ADVISORY NOTE
IMPLEMENTING AND MAINTAINING A QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A Quality Management System (QMS) is no more than a common sense documentation of the controls that you implement at the various stages of your product/service delivery process. For this reason, a QMS is as applicable if you have a staff of 1 or a staff of 500.
CESA requires that your firm must, irrespective of its size, have a QMS in place. This is not an onerous undertaking. In fact, it is nothing more than good business common sense. Your quality management system should be the basis for the way you deliver your product and service. “The way things are done” in your organization
ISO 9001:2000 is a comprehensive, internationally recognized common sense approach for managing and controlling a consulting company in order to ensure customer satisfaction and the delivery of a quality product and service. The issues that ISO 9001:2000 focuses on are the issues that your firm should also be focusing on in order to achieve Quality. For this reason, CESA recommends using the ISO 9001:2000 frame work.
The FIDIC set of documentation “Quality Management in the Consulting Engineering Industry” is an interpretation of ISO 9001:2000 requirements for quality management for a consulting engineering firm and forms an excellent starting point for implementation of a quality management system in your own organization.
As your guideline for developing your QMS, we recommend that you use this documentation along with attending the CESA Quality Management workshops presented by the School of Consulting Engineering.

2. INTRODUCTION
2.1 CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT
During January 2003, Annexure A to The CESA Constitution was revised. It now requires that Members of the South African Association of Consulting Engineers, in conducting their practices as consulting engineers and allied professionals, shall:
“Implement and maintain a system of quality management in their practices”
The purpose of this Advisory Note is to:
• Provide information to Members regarding the interpretation of this requirement of the Constitution and
• Provide guidelines for the implementation of a quality management system (QMS)

2.2 CESA POLICY FOR QUALITY IN MEMBER FIRMS
CESA policy regarding the interpretation of the Quality Clause in the Code of Conduct is as follows:
• “Members shall implement and maintain a quality management system;
• the quality management system should be based on the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 Quality management systems – Requirements
• assessment of compliance by Members will be based on the Annual Declaration of the Member – ISO 9001:2000 certification is not currently required.”

3. INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT
3.1 DEFINITIONS
The following definitions will be printed in bold in this Advisory Note.
• ABCB
Association of British Certification Bodies.
• Accreditation
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) is a world association of Conformity Assessment Bodies. A body is accredited by a member of the IAF to certify that an organisation complies with a specific set of internationally accepted criteria.
• Certification
Compliance with the requirements of an internationally accepted set of criteria, such as ISO 9001:2000 is certified by an accredited body.
• IAF
International Accreditation Forum
• Implement
A QMS is deemed implemented if it is established, documented, implemented and maintained at all operational levels within an organization.
• Member
This term refers to a Firm (“organization” in ISO terminology) which is a member of CESA, including all the offices and subsidiary companies of the Firm, contributing to the professional services provided by the Firm in any way.
• Maintain
Refers to the maintenance of a QMS in compliance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2000.
• MLA
Multinational Recognition Agreement
• Quality management system (QMS)
A system that complies with the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 Quality management systems – Requirements. A QMS is the means by which you manage and control your organization.
• Self-assessment
A comprehensive and systematic review by top management of the suitability, adequacy, effectiveness and efficiency of the Firm’s QMS and the development, implementation and maintenance of the system.
• CESA
The South African Association of Consulting Engineers.
• SME
Small or medium sized enterprise. SME’s are generally described as those that employ less than 250 staff in Great Britain. In South Africa the term SMME is used.
• SMME
Small and micro sized enterprise. This is used to define enterprises from a one-man enterprise to enterprises with less than 250 staff.
• Top management (ISO 9000:2000 3.2.7)
“Person or group of people who direct and control an organisation at the highest level”.

3.2 STATUS OF THIS ADVISORY NOTE
This advisory note has been approved by CESA and is regarded as formal CESA policy.

4. GUIDELINE DOCUMENTATION FOR IMPLEMENTING A FORMAL QMS
4.1 ABCB: QUALITY SYSTEMS IN THE SMALL OR MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES (SME)
The ABCB has developed a good set of guidelines in a Workbook format, specifically aimed at the implementation of a QMS in a SME. The advantage of this Workbook is that it can be downloaded free of charge from the following address:

Website: http://www.abcb.demon.co.uk/

The document is available in eight parts:
• Foreword
• Part 1 – The introduction of ISO 9001:2000
• Part 2 - Overview of the Standard
• Part 3 – Structure and Content of the Standard
• Part 4 – Scope Description and Application
• Part 5 – Implementing the Quality Management System
• Part 6 – Selection of a Certification Body
• Appendix 1- useful Addresses.

