determine equivalency. developing your specifications, however, Procurement does not 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. 4 What are the characteristics of a good specification in procurement? Get in touch with me and I will give you a tailored recommendation or quotation. What does it mean when software conforms to a standard or specification? According to a study by the Gartner Group[1], the private sector spends over $2.2 trillion on information technology (IT) annually. 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. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. And, in some cases, specific documents are required for certification or to show the end user/customer, that the product is safe. 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. Two sets of test suites were built, one for DOM with an ECMAScript binding and the other with a Java binding. /Length 10 0 R The conformance clause identifies what must conform and how conformance can be met. For example, ideally it should be possible to fully test a product's conformance before sign-off and deployment. 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. This button displays the currently selected search type. 0000001115 00000 n A profile is a subset of the overall specifications that includes all of the functionality necessary to satisfy the requirements of a particular community of users. 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. In contrast to the design approach, ", Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices, Created September 8, 2010, Updated August 25, 2016, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), conformity - fulfillment of a product, process or service of specified requirements. The final test suite is expected to be complete by March 2001. number of ways. Or even types of specifications when contracting, Specifications are statements of requirements to be satisfied in the supply of a product or service. The specification must: Be set out in the relevant Procurement Documents clearly describe what is required detail the characteristics required not refer to the following: brands or trade names 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. Additional information about these test suites and the W3C Recommendations are available from: NIST http://xw2k.nist.gov/xml/index.html, OASIS http://www.oasis-open.org/committees. eliminates, items that are outside the boundaries drawn. [Importers Guide], What is a certificate of conformity (CoC). But what are specifications? 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 Others have qualified third party testing laboratories that apply the test suite according to the established policies and procedures. A specification is often a type of technical standard. 4) The car shall travel at speeds between 0 and 100 mph. Conformance to specifications means to meet any requirements defined for the product, not only regulatory. (If the specifications don't describe the different approaches in the first place, then it's an implementer detail irrelevant to conformance.). 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. (IUT) is the object that is being tested for conformance. Supplier Resources. to a single product and is the most restrictive kind of By signing the DoC you takefull responsibilityfor your products compliance with the applicable EU law. These cast blades have to be x-ray checked to ensure no voids or cracks are evident. Conformance to Specifications. at least two brand names that will satisfy the Product List (QPL). In the marketplace, conformance test suites and consequently conformance testing provides a vehicle for exchanging information between buyer and seller. Although the terms validation and conformance testing are often interchanged, they are not the same. Equipment that only contains digital circuitry (does not contain a radio transmitter) such as computer peripherals, microwave ovens consumer ISM equipment, switching power supplies, LED light bulbs, radio receivers and TV interface devices are subject to approval using the SDoC procedure or may optionally use the certification procedure. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------, Lisa J. Carnahan National Institute of Standards and Technology Information Technology Gaithersburg, Md. Any mention of commercial products or reference to commercial organizations is for information only; it does not imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST nor does it imply that the products mentioned are necessarily the best available for the purpose. Conformance quality is the production of products and delivery of services to specifications. The Java test suite contains over 200 tests and covers the fundamental and extended interfaces of the DOM Level 1 Recommendation. 4M%m8Kxq@D0P- E62e(S4O#?s3,!Ms%iTZa5 @!.MOzNRU!+9nI means of attempting to satisfy the requirement, its use The conformance clause may specify sets of functions, which may take the form of profiles, levels, or other structures. An official website of the United States government. A reference implementation is an implementation of a standard that is by definition conformant to that standard. j.h8 0000005693 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. It should be possible to know where the Specification originated. We are not lawyers. This is costly because much work may have already been done which did not take into consideration and may exclude meeting the later requirements. 136 Conformance vs. legitimate needs. This button displays the currently selected search type. Additionally it may specify the permissibility of extensions, options, and alternative approaches and how they are to be handled. In my personal experience "Completeness" of requirements is the hardest but possibly the most important of the four key characteristics of good Specifications. compliance with specifications, and (4) provide for an equitable It assumes responsibility for insuring that the components of the program are in place and becomes the centralized source for information about the program. 