Quality Assurance Support Programs

Quality Assurance Support Programs is a procurement-responsibility category assigned to the Department of National Defence (DND). It covers developing, supporting and maintaining programs that promote efficient procurement and quality assurance, including contractor quality-system standards, qualified or approved product programs, and the evaluation of suppliers' quality-control, inspection, testing, laboratory and calibration capabilities.

The term appears in the former Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) Supply Manual, in the section that divides procurement and government quality assurance duties between DND and PWGSC. It is a governance category, not a certification a supplier can hold. Suppliers meet it through the quality requirements written into individual contracts.

Where the term appears in the Supply Manual

The Supply Manual gives DND overall responsibility for Quality Assurance Support Programs. The allocation sits alongside other responsibilities shared between DND and PWGSC, which is now Public Services and Procurement Canada. The wording is found in the Supply Manual edition published in 2006 and repeated in the 2008 edition.

In practice, the category places the policy and technical side of quality assurance with the department that uses the goods and services. Defence is the main example.

Activities covered by the programs

The Supply Manual material links the programs to a defined set of activities:

• Developing contractor quality-system standards or specifications for use in contracts.
• Maintaining qualified or approved product programs, as set out in the 2005 Supply Manual.
• Evaluating suppliers' quality-control and inspection systems, as described in a further 2005 volume.
• Assessing commercial testing facilities, laboratories and calibration facilities.
• Developing a quality-assurance plan and determining the contractor quality-control or inspection requirements that apply.
• Establishing workmanship standards and identifying the government quality-assurance authority, including whether assurance takes place at the source or at destination.

How PWGSC and DND share the work

DND holds overall responsibility for the programs. PWGSC normally takes part in selecting suppliers that have acceptable quality-control or inspection systems and suitable commercial testing, laboratory and calibration facilities. This split is described in the 2008 Supply Manual.

The result is that supplier selection sits with the procurement authority, while the quality standards and assurance arrangements come from the department that supports the programs.

How NATO's AC/250 relates

NATO quality assurance work is associated with the Group of National Directors for Quality Assurance, known as AC/250. According to its NATO page, the group develops policy and standards for an integrated systems approach to quality, reliability and maintainability. That work is a separate framework from the Canadian Supply Manual category, and it is relevant to suppliers working on allied defence programs.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Quality Assurance Support Programs is not a standalone certification and not a universal solicitation clause. Its relevance shows up in contract terms. A supplier can be asked to show that its quality-control or inspection system is acceptable. Its testing, laboratory or calibration facilities can be evaluated. Contract-specific requirements for quality control, inspection, workmanship or government quality assurance can apply.

The cited sources do not establish a single mandatory certification, such as ISO 9001, for every procurement that uses this term. Bid teams should read the quality assurance clauses in each solicitation, confirm who the government quality-assurance authority is, and note whether assurance happens at the source or at destination. Documenting inspection procedures and calibration records before a bid closes puts a supplier in a stronger position if an evaluation follows.