conformance specification in procurement

Certain countries request a CoC for certain categories of imported products. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In 1996 ISO/IEC Guide 2 defined the three major terms used in this field. It is the most traditional kind of [1] Gartner Group, a Stamford, CT based consulting company, [2] ISO/IEC Guide 2:1996, Standardization and Related Activities General Vocabulary, Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices, Created September 8, 2010, Updated August 25, 2016, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). It is well recognized that conformance testing is a way to ensure that "standard-based" products are implemented. quantity scheduled purchases. For example, stating that "The system shall be user-friendly" is a completley ambiguous requirement, since the meaning of "user-friendly" is left up to the interpreter. 4. Examples of Conformance to specifications in a sentence. specification sets limits and thereby eliminates, or potentially Purchase Requisition 1 - A poor undetailed specification "I want something to eat my dinner with". (If the specifications don't describe the different approaches in the first place, then it's an implementer detail irrelevant to conformance.). Design Work that matches a design. 2 What are the types of specification in procurement? There are two main types of specification when contracting namely: #1 CONFORMANCE SPECIFICATION With this type of specification the buyer says what they want and how they want it and the supplier has to meet this Examples of conformance specification are: Engineering drawing A chemical formula Model name, number or brand etc ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. A reference implementation is an implementation of a standard that is by definition conformant to that standard. The test suite will focus on XSL transformations (XSLT) and XML Path Language (XPath). Conformance specs: Paper combination is: 3 layers carton (Layer1 is Kraft liner of 125GSM + Layer2 is Test/Recycled liner of 100GSM + Layer3 is Kraft liner of 125GSM) with mentioning Flute type . 0000003930 00000 n Requisition 2 - A clear defined specification "I would like a knife and fork to eat my dinner with, They must be no more than 5 inches high and they must be made of metal. If the criteria or requirements for conformance are not specified, there can be no conformance testing. The conformance clause of a specification is a high-level description of what is required of implementations. Conformance testing (also called conformity assessment) is a way of verifying implementations of a specification to determine whether or not deviations from the specification exist. Conformance with Specification. Failure to pass a test implies failure to conform. When there is enough time to assess the functionality of the product as proposed, Confirm Sign Up via the Email you provided, Get WEEKLY updates on Business, Finance & Legal aspects, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), CIPS L5M4 Advanced Contract and Financial Management, CIPS LEVEL 3 ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY OPERATIONS, Cips level 4 DIPLOMA IN PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY, Legal aspects in entrepreneurship (Mini EBook), Pricing arrangements in commercial agreements, Proposing solutions to customers problems, WELCOME TO THE ZERITE NETWORK TAX TRAINING PROGRAM, The efficacy of specifications does not depend on technical knowledge of the buyer, Supplier can use their creativity to develop the products. On the one hand, a conformance certificate (or a claim of conformance) might only state that an implementation had been tested to completion, and provide a list of the errors that were found. These requirements are specified in a standard or specification as either part of a conformance clause or in the body of the specification. The supplier has to supply this, even though the supplier may not know what the product is for. This type of testing is called conformance testing. represents the kind of thinking in which architects and engineers QUALIFIED PRODUCT LIST (QPL): A Deviation in delivery period shall be considered if such deviation is reasonable.6.1. Lets take an example. by vendors to add products to the QPL. By this they mean that they found out about key requirements of a solution late in the development process. Early supplier involvement can reduce evaluation time in performance based contracts. In this case, most of the technical proposals you will receive more or less will be the same & any technical proposal which is not matching above specs won't be accepted for you Acceptance/rejection of such product will be according to requested details, whether it works in your system or not material should be approved in case it conforms to the specs you have requested, even if it doesnt perform in your supply chain setup. ISO/IEC Guide 2[2] defines conformance (also referred to as conformity) as the fulfillment of a product, process, or service of specified requirements. This nesting continues until level n, which consists of the entire specification. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. One approach, adopted most famously by Ada, forbids any extensions whatsoever; each product must be a precise implementation of the complete specifications. CoC for importing consumer goods in the USA, Certification authorization vs. SDoC (Suppliers Declaration of Conformity) for electronics being imported into the USA, Certificate of Compliance vs. Depending on the nature of the electronic device being imported, you will either need to go through a more comprehensive FCC certification or can submit your own Suppliers Declaration of Conformity. Lets look at the difference between the two: For RF Devices with the greatest potential to cause harmful interference to radio services like smartphones, Bluetooth speakers, earbuds, etc, that emit radiation a self-declaration is not acceptable to comply with FCC regulations and they must be certified by an FCC-recognized Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) based on an evaluation of the supporting documentation and test data submitted by the responsible party (e.g., the manufacturer or importer) to the TCB. 0000066460 00000 n Design specifications are an interpretation of what the customer needs. Testing should be performed by an FCC-recognized accredited testing laboratory.. Nevertheless, the larger and more varied the set of inputs is, the more confidence can be placed in an implementation whose testing generates no errors. 