Additionally it may specify the permissibility of extensions, options, and alternative approaches and how they are to be handled. A standard may classify features as "mandatory" vs. "optional," and provide a table listing features so classified. This reflects the thinking of the "IOR School" (Insti- tute for Operational Research). 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. The decision to establish a program is based on the risk of nonconformance versus the costs of creating and running a program. It is also possible that implementations may not be able to implement all the features. It is the basis of all offers and therefore the foundation for a contract. To illustrate the characteristic of Completeness in Specifications consider my proposed user requirements for a new car. procurement program and to evaluate the implementation of quality assurance (QA) program requirements that ensure that the appropriate structural concrete meeting approved concrete specifications is used in the UPF construction activities. Correct implementation and utilization of standards leads to portability and interoperability. The size of staff necessary to do Each test should be traceable back to a statement or statements in the specification. predicated on a written specification which includes certain 2. ~ F3!"c|?f0u{X)(oMU1H"Yq66fI1ar3f$cq. with the Procurement Officer reserving the final right to Design Work that matches a design. In 1996 ISO/IEC Guide 2 defined the three major terms used in this field. This board should be a body of impartial experts. Click here for Terms & Conditions. https://www.nist.gov/itl/ssd/information-systems-group/what-thing-called-conformance. items regularly available in the market place, as is The conformance clause of a specification is a high-level description of what is required of implementations. Do you face challenges of getting required specifications while creating Tender/RFQ package? 2. 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. Identification of any third-party laboratory on whos testing the certificate depends: Provide the name, full mailing address, and telephone number of the third-party laboratory. ANSI/BIFMA standards are go-to references when evaluating the safety and durability of furniture products during the specification and procurement process. Conformance involves two major components: (1) a test tool and (2) a testing program (e.g., certification or branding). Development of the test suite may well be the costliest part of the conformance program. The conformance testing policies and procedures should be spelled out before testing begins. Alternatively, the Java test suite can be downloaded and run locally. These are certainly all legitimate requirements but they are far from complete. These requirements are specified in a standard or specification as either part of a conformance clause or in the body of the specification. 7 What is the definition of quality of conformance? Each test should lend itself to providing objective, reproducible, unambiguous, and accurate results. I like the point about cost only .. represents the kind of thinking in which architects and engineers Buyer requires conformance to the Specification. 1.3 Upon request by the Owner, the Manufacturer at its expense shall provide, a Thanks! A lock ( 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. My company Sofeast, can probably help you. 0000004193 00000 n 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. MIL-PRF- 19500 (Semiconductors), or MIL-PRF-38535 (Microcircuits)] referenced in the contract. Examples of conformance specification are: Engineering drawing A chemical formula Model name, number or brand etc developing your specifications, however, Procurement does not In such a case, the conformance clause should specify whether or not an implementation is considered to be conformant if it does not implement each approach? 4 Examples of Conformance Quality. The duty of Procurement to promote 0000001477 00000 n It will be super helpful to build on that. For any . Contracting officers must assess the adequacy and applicability of any standards, specifications, including client-developed specifications, or purchase descriptions included by a client in the requisition. Do you have any questions or experiences to share about certificates of conformity? 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. Barbara Shayan, M.A, Six Sigma Green Belt Certified. Does a KitchenAid have a juicer attachment? Please tell me by leaving a comment. The Procurement cycle is covered extensively within the CIPS . 0000066380 00000 n It, in turn, refers to other parts of the standard. What are the types of specification in procurement? Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. specifications; performance specifications; and the Qualified specifications, and ensuring clarity of language with jargon or 0000005716 00000 n Chartered MCIPS. Proprietary Specification. 4 What are the characteristics of a good specification in procurement? What is the definition of quality of conformance? What are the purpose of specification in procurement? contracting for buildings, highways, and other public works, and Speaking generally, one is the specification that Specifications often used to be one of the last items written before a package was issued for tender, but this has changed over time. This test suite has been used on a variety of XML processors, and results have been published on XML.com. specification, having been used historically in public 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. BRAND-NAME SPECIFICATIONS: The Examples of certifying organizations include consortia, trade associations, standards groups, or government agencies. Examples of conformance specification; 2) Actions - related to things such as functions, processes, ,procedures, services, performance. a. Tip - Never design and make a product if there is an 'off-the-shelf' part available. XML Test Suite is available from the NIST web site, http://xw2k.nist.gov/xml/index.html. goods or service must perform. They rely on self-assessment by the implementer (1st party testing) and acceptance testing by buyers. Some may require that committees test the Give examples of performance specification. Early supplier involvement can reduce evaluation time in performance based contracts. The test suites are available athttp://xw2k.nist.gov/xml/index.html. used to establish the QPL and indicate steps to be taken 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. Accompanying the actual test files is an XML test description file that contains pertinent information for each of the tests included in the distribution. 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. Another issue it whether or not a certificate expires (e.g., good for 2 years or never expire). If you do not use a third party laboratory, you may label this section N/A. If the mattresses being certified are for cribs or childrens size mattresses, please see the requirements for issuing a CPC. Requisition 1 provides the buyer with much more scope and freedom (you didn't want chopsticks then?). Does it come from a particularly influential stake-holder? A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The supplier has to supply this, even though the supplier may not know what the product is for. 2 What are the types of specification in procurement? Interoperability is defined as the capability of two or more systems to exchange and use information. 