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. specifications; brand-name-or-equal specifications; design Design specifications are an interpretation of what the customer needs. both product and price competition requires that specifications By this they mean that they found out about key requirements of a solution late in the development process. requirements of the item being purchased. manufacturers' names, brand names and model numbers, but it is Additionally, the documentation should be detailed enough so that testing of a given implementation can be repeated with no change in test results. 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. of Procurement has approved the use. Bidders offering an equal What are the characteristics of a good specification in procurement? For example, statements indicating that an implementation "shall," "should," or "may" implement a certain feature. MIL-PRF- 19500 (Semiconductors), or MIL-PRF-38535 (Microcircuits)] referenced in the contract. Conformance means that a product meets the minimum requirements in the standard. Conformance is usually defined as testing to see if an implementation faithfully meets the requirements of a standard or specification. 0000005022 00000 n How many times have you looked at this afore mentioned specification and instantly picked holes in the acheivabilty of the desired outcome? 3. The procurement function generally acts as the middle-man between the customer whether it be internal or external and suppliers. Here is one example. For any . The conformance testing policies and procedures should be spelled out before testing begins. 3) The car shall have a red custom paint job with chrome accents. products, others may simply require that brands be tested under These errors and ambiguities can then be fed back to the standards committee who developed the specification, for correction. is less interested in dimensions and materials and configurations Performance purchasing is results orientated in terms For this reason it is a good practice to write a test of the Spec at the same time the Spec is being written. Thanks! Date and place where the product was manufactured. Examples of Conformance to specifications in a sentence. What should a certificate of conformity include? . programs and staff activities. Applications often do not require all the features within a standard. What are the types of specification in procurement? "functional" and "performance" are used Certification is the acknowledgment that a validation has been completed and the criteria established by the certifying organization for issuing a certificate, has been met. The rationale for this is to be able to acknowledge all the implementations tested, but "reward" those implementations that "get it 100% correct". performance specifications afford the manufacturer or bidder The conformance clause of a specification is a high-level description of what is required of implementations. 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. The tests are then executed and the results displayed. 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? 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. %PDF-1.3 % 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. Levels are nested subsets of the specifications. Often times, errors or ambiguities in the specification are discovered. In essence, specifications are about communication and the exchange of information between the Customer, the designer, the contractor and all stakeholders in the project. A good specification should do four things: (1) A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Click here for Terms & Conditions. The decision to issue a certificate is based on the testing results and established criteria for issuing certificates. While actual testing (1st or 3rd party testing) and certification (branding) can be carried out by various organizations, it is essential that there be a centralized sponsor or owner of the conformance testing program. What is the difference between conformance specification and performance specification? Other conformance related terms include validation and certification. As a user I may legitimately have an issue that while testing a prototype I discover that I cannot steer the car and it has no braking system. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS It is generally inspected during customs clearance if the product being imported requires it. Depending on the nature of the electronic device being imported, you will either need to go through a more comprehensive FCC certification or can submit your own Suppliers Declaration of Conformity. Lets look at the difference between the two: For RF Devices with the greatest potential to cause harmful interference to radio services like smartphones, Bluetooth speakers, earbuds, etc, that emit radiation a self-declaration is not acceptable to comply with FCC regulations and they must be certified by an FCC-recognized Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) based on an evaluation of the supporting documentation and test data submitted by the responsible party (e.g., the manufacturer or importer) to the TCB. 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. These criteria and What are the types of specifications when contracting? 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. What steps lead conformance to specification? Reference method tests and PEMS drift tests are conducted to determine conformance of the PEMS with the specification. Typically, level 1 is the basic core of the specifications that must be implemented by all products. 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. A testing laboratory can be an organization or individual, and can either be accredited from a formal accreditation organization such as NIST's National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) or recognized by the buyer, seller, and certificate issuer, as qualified to perform the testing. purpose intended. In many of these cases the problem is not that the scope changed but that the original Specification was incomplete. Please tell me by leaving a comment. Failure to pass a test implies failure to conform. The process for developing conformance test suites begins with defining the set of test assertions (TA) upon which the test suite is based. Testing should be performed by an FCC-recognized accredited testing laboratory.. Deviation in delivery period shall be considered if such deviation is reasonable.6.1. Conformance with Specification. 