Establishment of Quality Specifications
In the first step of the QA Process, purchasers of materials and equipment specify in detail what exactly they are purchasing, at what level of quality. More specifically, the purchaser will establish:
- Minimum requirements and specifications
- Design drawings and fabrication details
- Applicable industry and company codes and standards
- A total management plan for the source inspector activities
Additionally, prior to contract placement, the Source Inspector may participate in a pre-purchase meeting with the supplier/vendor. The purpose of this meeting is to cover some specific design, fabrication, and QA/QC requirements expected of the supplier/vendor to make sure that their bid doesn’t inadvertently overlook them and result in unanticipated surprises during fabrication and source inspection activities. Another key outcome of this engagement will be alignment between the purchaser and the supplier/vendor, on whether the Quality requirements can be met.
Furthermore, a Source Inspection Management Program is developed that outlines everything expected of the Source Inspector at the supplier/vendor’s facility.
And finally, the purchaser selects a supplier/vendor that they feel can meet their QA/QC requirements.
Source Inspection Management Program
The purpose of this management program is to define the specific source inspection functions and the necessary information that individuals need to accomplish their duties. It should provide requirements and guidance of Source Inspection activities on all types of projects that will require source inspection, and it should cover activities such as:
- What activities need to be accomplished
- Whos is responsible to accomplish each of these activities, i.e. personnel titles
- The training and competencies required for source inspectors
- When or how frequently each of the activities will be accomplished
- How each of the activities will be accomplished, i.e. specific work procedures
- Application of acceptance criteria and industry standards
The Source Inspection Management Program may also reference other company specific Source Inspection procedures, practices, and policies that may contain more details needed for specific types of activities.
This project is a collaborative effort between Inspectioneering and The American Petroleum Institute. Click below to learn more about API's Individual Certification Programs.
