Management (TQM) within the organization
Objectives of the CAF External Feedback Methodology
In response to the needs and requirements expressed by CAF users across various EU Member States, the objectives of the CER assessment process are:
Validation of Efforts
Implementing TQM through the CAF model requires significant effort, resources, and commitment. External recognition serves as formal confirmation that these efforts have resulted in meaningful improvements in quality and performance while encouraging organizations to advance to higher levels of maturity through progressively higher recognition levels.
Benchmarking and Comparison
The pursuit of excellence and external recognition enables organizations to compare their performance with that of similar organizations. Such comparisons help organizations understand their position relative to peers and provide a basis for continuous improvement.
Credibility and Trust
CER recognition enhances the organization’s credibility. It demonstrates to stakeholders—including citizens, employees, and partners—that the organization is committed to high standards and willing to be held accountable for its performance.
Levels of CAF Excellence Recognition
CAF Excellence Recognition* (CER*)
Pillar 1 – Steps 1–3 are assessed.
Pillar 2 – Steps 4–5 are assessed.
Pillar 3 – All principles are assessed, and two principles selected by the organization are evaluated in depth (one of the selected principles must be either Results Orientation or Citizen/Customer Focus). The organization must achieve at least the Initiation (I) level in all eight principles.
CAF Excellence Recognition** (CER**)
Pillar 1 – Steps 1–3 are assessed.
Pillar 2 – Steps 4–6 are assessed.
Pillar 3 – All principles are assessed, and three principles selected by the organization are evaluated in depth (one of the selected principles must be either Results Orientation or Citizen/Customer Focus). The organization must achieve at least the Initiation (I) level in all eight principles, with at least four principles reaching the Realization (R) level. For one principle selected by the organization, progress must be demonstrated compared to the previous positive assessment by achieving a higher assessment level (e.g., from Initiation (I) to Realization (R), or from Realization (R) to Maturity (M)).
CAF Excellence Recognition*** (CER***)
Pillar 1 – Steps 1–3 are assessed.
Pillar 2 – Steps 4–6 are assessed.
Pillar 3 – All principles are assessed, and four principles selected by the organization are evaluated in depth, including Results Orientation and Citizen/Customer Focus. At least four principles must achieve the Realization (R) level or higher. At least one principle must achieve the Maturity (M) level. No more than one principle may remain at the Initiation (I) level. For one principle selected by the organization, progress must be demonstrated compared to the previous positive assessment by achieving a higher assessment level (e.g., from Initiation (I) to Realization (R), or from Realization (R) to Maturity (M)).
Three Levels of CER Recognition
CAF User
The CAF User status is not an award resulting from an assessment like the CER recognitions. Rather, it is an acknowledgment granted to organizations that have demonstrated effective use of the CAF model through a completed self-assessment and the development of an improvement plan. Organizations do not apply separately for this status. It is granted by the national organizer following a simple verification of the completeness and compliance of the self-assessment report and improvement plan after the organization has registered in the Slovak CAF Users Database.
The national organizer of CAF Excellence Recognition assessments in the Slovak Republic is the Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing of the Slovak Republic.
Eligibility for CER Assessment
An organization may apply for CER assessment if it:
- Has implemented the CAF model, completed the self-assessment process, and adopted an Improvement Action Plan (the application for CER assessment may be submitted no earlier than six months and no later than twelve months after approval of the Improvement Action Plan by the organization’s management);
- Is registered as a CAF user in the European online CAF Users Database;
- Is registered as a CAF user in the Slovak CAF Users Database.
CER Assessment Fees
| CAF Excellence Recognition * | 1 900,- EUR |
| CAF Excellence Recognition ** | 2 200,- EUR |
| CAF Excellence Recognition *** | 2 500,- EUR |
Number of currently valid Effective CAF User titles in the Slovak Republic
Click on the image to enlarge it.
Number of awarded Effective CAF User label in the years 2011 – 2025
Click on the image to enlarge it.
An overview of organisations that have been awarded the Effective CAF User label in the Slovak Republic can be found in the Slovak Database of CAF Users (available in Slovak only).