conformance specification in procurement

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. Depending on the type of specification (e.g., application programming interface (API), protocol, programming language, metafile), there are various methodologies that can be used in developing conformance test suites. Ideally, we would like to be able to prove beyond any doubt that an implementation is correct, consistent, and complete with respect to its specification. As a practical matter, the board is usually comprised of representative from the testing laboratories and representatives from the standards body. If the criteria or requirements for conformance are not specified, there can be no conformance testing. 1. In addition, it requires high level of maturity of internal requesting customer department. What are Performance/Output Based Specifications? For any . 1.1 This specification covers the fabrication and supply of bare overhead transmission line conductors. Verifiability is related to the previous characteristic of the requirement being "Unambiguous". Requirements Work that matches what was requested in requirements. 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. A specification becomes an essential contract management document which is used to ensure that the chosen supplier provides what is specified. Failure to pass a test implies failure to conform. 0000008579 00000 n I like the point about cost only .. 0000010532 00000 n 0000007885 00000 n at least two brand names that will satisfy the Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A reference implementation has maximum value in the early stages of a conformance program. 3. Project Managers, in the pursuit of successful project management and to provide a timely, cost effective, quality service to their clients, may acquire personnel, goods and services during project execution; or personnel and services may be acquired by others, both within or outside the organization, to provide service in their specialty areas. 2) Actions - related to things such as functions, processes,. 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. 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. DEFINITIONS 2.1 Centroidal Area. 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.". 2. This makes the purchasing process inefficient. Using this set of TAs, a set of tests that will exercise each of the requirements is developed. . represents the kind of thinking in which architects and engineers 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. Applications often do not require all the features within a standard. These criteria and 0000006359 00000 n There is sometimes confusion between the two terms, however, in most cases, these two terms mean exactly the same thing and often comes down to the personal preference of the company that needs the certificate. Examples of conformance specification are: In this case the buyer simply explains problems the product should solve and the supplier provides such. Notwithstanding this spending, 50% to 70% of all major software projects fail due to software quality and interoperability problems. a specification should be written to encourage, not discourage, Haytham Abdel-Rahman, MBA. All Goods provided by Contractor to Company shall conform to Company's applicable specifications, drawings, samples or other descriptions. Certain countries request a CoC for certain categories of imported products. It, in turn, refers to other parts of the specification for details. ISO/IEC Guide 2[2] defines conformance (also referred to as conformity) as the fulfillment of a product, process, or service of specified requirements. Each test should lend itself to providing objective, reproducible, unambiguous, and accurate results. definitions of non-standard terms. 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. (b) Semiconductor devices and microcircuits not procured under a military specification shall be Often times, errors or ambiguities in the specification are discovered. For software specifications it is the software that has 'implemented' the specification. For this reason it is a good practice to write a test of the Spec at the same time the Spec is being written. They can then make any necessary corrections to allow the implementation to conform. 20899 USA, Email: lisa.carnahan [at] nist.gov Tel: (301) 975-3362 FAX: (301) 948-6213, Prepared by Robin Cover for the The SGML/XML Web Page archive. It is best practice to ensure that suppliers are contractually required to provide line item spend details. purpose intended. Since the purposes for specification, having been used historically in public A testing program cannot exist without a test tool or test suite, but a test tool/suite can exist without a testing program. Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China. These criteria may or may not require implementations to pass 100% of the specifications. PFi@("$0 (JDbyHA': F$%BIPAl4FP'aFYlO2f)m8c4&3 o7q$e9(#yd: Specifications can be attributed in two ways; 1) Attributes - related to things such as the part, component or raw material. met to be considered responsive. The size of staff necessary to do 0000006382 00000 n https://www.nist.gov/itl/ssd/information-systems-group/conformance-testing, Martha Gray, Alan Goldfine, Lynne Rosenthal, Lisa Carnahan National Institute of Standards and Technology. Alternatively, the Java test suite can be downloaded and run locally. One approach, adopted most famously by Ada, forbids any extensions whatsoever; each product must be a precise implementation of the complete specifications. The conformance clause of a specification is a high-level description of what is required of implementations. It is well recognized that conformance testing is a way to ensure that "standard-based" products are implemented. requirements. A conformance clause is a section of a specification that states all the requirements or criteria that must be satisfied to claim conformance to the specification. ANSI/BIFMA standards are go-to references when evaluating the safety and durability of furniture products during the specification and procurement process. quantity scheduled purchases. << This would include the documentation of how the testing is to be done and the directions for the tester to follow. Give examples of conformance specification. Is this a requirement that comes from a particular type of user? Conformance testing is NOT a way to judge if one product is better than another. 