DEVELOPING SPECIFICATIONS: Although Tip - The purchase specification is to allow purchasing to seek competitive quotations by forwarding the purchase specification to prospective suppliers. It's easy to subscribe to our newsletter where you'll receive weekly updates for professional importers and manufacturers on better understanding, controlling, and improving manufacturing & supply chain in China, India, Vietnam, and beyond. 7. 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. of function and cost. Determining whether a product faithfully implements a standard or specification is essential to creating robust, interoperable solutions. For any . be as non-restrictive as practicable, consistent with satisfying They often refer to particular documents, and/or particular information within them. These assertions are statements of functionality or behavior derived from the standard, and which are true for conforming implementations. 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. 0000004431 00000 n As a procurement professional . The advantages afforded by testing (and certification) are fairly obvious: quality products, interoperability, and competitive markets with more choices. The sponsor has a fundamental interest in ensuring the success of the program. An airline buys fan blades for their planes engines. DEFINITIONS 2.1 Centroidal Area. Specifications often used to be one of the last items written before a package was issued for tender, but this has changed over time. $*5QG)+cX3x tested and are considered equal, state testing methods 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. A specification is often a type of technical standard. article. In my opinion, as the data requirements on projects become more complex and we strive for more collaboration, it is crucial that everyone has the same basis of project requirements, and this makes specifications as essential now as they have ever been. Conformance and Performance Specifications 1. 1. The decision to establish a program is based on the risk of nonconformance versus the costs of creating and running a program. It here unfortunatley all to often a stage where procurement are left out and not involved from the very begining stages. But what are specifications? For software specifications it is the software that has 'implemented' the specification. An example would be a recipe for a food . It, in turn, refers to other parts of the standard. Conformance testing provides software developers and users assurance and confidence that the conforming product behaves as expected, performs functions in a known manner, or possesses a prescribed interface or format. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. a. and to invite maximum reasonable competition. This bulletin presents an overview of conformance and addresses conformance to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Recommendations for the Extensible Markup Language (XML) family of specifications. arrived at by a systematic and formal process. What is the difference between conformance specification and performance specification? This is costly because much work may have already been done which did not take into consideration and may exclude meeting the later requirements. 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. Performance purchasing is results orientated in terms To this end, That school sees planning as "strategic ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. ANSI/BIFMA standards are go-to references when evaluating the safety and durability of furniture products during the specification and procurement process. 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. 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. Failure to pass a test implies failure to conform. Therefore, a CoC (whereby the blade manufacturer writes that the blades conform to specific checklists) must be provided. Alternatively, the Java test suite can be downloaded and run locally. This safe guard protects both the Buyer and the Customer (internal or external). need. Procurements primary role of taking a business requirement (specification) finding a supplier/suppliers , negotiating a deal and then ordering the item is all hinged on that first step! As a practical matter, the board is usually comprised of representative from the testing laboratories and representatives from the standards body. The conformance testing policies and procedures should be spelled out before testing begins. PFi@("$0 (JDbyHA': F$%BIPAl4FP'aFYlO2f)m8c4&3 o7q$e9(#yd: performance, quality or essential characteristics must be Typically, a design conforms to requirements and work products conform to both design and requirements. Conformance clause and specification wording. Official websites use .gov In some cases, it has to be provided for EVERY part with its own serial number. The test software, consisting of a set of test files (i.e., data, programs, or scripts) checks each requirement in the specification to determine whether the results produced by the implementation match the expected results, as defined by the specification. A specification details the requirements of the procurement. Performance responsibilities focus on strategy, value creation and resource utilization whereas conformance responsibilities focus on providing assurance to stakeholders that the organization . Examples of conformance specification are: Engineering drawing A chemical formula Model name, number or brand etc Here's why. By signing the DoC you takefull responsibilityfor your products compliance with the applicable EU law. 0000003961 00000 n Alternatively, each profile could have its own set of levels. In 1996 ISO/IEC Guide 2 defined the three major terms used in this field. competition consistent with seeking overall economy for the more interested in how it performs, how well it performs, and at SPECIFICATION DEFINITIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS. Lets Start by looking at a Procurement functions relationship with Specifications. 