0000004999 00000 n BRAND-NAME SPECIFICATIONS: The stream Validation is the process of testing software for compliance with applicable specifications or standards. should be put on notice that the criteria used to define Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Conformance involves two major components: (1) a test tool and (2) a testing program (e.g., certification or branding). Inspections will be conducted on the products at delivery:6.1.1 Any defect on the products.6.1.2 Conformance to specifications and functionality.. Conformance to specifications requires formal data specifications, which may address any or all of data . Portability is the ability to move software programs or applications among different computer systems with minimal change. What makes a good specification in procurement? A testing program cannot exist without a test tool or test suite, but a test tool/suite can exist without a testing program. It is possible for a standard to have both profiles and levels defined for the entire specification (i.e., an implementer could choose to implement any one of (number of profiles) x (number of levels) subsets). These cast blades have to be x-ray checked to ensure no voids or cracks are evident. qualified product list (QPL) is a specification based on Though there are so many things that make a good well rounded specification im going to narrow it down to 4 simple factors; There should be only one way to interpret the requirements of the customer. ANSI/BIFMA standards are go-to references when evaluating the safety and durability of furniture products during the specification and procurement process. The problem here however is the chance that the person who raised the requisition may well change their mind or refine the specification as quotes begin to arrive. A locked padlock Thus, the tests when executed on the implementation under test will generate a pass/fail condition. A lock ( There are different types of technical or engineering specifications (specs), and the term is used differently in different technical contexts. Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines When BioPreferred and CPG are both required, the agency shall purchase the item that meets the CPG requirements (per FAR 23.405 Procedures (c) and Farm Security and Rural Investment Act, Section 9002 (b)). Finally, the testing policy and procedure should identify and define the actions of the organization(s) responsible for conducting the tests, handling disputes, and issuing certificates (or brands) of validation. What we wrote above is based only on our understanding of the regulatory requirements. Enter a Melbet promo code and get a generous bonus, An Insight into Coupons and a Secret Bonus, Organic Hacks to Tweak Audio Recording for Videos Production, Bring Back Life to Your Graphic Images- Used Best Graphic Design Software, New Google Update and Future of Interstitial Ads. Date and place where the product was manufactured. The validation process consists of the steps necessary to perform the conformance testing by using an official test suite in a prescribed manner. Used wooden pallets are Euro-pallets type (120cm x 100cm). Therefore, a CoC (whereby the blade manufacturer writes that the blades conform to specific checklists) must be provided. this would be prohibitive. Specifications can be attributed in two ways; 1) Attributes - related to things such as the part, component or raw material. Generically, a conformance test suite is a collection of combinations of legal and illegal inputs to the implementation being tested, together with a corresponding collection of "expected results." They can then make any necessary corrections to allow the implementation to conform. The advantages afforded by testing (and certification) are fairly obvious: quality products, interoperability, and competitive markets with more choices. 4. %PDF-1.3 % Product to be packed in this carton box is Shampoo bottles, dimension of 1 bottle is 180mm height x 50mm width & weight of one bottle is 50ml. An example would be a recipe for a food . A reference implementation is an implementation of a standard that is by definition conformant to that standard. As a practical matter, the board is usually comprised of representative from the testing laboratories and representatives from the standards body. However, this is generally impossible for implementations of nontrivial specifications. quotation request It, in turn, refers to other parts of the specification for details. both product and price competition requires that specifications purpose intended. 0000008579 00000 n 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. It should be possible to know where the Specification originated. Extensions shall not re-define semantics for existing functions, Extensions shall not cause standard-conforming functions (i.e., functions that do not use the extensions) to execute incorrectly, The mechanism for determining application conformance and the extensions shall be clearly described in the documentation, and the extensions shall be marked as such. Determining whether a product faithfully implements a standard or specification is essential to creating robust, interoperable solutions. A good specification should do four things: (1) Identify minimum requirements, (2) allow for a competitive bid, (3) list reproducible test methods to be used in testing for compliance with specifications, and (4) provide for an equitable award at the lowest possible cost. In general, the . (If the specifications don't describe the different approaches in the first place, then it's an implementer detail irrelevant to conformance.). Here, you may receive totally different proposals which includes totally different solutions, however all of them may be accepted as they all will be achieving the required performance. or other required characteristics should be clearly All Goods provided by Contractor to Company shall conform to Company's applicable specifications, drawings, samples or other descriptions. Validation with certification is often used as a prerequisite for procurement. This button displays the currently selected search type. PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS: The terms Acceptance/rejection of such item needed will be according to the performance stated in the specification With performance specs, it will take more time for the procurement process as you may get totally different proposals and you need to discuss and validate them internally; however it opens the door for innovation as suppliers are free to suggest any workable solution which may improve functionality, cost & to be more sustainable option it's very suitable in case requesting department is not very well established so that you will be depending on suppliers' experience. Conformance tests should be used by implementers early-on in the development process, to improve the quality of their implementations and by industry associations wishing to administer a testing and certification program. What are the purpose of specification in procurement? For example, some testing programs may require a very formal testing and certification approach using an independent (i.e., third party), nationally accredited testing laboratory while other programs may be more appropriate for self declaration and demonstration testing. 