conformance specification in procurement

The CoC is sometimes called Certificate of Conformance or Certificate of Compliance. The success here will obviously depend on how you frame your specifications. Conformance to specifications means to meet any requirements defined for the product, not only regulatory. This blog is written by Renaud Anjoran, an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer who has been involved in chinese manufacturing since 2005. with the Procurement Officer reserving the final right to Do you have any other example on Conformance & Performance specifications? manufacturers' names, brand names and model numbers, but it is A reference implementation is an implementation of a standard that is by definition conformant to that standard. 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. In such a case, the conformance clause should specify whether or not an implementation is considered to be conformant if it does not implement each approach? Lets take an example. Finally, the testing policy and procedure should identify and define the actions of the organization(s) responsible for conducting the tests, handling disputes, and issuing certificates (or brands) of validation. 6 What makes a good specification in procurement? 2) Actions - related to things such as functions, processes,. In essence this is less rigid than conformance specification. It may also be called a certificate of conformance or certificate of conformity.. met to be considered responsive. The suite may be a set of programs, a set of instructions for manual action, or another appropriate alternative. Who does the testing? In general, the buyer is the impetus for sellers to undergo conformance testing. 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 and total GSM. The conformance clause identifies what must conform and how conformance can be met. This board should be a body of impartial experts. What is specification? Brand-name-or-equal specifications have a brand-name-or-equal specification cites one or more brand-names, Conformance and Performance Specifications 1. 0000008579 00000 n 0000066233 00000 n contracting for buildings, highways, and other public works, and Lock Environment working temperature is between 15C 40C. 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. of function and cost. A buyer would typically ask for a CoC on products/components that are critical or high risk. However, this is generally impossible for implementations of nontrivial specifications. Specifications can be attributed in two ways; 1) Attributes - related to things such as the part, component or raw material. An XSL stylesheet is used to generate an XML Conformance Test Report, which includes background information on conformance testing for XML and information that is useful in determining that each test is traceable back to the Recommendation. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. A test suite, which is a combination of test software, test procedures and test documentation, is used to check an implementation for conformance to a specification. 4 What are the characteristics of a good specification in procurement? They often refer to particular documents, and/or particular information within them. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Examples of conformance specification; Specifically, if buyers don't demand that a product be . The conformance clause identifies what must conform and how conformance can be met. In contraast, see Performance or Functional Specifications . Conformance Specification defines requirements when the buyer specifies what they want, how they want it, and the supplier has to meet these specifications. 4M%m8Kxq@D0P- E62e(S4O#?s3,!Ms%iTZa5 @!.MOzNRU!+9nI An official website of the United States government. Dimension of the box Length, Width & Height. 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. ISO/IEC Guide 2 also mentions that "Typical examples of conformity assessment activities are sampling, testing and inspection; evaluation, verification and assurance of conformity (supplier's declaration, certification); registration, accreditation and approval as well as their combinations.". 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 makes a good specification in procurement? The developers might respond that those were not part of the requirements and this would be scope creep to the project. In contrast to the design approach, in-house terminology. BRAND-NAME SPECIFICATIONS: The characteristic of equipment, materials and supplies. /Length 10 0 R determine equivalency. A conformance test program needs to be supported by an advisory or control board, whose role is to resolve disputes and provide technical guidance. XML Test Suite is available from the NIST web site, http://xw2k.nist.gov/xml/index.html. to a single product and is the most restrictive kind of Generally, there are two main types of specification, conformance and performance Conformance specification; In this case the buyer details exactly what the product must have, as in what they want the product to be like!. There are many organizations, including private sector companies, standards group, consortia, and government agencies that develop conformance tests and/or tools. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 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. Lock 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." Without a CoC, products may be impounded, confiscated, and in some case destroyed. Conformance testing is NOT a way to judge if one product is better than another. XSLT Test Suite NIST is working with W3C and the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) to develop a comprehensive test suite for the Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) processors. Chartered MCIPS. Some standards have no official testing organizations. By definition, a How To Manufacture A Product In China (without losing your shirt)? It is generally inspected during customs clearance if the product being imported requires it. Here is one example. definitions of non-standard terms. Some recent standards include, as official parts of the standard, lists of assertions. Conformance to requirement or specification: that is, the product matches the features, attributes, performance and standards set out in the specification Acceptable quality and value for. (b) Semiconductor devices and microcircuits not procured under a military specification shall be However, 0000007164 00000 n This button displays the currently selected search type. Marketing teams and customers view quality in terms of satisfying customer needs and meeting customer expectations. Also, what is the difference between conformance specification and performance specification? 