Certified suppliers that provide poor product or late product

SQA Advisory Number 4

Original date: June 11, 2004
Revision date: June 11, 2004
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Introduction:

The overall intent of any Quality System Certification process is to provide assurance that the certified organization is able to consistently provide products that meet all applicable requirements, on-time, every time.

Discussion:

If you find that your organization is purchasing goods or services from organizations that are certified, however the quality or delivery performance is not acceptable, there is a suggested course of action. First, try to deal directly with the affected supplier to resolve the issues. If your efforts do not produce the desired affect, you can elevate the issue to the attention of the registrar that certified the supplier. All certified organizations are required to maintain effective corrective action processes. Registrars are required to provide validation that these processes work effectively. If you feel that this hierarchy of control is not working effectively, you can elevate the issue to the attention of the accreditation body of the registrar.

SQA Position:

We recognize that this process has some associated risk, however, the “bottom line” is that if certified organizations do not take their responsibilities seriously, the entire system runs the risk of collapsing. Consequently, it is incumbent on all stakeholders to demand the quality and delivery they are paying for and to deal appropriately with offenders.

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