9 0 obj 0000007141 00000 n Levels are nested subsets of the specifications. Conformance tests are meant to provide the users of conforming products some assurance or confidence that the product behaves as expected, performs functions in a known manner, or has an interface or format that is known. and to invite maximum reasonable competition. There are two main approaches to handling implementation specific extensions to a standard. a. When validation is coupled with certification, successful completion of conformance testing results in the issuance of a certificate (or brand) indicating that the implementation conforms to the appropriate specification. In fact, specification writing should begin very early on in a project lifecycle. Such an implementation provides a proof of concept of the standard and also provides a tool for the developers of the conformance test suite (by generating expected values, testing the test suite, etc.) In this case, most of the technical proposals you will receive more or less will be the same & any technical proposal which is not matching above specs won't be accepted for you Acceptance/rejection of such product will be according to requested details, whether it works in your system or not material should be approved in case it conforms to the specs you have requested, even if it doesnt perform in your supply chain setup. Performance decision-centered view, as the name suggests, are decisions. legitimate but limited place in public purchasing. In the marketplace, conformance test suites and consequently conformance testing provides a vehicle for exchanging information between buyer and seller. Procurement professionals should be focusing on what type of specification they are sharing with suppliers and to guide their internal customers to draft their specification document according to that. Specifications can be prepared in a Here is one example. To this end, 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). A standard may classify features as "mandatory" vs. "optional," and provide a table listing features so classified. Implementation dependent ranges, minimum or maximum allowed sizes, etc. 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. to a single product and is the most restrictive kind of 0000009883 00000 n /Length 10 0 R Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China. Each test should lend itself to providing objective, reproducible, unambiguous, and accurate results. These assertions are statements of functionality or behavior derived from the standard, and which are true for conforming implementations. In 1991, ISO/IEC DIS 10641 defined conformance testing as "test to evaluate the adherence or non-adherence of a candidate implementation to a standard." suitability of specifications, Procurement cannot initiate or A specification details the requirements of the procurement. 0000066307 00000 n The following discussion defines conformance and conformance testing as well as describes the components of a conformance testing program. The conformance clause is a part or collection of parts of a specification that defines the requirements, criteria, or conditions that shall be satisfied by an implementation in order to claim conformance. Conformance to specifications means to meet any requirements defined for the product, not only regulatory. The test procedures define the administrative as well as the technical process for testing an implementation. substantially equivalent to those named are considered for award, award at the lowest possible cost. items regularly available in the market place, as is Alternatively, each profile could have its own set of levels. R3XF5h{o9gkz1p!i[$KQt?I$o:hdSisA4e3Dm9,Hhj4@`h$&!!r" BH$@4$"Jz"H,*Mc18/,1 #c7n~ "/[#J tests or other criteria for comparing, examining and approving This safe guard protects both the Buyer and the Customer (internal or external). 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? 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. QUALIFIED PRODUCT LIST (QPL): A Extensions shall follow the principles and guidelines of the standard they extend, that is, the specifications must be extended in a standard manner. 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. Haytham Abdel-Rahman, MBA. Often a hybrid of these is appropriate -- i.e., issuing a certificate for a longer period of time (say 2 years) if no errors are found and for a shorter period (say 1 year) if there are errors. Do you face challenges of getting required specifications while creating Tender/RFQ package? My company Sofeast, can probably help you. Does it come from a particularly influential stake-holder? The conformance clause identifies what must conform and how conformance can be met. In these cases, it may be desirable to partition the specifications into subsets of functionality. $*5QG)+cX3x quantity scheduled purchases. and more interested in what a product does. specifications may not be unduly restrictive. 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. trailer << /Size 1253 /Info 1209 0 R /Root 1216 0 R /Prev 331028 /ID[<421cc0d9af76233486a43ba075a266a0><421cc0d9af76233486a43ba075a266a0>] >> startxref 0 %%EOF 1216 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Pages 1212 0 R /Metadata 1210 0 R /Outlines 157 0 R /OpenAction [ 1217 0 R /XYZ null null null ] /PageMode /UseNone /PageLabels 1208 0 R /StructTreeRoot 1206 0 R /PieceInfo << /MarkedPDF << /LastModified (D:20020325133406)>> >> /LastModified (D:20020325133406) /MarkInfo << /Marked true /LetterspaceFlags 0 >> >> endobj 1251 0 obj << /S 702 /O 971 /L 987 /C 1003 /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1252 0 R >> stream A QPL is QualityInspection.org does not present this information as a basis for you to make decisions, and we do not accept any liability if you do so. A conformance testing program usually includes: A specification/standard that includes a conformance clause and a test tools are essential to defining and measuring conformance. The CoC is sometimes called Certificate of Conformance or Certificate of Compliance. Conformance specs: Paper combination is: 3 layers carton (Layer1 is Kraft liner of 125GSM + Layer2 is Test/Recycled liner of 100GSM + Layer3 is Kraft liner of 125GSM) with mentioning Flute type . For example, ideally it should be possible to fully test a product's conformance before sign-off and deployment. How To Manufacture A Product In China (without losing your shirt)? 