4.2 FIDIC DOCUMENTS
CESA recommends that Members make use of the FIDIC set of documentation “Quality management in the consulting engineering industry”. This document is available (at a cost) from the CESA Directorate and comprises the following:
• Guide to quality management in the consulting industry
• Guide to the interpretation and application of the ISO 9001:2000 standard for the consulting engineering industry.
• Training kit: Quality management in the consulting engineering industry.

5. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE / SUBSIDY
5.1 DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY (DTI)
The DTI’s Competitiveness Fund may be willing to pay up to 50% of the total cost of implementing a QMS. As alternative the Export Marketing Investment Assistance Fund may be willing to contribute up to 80% to the cost of system development.

The contact details are as follows:
Website http://www.dti.gov.za/
Tel: (012) 310 9389

5.2 SECTOR EDUCATION & TRAINING AUTHORITY
5.2.1 SETA
Members pay a skills development levy of 1% of payroll to the relevant SETA. Members are entitled to get back a portion of the money they have paid. By following the correct procedures, Members may include quality management training as part of their Planning grant (WSP).

5.2.2 CETA
The relevant SETA for the construction industry is the Construction Education & Training Authority (CETA)

Website http://www.ceta.org.za/
Tel: (011) 265 5900

6. IMPLEMENTATION
6.1 TIMEFRAME
6.1.1 Existing Members
As this is a revised constitutional requirement, the following lead-time will be applicable to allow Members the time to implement a formal QMS. Members must state as part of their Annual Declaration the following: (See Appendix A.)

6.1.2 New Members
Should Firms become Members before 2004-01-01, they shall be required to follow the timeframe defined above. Firms becoming Members after 2004-01-01 shall be able to comply with the CESA policy regarding Member Firms within 2 years after the submission of the first Annual Declaration by the Member.

6.2 EVALUATION
The format of compliance verification by Members is left to the Member to decide. Although formal certification by an accredited certification body is preferred, an internal self-assessment process will also be acceptable.

6.3 ANNUAL DECLARATION
Members will be required to provide information regarding the status of their QMS as part of the annual declaration by the Mandated Principal. A draft of the proposed format of the declaration is enclosed as Appendix A.

6.4 PUBLISHED INFORMATION
The status of the Member’s QMS, as documented in the Annual Declaration, will be published by CESA for access by the general public.

6.5 DISCIPLINE
In disciplinary matters, as described in item 7 of the CESA By-laws, Council will interpret the Code of Conduct requirements relating to quality as defined in this Advisory Note.

7. STAKEHOLDERS
7.1 ORGANISATIONS IN THE QUALITY INDUSTRY
7.1.1 SOUTH AFRICAN QUALITY INSTITUTE (SAQI)
The South African Quality Institute is the national umbrella body coordinating the Quality effort in South Africa.

Website: http/www.saqi.co.za
Contact for corporate entities: elia@saqi.co.za
Contact person: Elia Metshisaulu

7.1.2 Southern Africa Auditors and Training Certification Association (SAATCA).
Details of Training Providers are available from The Southern Africa Auditors and Training Certification Association (SAATCA).

Website: http/www.saatca.co.za
e-mail: saatce@saatca.co.za
Contact person: Gerrie Niemandt: 082 903 1909

7.2 IMPLEMENTATION CONSULTANTS
Detail of consultants used by Members consenting to make this information available, is published on the CESA website.

http://www.cesa.co.za

7.3 ACCREDITATION AND CERTIFICATION
Should a Member wish to obtain ISO 9001:2000 certification, a body that is accredited to do the certification should preferably issue the certificate. Details of stakeholders in the accreditation and certification process are provided in the following paragraphs.

Details of certification bodies used by Members consenting to make this information available, is published on the CESA website.

7.3.1 International Accreditation Forum (IAF)
The IAF is a world association of Conformity Assessment Bodies. IAF members accredit certification bodies that issue certificates attesting that an organisation’s management, products or personnel comply with the specified standard.
The primary purpose of IAF is two-fold. Firstly, to ensure that its accreditation body members only accredit bodies that are competent to do the work they undertake to do and secondly to establish Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MLA) between its accreditation body members. IAF can be contacted at:

Website: http://www.iaf.nu/

7.3.2 South African National Accreditation System (SANAS)
SANAS is recognised by the South African Government as the single National Accreditation Body that gives formal recognition to certification bodies. SANAS is the recognised South African member of the IAF. This means that, if a member of SANAS does the certification of a Member, this certification will be recognised, based on the existing MLA, on an international basis. SANAS can be contacted at:

Tel. 012 349 1441
Website: http://www.sanas.co.za/

7.3.3 Certification Bodies
Details of certification bodies accredited by SANAS for providing ISO certification in South Africa are available on the SANAS website.

7.4 PEER ASSISTANCE
Details of certification bodies used by Members, who are already certified, are available on the CESA website:

http://www.cesa.co.za

These Members indicated that they are willing to advise other Members regarding their experience with both quality consultants and certification bodies.