1215 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 1217 /H [ 1477 988 ] /L 355460 /E 76811 /N 21 /T 331040 >> endobj xref 1215 38 0000000016 00000 n The tests are then executed and the results displayed. `d 0@90@AA= .5@2:6: 12@7 KK;+MD 4p$? k9S:>P("hb YUE#5K>,46SCL- j.h8 The conformance clause may specify sets of functions, which may take the form of profiles, levels, or other structures. QualityInspection.org does not present this information as a basis for you to make decisions, and we do not accept any liability if you do so. In these cases, it may be desirable to partition the specifications into subsets of functionality. Equipment authorized under the SDoC procedure is not listed in a Commission database. This more common approach usually includes some additional, more specific, requirements in the conformance clause, along the lines of: One approach that has been used successfully is to have a register for extensions. Lets Start by looking at a Procurement functions relationship with Specifications. Also, what is the difference between conformance specification and performance specification? characteristics of the item desired. These criteria and prepare all specifications. Tip - The purchase specification is to allow purchasing to seek competitive quotations by forwarding the purchase specification to prospective suppliers. A lock ( As a procurement proffesional just think for a moment how many times has a fully agreed and signed of specification been put on your desk and requistioned without any prior input from your function? Get in touch with me and I will give you a tailored recommendation or quotation. ! Falsification testing subjects an implementation to various combinations of legal and illegal inputs, and compares the resulting output to a set of corresponding "expected results." Supplier Resources. 2. When a requisition does not include an existing standard, specification or purchase description, which the contracting officer considers . These errors and ambiguities can then be fed back to the standards committee who developed the specification, for correction. Performance requirements describe the characteristics and 0000009883 00000 n Within these Some clients have asked us what is a certificate of conformity over the years, and we wrote this article to answer that question. What is specification? article. Conformance Specification (Technical) which focuses on inputs and provides specific details of what the product/service should consist of, and how the product should be manufactured as well as what materials and process should be followed. What are the purpose of specification in procurement? Unfortunately, we have no experience in this topic, and the requirements vary from one country/area to the other, so we are unable to help. An example would be a recipe for a food . with the Procurement Officer reserving the final right to Used wooden pallets are Euro-pallets type (120cm x 100cm). Written by Lewis Hutson - Thank you for taking the time to read my first of hopefully (dependant on the first ones reception)many articles. According to the FCC (47 CFR Section 2.906): Equipment that consists of only a radio transmitter (not a transceiver) such as remote control transmitters; land mobile radio transmitters and wireless medical telemetry transmitters are required to be approved using the certification procedure. requirements. The test documentation describes how the testing is to be done and the directions for the tester to follow. brand-name-or-equal specification cites one or more brand-names, The size of staff necessary to do 7 What is the definition of quality of conformance? 2) The car shall have a really kickin stereo system. Is it a marketing or business requirement? Greater share of specification risk is borne by the supplier. The final test suite is expected to be complete by March 2001. /Length 10 0 R A testing laboratory can be an organization or individual, and can either be accredited from a formal accreditation organization such as NIST's National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) or recognized by the buyer, seller, and certificate issuer, as qualified to perform the testing. DEVELOPING SPECIFICATIONS: Although This test suite has been used on a variety of XML processors, and results have been published on XML.com. It, in turn, refers to other parts of the standard. The other approach adopts the weaker overall requirement that, while extensions are allowed, an implementation must perform all the functionality in the specifications exactly as specified. Do you have any questions or experiences to share about certificates of conformity? have expertise in every sphere of College of Charleston academic Without a CoC, products may be impounded, confiscated, and in some case destroyed. It's important to have several calls/meetings with the requesting department to get more clarity about their needs, ask them to get piece of paper and write on it what they need whatever they can write! What steps lead conformance to specification? This reflects the thinking of the "IOR School" (Insti- tute for Operational Research). The level and formality of the conformance testing is determined by the buyer, an organization acting on behalf of a community of buyers, or by regulation (e.g., safety, health, national security concerns). As a procurement professional . What is the definition of quality of conformance? Levels are nested subsets of the specifications. 