0000008556 00000 n Lets Start by looking at a Procurement functions relationship with Specifications. 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. 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. 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! 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." Conformance is how well realities match specifications, rules, principles and plans. prepare all specifications. 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. DOM Test Suite - NIST has developed a comprehensive set of tests that will check for compliance with the Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1 Recommendation. 0000008579 00000 n What does it mean to have a conformance clause? Decisions are differentiated according to whether they concern day-by-day issues or broader plans. PFi@("$0 (JDbyHA': F$%BIPAl4FP'aFYlO2f)m8c4&3 o7q$e9(#yd: of function and cost. 4M%m8Kxq@D0P- E62e(S4O#?s3,!Ms%iTZa5 @!.MOzNRU!+9nI 0000006359 00000 n 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. Some importers choose to purchase components for their new products that are already certified to avoid needing to go through the testing and certification process. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Any other brands or models AnEU declaration of conformity(DoC) is a mandatory document that you as a manufacturer or your authorised representative need to sign to declare that your products comply with the EU requirements. Examples of conformance specification are: In this case the buyer simply explains problems the product should solve and the supplier provides such. With any standard or specification, eventually the discussion turns to "how will we know if an implementation or application conforms to our standard or specification?" Sometimes, its really challenging to collect/get what your organization need .. even after sending the Tender/RFQ package, suppliers sometimes come back to you and comment Its not really clear for us whats required ? The sponsor has a fundamental interest in ensuring the success of the program. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------, Lisa J. Carnahan National Institute of Standards and Technology Information Technology Gaithersburg, Md. the sealed bidding terminology as used throughout these specifications is synonymous with their negotiated procurement counterpart unless specifically stated otherwise. number of ways. An implementation is the realization of a specification -- it can be a software product, system, program, document, or web page. 4) The car shall travel at speeds between 0 and 100 mph. 0000005693 00000 n In general, the . /Filter /LZWDecode As a practical matter, the board is usually comprised of representative from the testing laboratories and representatives from the standards body. 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. Supplier Resources. programs and staff activities. A testing program cannot exist without a test tool or test suite, but a test tool/suite can exist without a testing program. 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? Often times, errors or ambiguities in the specification are discovered. Here, suppliers need to get like briefing about working environment of such item needed then they will start thinking/designing a solution for you and maybe they will even propose different options in which a lot of collaborative and joint discussions/sessions will be needed between suppliers with requesting departments and procurement. Procurement serves as the primary 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. There are additional advantages when a technical specifications document is drawn up and it forms an integral part of the procurement process and order placement. for different products. Level 2 includes all of level 1 and also additional functionality. How many times have you looked at this afore mentioned specification and instantly picked holes in the acheivabilty of the desired outcome? The conformance clause identifies what must conform and how The understanding is that an implementation that is determined to satisfy each assertion will be considered to be in conformance to the standard. I will be discussing topics covering all aspects of the Supply chain (particularly Procurement) fuctions, Change Managment ideas and theories and IT software solutions (General focus being ERPSystems such as INFOR M3)For business needs. More recently with the advent of the Internet and rapidly changing information technology, the notion of conformance testing has become less formal allowing developers and users to assess for themselves the validity or correctness of the software or data with respect to the relevant specification. Factors that determine you to choose conformance specification. Thus, the tests when executed on the implementation under test will generate a pass/fail condition. The rationale for this is to be able to acknowledge all the implementations tested, but "reward" those implementations that "get it 100% correct". have expertise in every sphere of College of Charleston academic The conformance clause may specify sets of functions, which may take the form of profiles, levels, or other structures. That school sees planning as "strategic brand-name specifications has the effect of limiting the bidding 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. 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). 2) Actions - related to things such as functions, processes,. What are the characteristics of a good specification in procurement? What makes a good specification in procurement? Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In general, the buyer is the impetus for sellers to undergo conformance testing. tested and are considered equal, state testing methods As a procurement proffesional just think for a moment how many times has a fully agreed and signed of specification been put on your desk and requistioned without any prior input from your function? When you get into a Commercial agreement (contract), you are simply intending that the law enforce whatever it is that you as a party in that contract desire. The main reason a CoC is required at customs is to prove a product that the product being imported meets the required standard(s). Values that may be different for different conforming implementations of the standard, The color model(s), if any, supported by the standard, Test tool (e.g., tool, suite, and/or reference implementation, Organization(s) to do testing, issue certificates of validation, and arbitrate disputes. is characteristic of construction or personal services contracts. specification is less interested in how a product is made, and 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. Without a CoC, products may be impounded, confiscated, and in some case destroyed. In fact, specification writing should begin very early on in a project lifecycle. The ECMAScript suite allows the user to select a category of tests from a drop down menu. However, Similarly, validation cannot exist without a test suite, but a test suite can exits without validation. bidders offering products other than specified obtain 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. 