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. It should be possible to know where the Specification originated. b. Furthermore, what is a conformance specification? A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Performance requirements describe the characteristics and Official websites use .gov Requisition 1 provides the buyer with much more scope and freedom (you didn't want chopsticks then?). If such a list is provided, the starting point for the development of the test suite is the list of assertions for the standard. Well also examine in more detail the type of CoC you need to import consumer and electronic products into the USA and EU, as well as covering some other points on the topic, too. In contrast to the design approach, A reference implementation has maximum value in the early stages of a conformance program. Since the purposes for Verifiability is related to the previous characteristic of the requirement being "Unambiguous". It, in turn, refers to other parts of the specification for details. 0000008556 00000 n A lock ( The conformance clause of a standard specification is a high-level description of what is required of implementers and application developers. Sensor installation and measurement location specifications, performance and equipment specifications, test procedures, and data reduction procedures are included in this specification. The alternative is falsification testing, which subjects an implementation to various combinations of legal and illegal inputs, and compares the resulting output to a set of corresponding "expected results." 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. 0000002465 00000 n 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. How To Manufacture A Product In China (without losing your shirt)? 3. 5. goods or service must perform. number of ways. a specification should be written to encourage, not discourage, Without knowing whats really needed costs can be far higher than required and the solution procured for the business not fit for purpose. 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. Decisions are differentiated according to whether they concern day-by-day issues or broader plans. situations when the use of this specification is our only 2 What are the types of specification in procurement? 1.3 Upon request by the Owner, the Manufacturer at its expense shall provide, a Design Work that matches a design. and others may require laboratory tests. What does it mean to have a conformance clause? a. 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! 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. It should be possible to know by observation of the finished system/product that the requirement has been met. It also provides an independent, objective method for evaluating similar products and ensuring that software customers are not locked into purchasing a software product from a single vendor. The XSLT test suite will allow users to customize the test suite to filter out optional category tests. 0000009883 00000 n specifications, and ensuring clarity of language with jargon or or other required characteristics should be clearly What does it mean when software conforms to a standard or specification? (a) Special marking as required under the applicable Military Specification [e.g. ISO/IEC Guide 2 also mentions that "Typical examples of conformity assessment activities are sampling, testing and inspection; evaluation, verification and assurance of conformity (supplier's declaration, certification); registration, accreditation and approval as well as their combinations.". The general definition for conformance has changed over time and been refined for specific standards. specifications; performance specifications; and the Qualified (3) list reproducible test methods to be used in testing for 9 0 obj 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. 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. 0000003930 00000 n What refers to product conformance with standards and specifications? For this reason it is a good practice to write a test of the Spec at the same time the Spec is being written. BRAND-NAME-OR-EQUAL SPECIFICATIONS: A 136 Conformance vs. Certain countries request a CoC for certain categories of imported products. Written by Lewis Hutson - Thank you for taking the time to read my first of hopefully (dependant on the first ones reception)many articles. Typically, the sponsor establishes and maintains the program. 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)). Dimension of the box Length, Width & Height. A locked padlock BRAND-NAME SPECIFICATIONS: The sound evaluation criteria. tests or other criteria for comparing, examining and approving It increases a buyer's confidence in a product and its ability to meet their needs. /Length 10 0 R The test suite should be platform independent, and should generate repeatable results. stream purpose intended. Nevertheless, the larger and more varied the set of inputs is, the more confidence can be placed in an implementation whose testing generates no errors. `d 0@90@AA= .5@2:6: 12@7 KK;+MD 4p$? k9S:>P("hb YUE#5K>,46SCL- 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. specifications may not be unduly restrictive. should be put on notice that the criteria used to define There are two main approaches to handling implementation specific extensions to a standard. Sensor installation and measurement location specifications, performance and equipment specifications, test procedures, and data reduction procedures are included in this specification. Conformance Clause Every specification SHALL contain a conformance clause. ^O{f 0jlrG11lgjcBR8LLQ4Ms7Irl;%oOA?CECpd@{m1MS]81W_4;O,Wmw@:5(h1f up/}u,2 Et8ALC%Z7 #fc[,:RC oA_"IFWS.fL' rx0!% ^r2;u,{0rd@Ty !A34AEnKZX+1 n/o In essence this is less rigid than conformance specification. 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. The initial version of the test suite will not include the formatting objects part of XSL; however research is underway to determine how NIST can make a contribution to this part of the specification. This makes the purchasing process inefficient. 0000007164 00000 n 7. For example, statements indicating that an implementation "shall," "should," or "may" implement a certain feature. 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. Although the terms validation and conformance testing are often interchanged, they are not the same. Definitions - what is conformance (to a standard)? 0000066233 00000 n described fully to include thickness, size, color, etc. Once the item is delivered the specification can be used to compare the delivered item to what was ordered. 