0000008556 00000 n Departments wishing to The test suites are available athttp://xw2k.nist.gov/xml/index.html. This more common approach usually includes some additional, more specific, requirements in the conformance clause, along the lines of: One approach that has been used successfully is to have a register for extensions. A testing program cannot exist without a test tool or test suite, but a test tool/suite can exist without a testing program. % Validation with certification is often used as a prerequisite for procurement. 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. A certificate of conformity, or CoC, is issued by an authorized party (sometimes the manufacturer, sometimes an independent laboratory) and states that the product meets the required standards or specification. Furthermore, what is a conformance specification? Design Work that matches a design. Used wooden pallets are Euro-pallets type (120cm x 100cm). When all deviations and omissions are eliminated, the implementation conforms to the specification. The best position is to list Requisition 1 provides the buyer with much more scope and freedom (you didn't want chopsticks then?). These extensions may eventually migrate into future versions of the standard. QUALIFIED PRODUCT LIST (QPL): A Tip - Never design and make a product if there is an 'off-the-shelf' part available. specification is to provide a basis for obtaining a good or product is to be put together. situations when the use of this specification is our only 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. Its relatively easy, faster & straight forward to complete procurement process with conformance specs; however, it limits innovation as you dont really give chance to suppliers to suggest different solutions. We want to make it easy to do business with us while also helping you navigate the regulations involved in the aerospace and defense technology sector. specifications customarily employ dimensional and other physical 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 objective is to produce tests for as many of the specification's requirements as feasible and use these tests to find errors in the implementation. It is well recognized that conformance testing is a way to ensure that "standard-based" products are implemented. Conformance testing is NOT a way to judge if one product is better than another. Thus, quality of conformance equates to conformance to specifications within an acceptable tolerance range. This is usually in a conformance clause or conformance statement, but sometimes some of the criteria can be found in the body of the specification. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. 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. Some may require that committees test the 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. 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. Some standards have subsequent documentation for the test methodology and assertions to be tested. Sample 1 Sample 2 Official websites use .gov b. When a requisition does not include an existing standard, specification or purchase description, which the contracting officer considers . "Design" in BRAND-NAME SPECIFICATIONS: The Request for Proposals and purchase agreements commonly require conformance to these standards. Some clients have asked us what is a certificate of conformity over the years, and we wrote this article to answer that question. 0000007885 00000 n It increases a buyer's confidence in a product and its ability to meet their needs. and others may require laboratory tests. 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. 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 and total GSM. Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China. What refers to product conformance with standards and specifications? The size of staff necessary to do This is a waste of human intellect and simply not good enough. 5. The general definition for conformance has changed over time and been refined for specific standards. Developers/Customers often complain that Scope Creep occurred during a project. Define performance specification. Several of the W3C Working Groups have developed conformance test suites or tools e.g., SVG, CSS, and HTML. Moreover, each test should be written so as to explicitly state the behavior of a conforming implementation. 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. 0000007141 00000 n Secure .gov websites use HTTPS At the end of the 1-year period, the implementer would have to correct the errors to renew the certificate. Development of the test suite may well be the costliest part of the conformance program. Good thoughts Diaa..Performance specifications focuses on supplier partnership. Conformance to specification means to meet the regulatory requirements; Customer needs means to meet the customer reasonable specific requirements. 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. criteria for the purpose of qualifying the bid document. Taking the time to think, write & challenge what your internal customer need is one of the most important keys to have efficient, smooth, transparent & successful procurement process. DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS: Design ANSI/BIFMA standards are go-to references when evaluating the safety and durability of furniture products during the specification and procurement process. How To Manufacture A Product In China (without losing your shirt)? The test documentation describes how the testing is to be done and the directions for the tester to follow. 9 What are the types of specifications when contracting? Examples of conformance specification are: Engineering drawing A chemical formula Model name, number or brand etc Requisition 2 - A clear defined specification "I would like a knife and fork to eat my dinner with, They must be no more than 5 inches high and they must be made of metal. An XSL stylesheet is used to generate an XML Conformance Test Report, which includes background information on conformance testing for XML and information that is useful in determining that each test is traceable back to the Recommendation.