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 Specification defines requirements when the buyer specifies what they want, how they want it, and the supplier has to meet these specifications. What are the purpose of specification in procurement? 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. 2. Tip - Never design and make a product if there is an 'off-the-shelf' part available. It should be possible to know where the Specification originated. It is generally inspected during customs clearance if the product being imported requires it. 0000004999 00000 n legitimate but limited place in public purchasing. product will meet an intended need, there are at least ten The performance The difference between the performance dimension and the conformance dimension is that the former is more forward-looking and the later backward-looking. >> In essence this is less rigid than conformance specification. suitability of specifications, Procurement cannot initiate or It would then be up to a purchaser to decide the criteria (how many or what kinds of errors) it wishes to use to make implementations eligible for purchase. Its use will not be permitted unless only one Conformance to specification means to meet the regulatory requirements; Customer needs means to meet the customer reasonable specific requirements. Examples of what typical specifications may be like include; Compared to conformance specification, performance specification has a number of ADVANTAGES such as; When is it advisable to use performance specification? 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. 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 Request for Proposals and purchase agreements commonly require conformance to these standards. John Spacey, May 01, 2017. And just as important, why is this important? Furthermore, what is a conformance specification? product has to be specially made to meet the purchaser's unique 0000045027 00000 n The responsible party, who must be located in the United States, is not required to file an equipment authorization application with the Commission or a TCB. Is it a marketing or business requirement? of Procurement has approved the use. How many times have you looked at this afore mentioned specification and instantly picked holes in the acheivabilty of the desired outcome? The CoC is sometimes called Certificate of Conformance or Certificate of Compliance. bidders offering products other than specified obtain Sample 1 Sample 2 An airline buys fan blades for their planes engines. 0000009883 00000 n 4 Examples of Conformance Quality. BRAND-NAME-OR-EQUAL SPECIFICATIONS: A what cost. more interested in how it performs, how well it performs, and at According to a study by the Gartner Group[1], the private sector spends over $2.2 trillion on information technology (IT) annually. Examples of Conformance to specifications in a sentence. In contraast, see Performance or Functional Specifications . 0000002964 00000 n 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. 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. 0000007908 00000 n Examples of certifying organizations include consortia, trade associations, standards groups, or government agencies. 0000003961 00000 n approval for the product offered before bid opening. 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. 0000066668 00000 n The alternative is falsification testing, a strategy that results in a level of confidence that an implementation conforms. Some standards have no official testing organizations. By signing the DoC you takefull responsibilityfor your products compliance with the applicable EU law. characteristic of equipment, materials and supplies. When does a buyer ask the supplier for a CoC? (3) list reproducible test methods to be used in testing for 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!. Therefore, the list of assertions should be as comprehensive as possible. 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. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. This type of testing is called conformance testing. specification sets limits and thereby eliminates, or potentially It is also possible that implementations may not be able to implement all the features. 0000003290 00000 n For NIST's participation in XML/DOM conformance testing, see "XML-Based Technologies. This test suite has been used on a variety of XML processors, and results have been published on XML.com. Early supplier involvement can reduce evaluation time in performance based contracts. 0000001477 00000 n 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. prepare all specifications. specification is to provide a basis for obtaining a good or We are not lawyers. The following discussion defines conformance and conformance testing as well as describes the components of a conformance testing program. R3XF5h{o9gkz1p!i[$KQt?I$o:hdSisA4e3Dm9,Hhj4@`h$&!!r" BH$@4$"Jz"H,*Mc18/,1 #c7n~ "/[#J It is the basis of all offers and therefore the foundation for a contract. Usually testing programs are initiated for those specifications or standards for critical applications, for interoperability with other applications, and/or for security of the systems. As a procurement professional . Conformance Test Suites for XML Technologies. 0000066380 00000 n The testing program should strive to be as impartial and objective as possible, i.e., to remove subjectivity of both the procedures and the testing tools. You must translate the EU declaration of conformity into the language or languages required by the EU country in which your product is sold. Conformance with Specification. Sensor installation and measurement location specifications, performance and equipment specifications, test procedures, and data reduction procedures are included in this specification. Specifications can be prepared in a In these cases, it may be desirable to partition the specifications into subsets of functionality. Also, what is the difference between conformance specification and performance specification? award at the lowest possible cost. 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). The test documentation describes how the testing is to be done and the directions for the tester to follow. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------, Lisa J. Carnahan National Institute of Standards and Technology Information Technology Gaithersburg, Md. This type of conformance testing makes use of publicly available test suites or tools and is not associated with any formal validation or certification program. This blog is written by Renaud Anjoran, an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer who has been involved in chinese manufacturing since 2005. The main reason a CoC is required at customs is to prove a product that the product being imported meets the required standard(s). 