0000002465 00000 n The Procurement cycle is covered extensively within the CIPS . The conformance clause identifies what must conform and how conformance can be met. legitimate but limited place in public purchasing. The rationale for an expiration date is that the technology, test suite, and/or specification will probably change and this forces the implementation to be retested. What does it mean when software conforms to a standard or specification? Departments using design These extensions may eventually migrate into future versions of the standard. A certificate issuing organization is responsible for issuing certificates for products determined to be conformant. Its relatively easy, faster & straight forward to complete procurement process with conformance specs; however, it limits innovation as you dont really give chance to suppliers to suggest different solutions. at least two brand names that will satisfy the ANSI/BIFMA standards are go-to references when evaluating the safety and durability of furniture products during the specification and procurement process. Procurement professionals need to come out of cost only mindset when such contracts are being evaluated. 3 What steps lead conformance to specification? The documentation should be detailed enough so that testing of a given implementation can be repeated with no change in test results. R3XF5h{o9gkz1p!i[$KQt?I$o:hdSisA4e3Dm9,Hhj4@`h$&!!r" BH$@4$"Jz"H,*Mc18/,1 #c7n~ "/[#J 0000005716 00000 n An official website of the United States government. If errors are found, one can correctly deduce that the implementation does not conform to the specification; however, the absence of errors does not necessarily imply the converse. Specifications often used to be one of the last items written before a package was issued for tender, but this has changed over time. specifications by bn reviewed by rh this procurement is being solicited as a small purchase request for quotation (rfq). The general definition for conformance has changed over time and been refined for specific standards. The meaning of the words "shall," "should," and "may," in the context of the given standard, could be defined in the conformance clause or be as defined by organizations such as ISO. Often times, errors or ambiguities in the specification are discovered. A standard may classify features as "mandatory" vs. "optional," and provide a table listing features so classified. 3. means of attempting to satisfy the requirement, its use The term "optional" is used to indicate that if an implementation is going to provide the specified functionality, then the specification must be followed. 0000066233 00000 n Typically, the decision to establish a testing program is based on weighing the benefits achieved by obtaining conformance versus the costs of creating and running a validation and certification program. What are the characteristics of a good specification in procurement? purpose intended. How many times have you looked at this afore mentioned specification and instantly picked holes in the acheivabilty of the desired outcome? We want to make it easy to do business with us while also helping you navigate the regulations involved in the aerospace and defense technology sector. Any other brands or models Once the item is delivered the specification can be used to compare the delivered item to what was ordered. Alternatively, the Java test suite can be downloaded and run locally. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Here, you may receive totally different proposals which includes totally different solutions, however all of them may be accepted as they all will be achieving the required performance. all necessary drawings, dimensions, terms, and However, this is generally impossible for implementations of nontrivial specifications. Another issue it whether or not a certificate expires (e.g., good for 2 years or never expire). The following are illustrative examples. The success here will obviously depend on how you frame your specifications. Contracting officers must assess the adequacy and applicability of any standards, specifications, including client-developed specifications, or purchase descriptions included by a client in the requisition. contracting for buildings, highways, and other public works, and It here unfortunatley all to often a stage where procurement are left out and not involved from the very begining stages. Specifications can be attributed in two ways; 1) Attributes - related to things such as the part, component or raw material. Shipping of cartons will be in 20 container & max optimization of container. According to a study by the Gartner Group[1], the private sector spends over $2.2 trillion on information technology (IT) annually. characteristic of equipment, materials and supplies. or other required characteristics should be clearly requires something unique, to be custom made or custom built, as should be limited and justified before solicitation. A profile is a subset of the overall specifications that includes all of the functionality necessary to satisfy the requirements of a particular community of users. The validation process consists of the steps necessary to perform the conformance testing by using an official test suite in a prescribed manner. Dimension of the box Length, Width & Height. Lock 0000004193 00000 n purchased under indefinite quantity term contracts and definite situations when the use of this specification is our only The conformance clause is a part or collection of parts of a specification that defines the requirements, criteria, or conditions that shall be satisfied by an implementation in order to claim conformance. If bids could depart from the specification, the result would be the defeat of competition and a contract in which there was no competitive bidding. Generically, a conformance test suite is a collection of combinations of legal and illegal inputs to the implementation being tested, together with a corresponding collection of "expected results." brand-name specifications has the effect of limiting the bidding a. ^O{f 0jlrG11lgjcBR8LLQ4Ms7Irl;%oOA?CECpd@{m1MS]81W_4;O,Wmw@:5(h1f up/}u,2 Et8ALC%Z7 #fc[,:RC oA_"IFWS.fL' rx0!