Standards and Quality Assurance

In Canadian federal procurement, standards and quality assurance means two linked practices. The first is using recognized technical standards or specifications to describe exactly what the government is buying. The second is applying quality-assurance measures to verify that the goods or services delivered meet those requirements.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) sets out this approach in its Buyer's Portal guidance on standards and quality assurance. The guidance states that recognized Canadian standards or specifications must be used where they are available. It also identifies Government Quality Assurance (GQA) as the set of activities used to verify contractual compliance.

The PSPC hierarchy of standards and specifications

PSPC buyers follow an order of preference when defining a requirement. Recognized Canadian standards come first. Where no Canadian standard exists, buyers should use Canadian specifications from a recognized standards-writing organization where possible. Suitable United States or international standards may be used only when neither a Canadian standard nor a Canadian specification is available.

An exception to the Canadian default is allowed when the volume or the specific nature of the purchase justifies it. Buyers must also assess the adequacy and applicability of the standards, specifications and purchase descriptions in a requisition, including specifications developed by the client. If an appropriate standard or specification is missing, the buyer should recommend amending the requisition to include it.

Government Quality Assurance requirements

GQA is the government's verification that a contractor or supplier conforms to the contract. The client department or agency is responsible for stating its GQA requirements clearly in the requisition or attached documentation. That statement should cover quality assurance, quality control, the inspection authority and the point of inspection.

According to the PSPC guidance, GQA requirements can require a contractor to:

• establish and maintain a quality-assurance system;
• demonstrate conformity and provide proof of compliance;
• submit samples;
• submit an inspection plan.

They can also specify government verification activities, such as:

• consignee inspection;
• pre-award or first-off samples;
• pre-production or qualification samples;
• acceptance inspections, tests or trials.

Quality assurance in NATO procurement

NATO uses the same logic for services. Its procurement manual defines quality assurance as the actions NATO takes to assure that services meet the statement of work and other required outputs. The manual identifies three related concepts:

• Acceptable Quality Level (AQL): the maximum percentage of defects considered acceptable during sampling inspections.
• Quality Assurance Evaluator (QAE): the NATO staff member responsible for surveillance of contractor performance.
• Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP): a written document used for quality-assurance surveillance.

In NATO contracts, quality assurance is built into the statement of work and into the monitoring of contract performance.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Read the standards and specifications named in a solicitation closely, because they define what a compliant offer looks like. Expect recognized Canadian standards to be the default reference, with Canadian specifications, then U.S. or international standards, used only where the hierarchy allows.

Check the GQA requirements in the bid documents before pricing. Quality-assurance system obligations, sample submissions, inspection plans and acceptance tests all carry cost and schedule effects. Note who the inspection authority is and where inspection takes place, since both are stated by the client. If a requirement seems to lack an applicable standard, raise it through the question period so the buyer can consider amending the requisition.