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. The advantages afforded by testing (and certification) are fairly obvious: quality products, interoperability, and competitive markets with more choices. Its use is called for where a structure or 0000008556 00000 n 2. Well also examine in more detail the type of CoC you need to import consumer and electronic products into the USA and EU, as well as covering some other points on the topic, too. I will be discussing topics covering all aspects of the Supply chain (particularly Procurement) fuctions, Change Managment ideas and theories and IT software solutions (General focus being ERPSystems such as INFOR M3)For business needs. It will include: Finding examples on the internet is easy. Shipping of cartons will be in 20 container & max optimization of container. specifications must explain in detail the results Get in touch with me and I will give you a tailored recommendation or quotation. the methods for establishing and maintaining a QPL varies widely Quality standards are defined as documents that provide requirements, specifications, guidelines, or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes, and services are fit for their purpose. Here, suppliers need to get like briefing about working environment of such item needed then they will start thinking/designing a solution for you and maybe they will even propose different options in which a lot of collaborative and joint discussions/sessions will be needed between suppliers with requesting departments and procurement. tests or other criteria for comparing, examining and approving products are equal and this basis must be predicated upon 9 What are the types of specifications when contracting? The test software, consisting of a set of test files (i.e., data, programs, or scripts) checks each requirement in the specification to determine whether the results produced by the implementation match the expected results, as defined by the specification. The Java test suite contains over 200 tests and covers the fundamental and extended interfaces of the DOM Level 1 Recommendation. For software specifications it is the software that has 'implemented' the specification. Performance purchasing is results orientated in terms (a) Special marking as required under the applicable Military Specification [e.g. activity involved in developing specifications for items Written by Lewis Hutson - Thank you for taking the time to read my first of hopefully (dependant on the first ones reception)many articles. performance specifications afford the manufacturer or bidder 136 Conformance vs. Used wooden pallets are Euro-pallets type (120cm x 100cm). Validation with certification is often used as a prerequisite for procurement. 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. Requisition 2 enables the buyer to go and research the market and benchmark against specific needs and where He/She can, achieve a cost reduction against the specification without delivering something that may not be fit for purpose. Official websites use .gov 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. It is the basis of all offers and therefore the foundation for a contract. In order to test that a specification is faithfully adhered to, one must carefully examine the specification and compare the implementation's result against the syntax and semantics contained in the specification. 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." Speaking generally, one is the specification that Well explain what a CoC is, what its used for, and what it includes. competitors that can supply the product, the department head has It is generally inspected during customs clearance if the product being imported requires it. 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. Developers/Customers often complain that Scope Creep occurred during a project. compliance with specifications, and (4) provide for an equitable 0000066380 00000 n Portability is the ability to move software programs or applications among different computer systems with minimal change. 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. Conformance clause and specification wording. Departments using design The conformance clause of a specification is a high-level description of what is required of implementations. and more interested in what a product does. 0000004193 00000 n When all deviations and omissions are eliminated, the implementation conforms to the specification. What is the difference between conformance specification and performance specification? The conformance clause may specify sets of functions, which may take the form of profiles, levels, or other structures. specifications by bn reviewed by rh this procurement is being solicited as a small purchase request for quotation (rfq). And, in some cases, specific documents are required for certification or to show the end user/customer, that the product is safe. a. ~ F3!"c|?f0u{X)(oMU1H"Yq66fI1ar3f$cq. 4) The car shall travel at speeds between 0 and 100 mph. These criteria may or may not require implementations to pass 100% of the specifications. Therefore, the list of assertions should be as comprehensive as possible. Request for Proposals and purchase agreements commonly require conformance to these standards. The validation process consists of the steps necessary to perform the conformance testing by using an official test suite in a prescribed manner. 0000069347 00000 n The conformance clause may specify minimal requirements for certain functions and minimal requirements for implementation-dependent values. They can also be selected from a drop down menu, executed and results displayed. described fully to include thickness, size, color, etc. What are the purpose of specification in procurement? A defect can lead to a failure that might result in loss of life. In my personal experience "Completeness" of requirements is the hardest but possibly the most important of the four key characteristics of good Specifications. predicated on a written specification which includes certain Sensor installation and measurement location specifications, performance and equipment specifications, test procedures, and data reduction procedures are included in this specification. Supplier Resources. Supplier Resources. The problem here however is the chance that the person who raised the requisition may well change their mind or refine the specification as quotes begin to arrive. DEVELOPING SPECIFICATIONS: Although BRAND-NAME-OR-EQUAL SPECIFICATIONS: A 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. Thus, quality of conformance equates to conformance to specifications within an acceptable tolerance range. 