% ^r2;u,{0rd@Ty !A34AEnKZX+1 n/o A good specification should do four things: (1) Identify minimum requirements, (2) allow for a competitive bid, (3) list reproducible test methods to be used in testing for compliance with specifications, and (4) provide for an equitable award at the lowest possible cost. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 2. If you cant describe what your organization need on piece of paper then imagine how suppliers can understand your needs, then quote/propose the right solution for it. Substitutions or alterations will not be permitted without Company's written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed. In other cases, batch CoC would be good enough. In the event of a dispute or other commercial issues the specification can provide a formal method of identifying what the purchaser wanted against what was delivered. The ECMAScript suite allows the user to select a category of tests from a drop down menu. a. A certificate of conformity, or CoC, is issued by an authorized party (sometimes the manufacturer, sometimes an independent laboratory) and states that the product meets the required standards or specification. When all deviations and omissions are eliminated, the implementation conforms to the specification. Conformance involves two major components: (1) a test tool and (2) a testing program (e.g., certification or branding). interchangeably to designate an approach to specifications that A QPL is ", Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices, Created September 8, 2010, Updated August 25, 2016, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), conformity - fulfillment of a product, process or service of specified requirements. specifications customarily employ dimensional and other physical /Filter /LZWDecode Examples of conformance specification are: In this case the buyer simply explains problems the product should solve and the supplier provides such. Here is one example. Using this set of TAs, a set of tests that will exercise each of the requirements is developed. 0000007908 00000 n ISO/IEC TR 13233 defined conformance and conformity as "fulfillment by a product, process or service of all relevant specified conformance requirements." 0000004956 00000 n described fully to include thickness, size, color, etc. A buyer would typically ask for a CoC on products/components that are critical or high risk. On the other hand, the policy might be that a certificate is issued (or a claim of conformance is made) only if no errors are found. competition consistent with seeking overall economy for the Without knowing whats really needed costs can be far higher than required and the solution procured for the business not fit for purpose. performance, quality or essential characteristics must be this sense means that the specification concentrates on how the Procurements primary role of taking a business requirement (specification) finding a supplier/suppliers , negotiating a deal and then ordering the item is all hinged on that first step! Typically, the sponsor establishes and maintains the program. Certificate of Conformity, According to the FCC (47 CFR Section 2.906), Sofeast: Quality Assurance In China Or Vietnam For Beginners [eBook], Assembly Fixtures: A Valuable Productivity and Quality Tool, Process Engineering: Limitations of Most Chinese Suppliers, 6 Tips To Combat Common Recurring Quality Issues From Your Supplier, ISTA Testing: Do It And Stop Worrying About Product Damage In Transit, How USA & Canada SME Importers Feel about China in early 2023, Description of the product covered in the CoC, List of all safety regulations the product must pass, The CoC must clearly list each of the safety regulations the product must be tested for, refer to related tests reports or certificates, Importer or manufacturers identification, Provide the name, full mailing address, and telephone number of the importer or domestic manufacturer certifying the product. In this example, while the mattresses were not required to be tested by a third party laboratory, the mattress manufacturer voluntarily chose to do so and must provide the information about that laboratory. Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines When BioPreferred and CPG are both required, the agency shall purchase the item that meets the CPG requirements (per FAR 23.405 Procedures (c) and Farm Security and Rural Investment Act, Section 9002 (b)). The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) are addressing XML-related interoperability issues by jointly developing test suites that are intended to complement the W3C Recommendations. When validation is coupled with certification, successful completion of conformance testing results in the issuance of a certificate (or brand) indicating that the implementation conforms to the appropriate specification. PFi@("$0 (JDbyHA': F$%BIPAl4FP'aFYlO2f)m8c4&3 o7q$e9(#yd: Sometimes, its really challenging to collect/get what your organization need .. even after sending the Tender/RFQ package, suppliers sometimes come back to you and comment Its not really clear for us whats required ? sizable latitude in how to accomplish the end purpose. Sample 1 Sample 2 The prevailing style of management conditions people to "conformance to specification" as the aim, writes Nigel Clements. Additionally, the documentation should be detailed enough so that testing of a given implementation can be repeated with no change in test results.

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