8 What does it mean to have a conformance clause? 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. broad groupings are more particular types, including: brand-name 0000009883 00000 n On the other hand, the policy might be that a certificate is issued (or a claim of conformance is made) only if no errors are found. 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. 3. (a) Special marking as required under the applicable Military Specification [e.g. Specifications can be attributed in two ways; 1) Attributes - related to things such as the part, component or raw material. In contraast, see Performance or Functional Specifications . PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS: The terms described fully to include thickness, size, color, etc. a. 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. required, testing methods, and characteristics that the 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." 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. 0000007885 00000 n Specifications can be attributed in two ways; 1) Attributes - related to things such as the part, component or raw material. 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. 0000066233 00000 n Departments wishing to Several of the W3C Working Groups have developed conformance test suites or tools e.g., SVG, CSS, and HTML. Although conformance testing may include some of these kinds of tests, it has one fundamental difference -- the requirements or criteria for conformance must be specified in the standard or specification. 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.) Lock What does it mean when software conforms to a standard or specification? requirements of the item being purchased. 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. A specification is often a type of technical standard. Falsification testing can only demonstrate non-conformance. 5. 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. By signing the DoC you takefull responsibilityfor your products compliance with the applicable EU law. Departments using performance Supplier Resources. Specifications can be prepared in a The best position is to list 0000066668 00000 n characteristic of equipment, materials and supplies. Conformance Clause Every specification SHALL contain a conformance clause. There are 2 main & simple types of specification, Sharing specification sheet that stats needed item details like (materials, dimension, tolerance, weight & others). 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. Although there may be competitors that can supply the product, the department head has The CoC is sometimes called Certificate of Conformance or Certificate of Compliance. Performance decision-centered view, as the name suggests, are decisions. service that ill satisfy a particular need at an economical cost 0000002442 00000 n specifications may not be unduly restrictive. However, these methodologies all follow the same basic strategy - falsification testing; and the same basic process - analyze the specification for test assertions or test requirements, write a test purpose for each test, and create and document a test case which realizes each test purpose. products of a particular manufacturer as having the 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. quotation request 0000004956 00000 n Written by Lewis Hutson - Thank you for taking the time to read my first of hopefully (dependant on the first ones reception)many articles. Deviation in delivery period shall be considered if such deviation is reasonable.6.1. 0000066307 00000 n If such a list is provided, the starting point for the development of the test suite is the list of assertions for the standard. 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. Vendors should be provided the The procedures should also contain information on what must be done operationally when failures occur. This is called strict conformance. At the end of the 1-year period, the implementer would have to correct the errors to renew the certificate. Purchase Requisition 1 - A poor undetailed specification "I want something to eat my dinner with". 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. 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. substantially equivalent to those named are considered for award, This is costly because much work may have already been done which did not take into consideration and may exclude meeting the later requirements. It assumes responsibility for insuring that the components of the program are in place and becomes the centralized source for information about the program. What should a certificate of conformity include? Failure to pass a test implies failure to conform. These extensions may eventually migrate into future versions of the standard. specifications customarily employ dimensional and other physical 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. Is it a marketing or business requirement? 6. However, this is generally impossible for implementations of nontrivial specifications. negotiated pursuant to 41 u.s.c. This makes the purchasing process inefficient. 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. 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. 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? 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. BRAND-NAME-OR-EQUAL SPECIFICATIONS: A 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. 0000004431 00000 n ", 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. It is a neutral mechanism to judge a product against the criteria of a standard or specification. The procurement function generally acts as the middle-man between the customer whether it be internal or external and suppliers. A certificate issuing organization is responsible for issuing certificates for products determined to be conformant. Conformance testing is NOT a way to judge if one product is better than another. a. >> 3 What steps lead conformance to specification? by vendors to add products to the QPL. Examples of Conformance to specifications in a sentence. Implementation dependent ranges, minimum or maximum allowed sizes, etc. Conformance and Performance Specifications 1. Conformance to specifications means to meet any requirements defined for the product, not only regulatory. purchased under indefinite quantity term contracts and definite The documentation should be detailed enough so that testing of a given implementation can be repeated with no change in test results. or other required characteristics should be clearly When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. The test procedures define the administrative as well as the technical process for testing an implementation.
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