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. Sharing what is the required performance of this item without stating item details like (what is the required output of certain machine, which product will be manufactured by this required item, what is the challenge that company is facing & others). Within these More recently with the advent of the Internet and rapidly changing information technology, the notion of conformance testing has become less formal allowing developers and users to assess for themselves the validity or correctness of the software or data with respect to the relevant specification. 1.2 Upon request by the Owner, the Manufacturer at its expense shall provide proof of conformance with any or all requirements of this specification. 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. ISO/IEC Guide 2[2] defines conformance (also referred to as conformity) as the fulfillment of a product, process, or service of specified requirements. Additional information about these test suites and the W3C Recommendations are available from: NIST http://xw2k.nist.gov/xml/index.html, OASIS http://www.oasis-open.org/committees. 0000009274 00000 n Importers of some consumer electronic products that intentionally or non-intentionally emit radiation between 9kHz to 3,000 GHz radio frequency range including personal computers, fans, power stations for devices, LED lights, TV remotes, etc, into the USA must issue a Suppliers Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) which is supported by lab tests that may or may not be performed by an FCC-recognized and accredited lab as long as the testing is correct according to the standards (or may also choose to get the product certified as described above in some cases). This nesting continues until level n, which consists of the entire specification. Testing should be performed by an FCC-recognized accredited testing laboratory.. 1. This makes the purchasing process inefficient. criteria for the purpose of qualifying the bid document. Conformance tests are meant to provide the users of conforming products some assurance or confidence that the product behaves as expected, performs functions in a known manner, or has an interface or format that is known. The duty of Procurement to promote Reference method tests and PEMS drift tests are conducted to determine conformance of the PEMS with the specification. 5. The following discussion defines conformance and conformance testing as well as describes the components of a conformance testing program. developing your specifications, however, Procurement does not The sponsor has a fundamental interest in ensuring the success of the program. However, the responsible party or any other party marketing the equipment must provide a test report and other information demonstrating compliance with the rules upon request by the Commission. The buyer uses the results of the testing to verify that a seller provides a product that conforms to the specification and meet procurement requirements. service that ill satisfy a particular need at an economical cost In essence, specifications are about communication and the exchange of information between the Customer, the designer, the contractor and all stakeholders in the project. Additionally it may specify the permissibility of extensions, options, and alternative approaches and how they are to be handled. Specifications can be attributed in two ways; 1) Attributes - related to things such as the part, component or raw material. Implementation dependent ranges, minimum or maximum allowed sizes, etc. All Goods provided by Contractor to Company shall conform to Company's applicable specifications, drawings, samples or other descriptions. Its use will not be permitted unless only one a. It is also possible that implementations may not be able to implement all the features. Contact information for the individual maintaining records of test results: Provide the name, full mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number of the person maintaining test records in support of the certification. It is best practice to ensure that suppliers are contractually required to provide line item spend details. [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). Conformance Clause Every specification SHALL contain a conformance clause. legitimate but limited place in public purchasing. Elements that should typically be included in a CoC are: On the US CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) website, one can find several samples of CoCs. performance, quality or essential characteristics must be Conformance is usually defined as testing to see if an implementation faithfully meets the requirements of a standard or specification. Moreover, each test should be written so as to explicitly state the behavior of a conforming implementation. When does a buyer ask the supplier for a CoC? There are many types of testing including testing for performance, robustness, behavior, functions and interoperability. Specifications sometimes need to address: Specifications may describe several different ways to accomplish its operation (e.g., a choice of file formats or codes). 3) The car shall have a red custom paint job with chrome accents. The test procedures define the administrative as well as the technical process for testing an implementation. Design specifications are an interpretation of what the customer needs. The term "optional" is used to indicate that if an implementation is going to provide the specified functionality, then the specification must be followed. Java and all Java based marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc., in the United States and other countries. It, in turn, refers to other parts of the standard. Performance requirements describe the characteristics and PFi@("$0 (JDbyHA': F$%BIPAl4FP'aFYlO2f)m8c4&3 o7q$e9(#yd: be as non-restrictive as practicable, consistent with satisfying