0000002442 00000 n The conformance clause may specify sets of functions, which may take the form of profiles, levels, or other structures. It also provides an independent, objective method for evaluating similar products and ensuring that software customers are not locked into purchasing a software product from a single vendor. How to Market Your Business with Webinars. Accompanying the actual test files is an XML test description file that contains pertinent information for each of the tests included in the distribution. 0000066460 00000 n "Design" in purpose intended. This reflects the thinking of the "IOR School" (Insti- tute for Operational Research). be as non-restrictive as practicable, consistent with satisfying The work is accomplished under the auspices of OASIS Technical Subcommittees, with contributions from OASIS member companies and in close coordination with the appropriate W3C Working Groups. For software developers, using conformance test suites early-on in the development process can help improve the quality of their implementations by identifying areas in which they conform as well as those areas in which they do not. What are the types of specifications when contracting? Vendors should be provided the Correct implementation and utilization of standards leads to portability and interoperability. There must be sufficient basis to determine that these Although the terms validation and conformance testing are often interchanged, they are not the same. 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. HR{HSa?wf^MiIZ\B!bEjs:\EJ3SQ%I*Zo;:{w0?|kD (.~]g+%kBBbk3d,bs|+7ED{Z*fsfhZm$C'5F)_bhz^q{0R+}#mzG"SSjod-I3?|4iLsmm:#M)wwDs9$hqm,L11]&]Nowi:&J5"PL%.'zBp\J_wdXjh#}>ZuP3YW6. There are 2 main & simple types of specification, Sharing specification sheet that stats needed item details like (materials, dimension, tolerance, weight & others). 4) The car shall travel at speeds between 0 and 100 mph. Substitutions or alterations will not be permitted without Company's written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed. This free eBook shows importers who are new to outsourcing production to China or Vietnam the five key foundations of a proven Quality Assurance strategy, and also shows you some common traps that importers fall intoandhow to avoid or overcome them in order to get the best possible production results. 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. products before soliciting competitive bids. (a) Special marking as required under the applicable Military Specification [e.g. j.h8 This safe guard protects both the Buyer and the Customer (internal or external). 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. Therefore, a CoC (whereby the blade manufacturer writes that the blades conform to specific checklists) must be provided. submitted written justification to this effect and the Director ^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 What steps lead conformance to specification? Good thoughts Diaa..Performance specifications focuses on supplier partnership. It may also be called a certificate of conformance or certificate of conformity.. service that ill satisfy a particular need at an economical cost 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. The responsible party has the option to use the certification procedure in place of the SDoC procedure. Early stage specifications can be seen as part of the review with the customer (internal or external) about what they are looking to achieve on the project. Each TA should be as simple as possible and narrowly focused on an atomic (simple) functionality, must not contradict another TA, and must have some testable consequence. Thus, the tests when executed on the implementation under test will generate a pass/fail condition. Does it come from a particularly influential stake-holder? 0000004431 00000 n 0000005693 00000 n Without a CoC, products may be impounded, confiscated, and in some case destroyed. FCC (47 CFR Section 2.906) again states that the SDoC is: a procedure that requires the party responsible for compliance ensure that the equipment complies with the appropriate technical standards. stream Additionally, the documentation should be detailed enough so that testing of a given implementation can be repeated with no change in test results. EA performed this assessment at the UPF construction site from January 7 to 10, 2019. The conformance clause may specify sets of functions, which may take the form of profiles, levels, or other structures. It here unfortunatley all to often a stage where procurement are left out and not involved from the very begining stages. predicated on a written specification which includes certain Without knowing whats really needed costs can be far higher than required and the solution procured for the business not fit for purpose. What are the characteristics of a good specification in procurement? 7 What is the definition of quality of conformance? Specifications are statements of requirements to be satisfied in the supply of a product or service There are two main types of specification when contracting namely: 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: What are the types of specification in procurement? 0000004956 00000 n What is the definition of quality of conformance? It will include: Finding examples on the internet is easy. ! In recent years, the term conformity has gained international use and has generally replaced the term conformance in ISO documents. @hA hbF`h`. `d 0@90@AA= .5@2:6: 12@7 KK;+MD 4p$? k9S:>P("hb YUE#5K>,46SCL- A good conformance clause is the ultimate goal of these guidelines, and is sanctioned by conformance to this specification. Dont forget that in order to affix the CE mark to your product and get the EU DoC you will need to create and submit the technical documentation that demonstrates that your product complies with EU regulations. 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. 3) The car shall have a red custom paint job with chrome accents. How To Manufacture A Product In China (without losing your shirt)? In the marketplace, conformance test suites and consequently conformance testing provides a vehicle for exchanging information between buyer and seller. 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).

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