0000010532 00000 n In essence, specifications are about communication and the exchange of information between the Customer, the designer, the contractor and all stakeholders in the project. This nesting continues until level n, which consists of the entire specification. Others have qualified third party testing laboratories that apply the test suite according to the established policies and procedures. Certificate of Conformity, According to the FCC (47 CFR Section 2.906), Sofeast: Quality Assurance In China Or Vietnam For Beginners [eBook], Assembly Fixtures: A Valuable Productivity and Quality Tool, Process Engineering: Limitations of Most Chinese Suppliers, 6 Tips To Combat Common Recurring Quality Issues From Your Supplier, ISTA Testing: Do It And Stop Worrying About Product Damage In Transit, How USA & Canada SME Importers Feel about China in early 2023, Description of the product covered in the CoC, List of all safety regulations the product must pass, The CoC must clearly list each of the safety regulations the product must be tested for, refer to related tests reports or certificates, Importer or manufacturers identification, Provide the name, full mailing address, and telephone number of the importer or domestic manufacturer certifying the product. Departments wishing to specification. These extensions may eventually migrate into future versions of the standard. Definitions - what is conformance (to a standard)? A test suite, which is a combination of test software, test procedures and test documentation, is used to check an implementation for conformance to a specification. Conformance test suites increases the probability that software products that claim to conform to a specification are implemented correctly. It will include: Finding examples on the internet is easy. Its use will not be permitted unless only one This early stage work also provides an understanding of the performance requirements of the project, so that when discussions develop on complexes, entities, space, locations, elements, systems and products, these form part of the build-up of a specification. 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. The decision to issue a certificate is based on the testing results and established criteria for issuing certificates. Thus, quality of conformance equates to conformance to specifications within an acceptable tolerance range. sizable latitude in how to accomplish the end purpose. When there is enough time to assess the functionality of the product as proposed, Confirm Sign Up via the Email you provided, Get WEEKLY updates on Business, Finance & Legal aspects, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), CIPS L5M4 Advanced Contract and Financial Management, CIPS LEVEL 3 ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY OPERATIONS, Cips level 4 DIPLOMA IN PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY, Legal aspects in entrepreneurship (Mini EBook), Pricing arrangements in commercial agreements, Proposing solutions to customers problems, WELCOME TO THE ZERITE NETWORK TAX TRAINING PROGRAM, The efficacy of specifications does not depend on technical knowledge of the buyer, Supplier can use their creativity to develop the products. In contraast, see Performance or Functional Specifications . 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. Purchasing will assist and advise you in have expertise in every sphere of College of Charleston academic /Filter /LZWDecode 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. 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. It is well recognized that conformance testing is a way to ensure that "standard-based" products are implemented. Tip - The purchase specification is to allow purchasing to seek competitive quotations by forwarding the purchase specification to prospective suppliers. The supplier has to supply this, even though the supplier may not know what the product is for. XML Test Suite is available from the NIST web site, http://xw2k.nist.gov/xml/index.html. Sample 1 Sample 2 0000007885 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. Buyer requires conformance to the Specification. The test documentation describes how the testing is to be done and the directions for the tester to follow. It is also possible that implementations may not be able to implement all the features. Dimension of the box Length, Width & Height. approval for the product offered before bid opening. 4 Examples of Conformance Quality. Materials used must be The steps that lead towards conformance to specifications include defining quality characteristics of service or product, deciding on how to measure every quality characteristic, setting quality standards for every quality characteristic, controlling quality against the set quality standards, finding and correcting . competitors that can supply the product, the department head has 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. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. It's important to have several calls/meetings with the requesting department to get more clarity about their needs, ask them to get piece of paper and write on it what they need whatever they can write! Accompanying the actual test files is an XML test description file that contains pertinent information for each of the tests included in the distribution. 2. is less interested in dimensions and materials and configurations Reference method tests and PEMS drift tests are conducted to determine conformance of the PEMS with the specification. Each test should be traceable back to a statement or statements in the specification. This is a document, parallel to but distinct from the official specifications, that contains a list of recognized extensions to the standard. specifications, and ensuring clarity of language with jargon or When the supplier has more technical or relevant skills than that of the buyer, When technology is constantly changing in the suppliers industries in which case it will be hard to specify methodologies, When there is a clear criteria for evaluating alternative solutions suggested by the suppliers competing for the contract. Conformance is how well realities match specifications, rules, principles and plans. j.h8 The developers might respond that those were not part of the requirements and this would be scope creep to the project. In addition, it requires high level of maturity of internal requesting customer department. 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?