0000006359 00000 n Two sets of test suites were built, one for DOM with an ECMAScript binding and the other with a Java binding. at least two brand names that will satisfy the Conformance to specification means to meet the regulatory requirements; Customer needs means to meet the customer reasonable specific requirements. There are different types of technical or engineering specifications (specs), and the term is used differently in different technical contexts. A QPL is 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. Its use will not be permitted unless only one negotiated pursuant to 41 u.s.c. However, My company Sofeast, can probably help you. submitted written justification to this effect and the Director Additionally it may specify the permissibility of extensions, options, and alternative approaches and how they are to be handled. 2. The final test suite is expected to be complete by March 2001. Sample 1 Sample 2 The tests are then executed and the results displayed. 0000002442 00000 n a. used to establish the QPL and indicate steps to be taken The test suite will focus on XSL transformations (XSLT) and XML Path Language (XPath). 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. 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. How do you know that the software conforms? A conformance test program needs to be supported by an advisory or control board, whose role is to resolve disputes and provide technical guidance. 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. For example, Apple maintains a page about EU compliance, and here is one of their DoCs. 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. 6. 0000005693 00000 n The process for developing conformance test suites begins with defining the set of test assertions (TA) upon which the test suite is based. [1] Gartner Group, a Stamford, CT based consulting company, [2] ISO/IEC Guide 2:1996, Standardization and Related Activities General Vocabulary, Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices, Created September 8, 2010, Updated August 25, 2016, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). required, testing methods, and characteristics that the We are not lawyers. Define conformance specification. Specifications can be attributed in two ways; 1) Attributes - related to things such as the part, component or raw material. qualified product list (QPL) is a specification based on 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. Level 2 includes all of level 1 and also additional functionality. 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. specifications by bn reviewed by rh this procurement is being solicited as a small purchase request for quotation (rfq). In contraast, see Performance or Functional Specifications . Examples of conformance specification; In general, the . 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. If the criteria or requirements for conformance are not specified, there can be no conformance testing. This board should be a body of impartial experts. Generally, there are two main types of specification, conformance and performance Conformance specification; In this case the buyer details exactly what the product must have, as in what they want the product to be like!. Ready to get your copy? According to the FCC (47 CFR Section 2.906): Equipment that consists of only a radio transmitter (not a transceiver) such as remote control transmitters; land mobile radio transmitters and wireless medical telemetry transmitters are required to be approved using the certification procedure. Purchasing will assist and advise you in 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. 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 many assumed requirements that are real requirements from the users perspective. Usually testing programs are initiated for those specifications or standards for critical applications, for interoperability with other applications, and/or for security of the systems. 3. 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. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Not all specifications or standards need a testing program. 1.2 Upon request by the Owner, the Manufacturer at its expense shall provide proof of conformance with any or all requirements of this specification. is less interested in dimensions and materials and configurations Product List (QPL). An official website of the United States government. specification is to provide a basis for obtaining a good or The best position is to list How to Market Your Business with Webinars. Who does the testing? Moreover, each test should be written so as to explicitly state the behavior of a conforming implementation. In these cases, it may be desirable to partition the specifications into subsets of functionality. Reference method tests and PEMS drift tests are conducted to determine conformance of the PEMS with the specification. 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. It will be super helpful to build on that. Conformance Test Suites for XML Technologies. SPP Regions Expert Workshop - Copenhagen June 15th 2016 Performance / Output Based Specifications (POBS) are the foundation for a purchasing approach commonly called Performance Based Contracting. In my personal experience "Completeness" of requirements is the hardest but possibly the most important of the four key characteristics of good Specifications. product is to be put together. Deviation in delivery period shall be considered if such deviation is reasonable.6.1. These requirements are specified in a standard or specification as either part of a conformance clause or in the body of the specification. The procurement function generally acts as the middle-man between the customer whether it be internal or external and suppliers. specification. Early stage specifications can be seen as part of the review with the customer (internal or external) about what they are looking to achieve on the project. 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. specification, having been used historically in public 4 Examples of Conformance Quality. 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. It is important to note that certification cannot exist without validation, but validation can exist without certification. Identify minimum requirements, (2) allow for a competitive bid, The ECMAScript test suite contains over 800 tests and covers the fundamental, extended, and HTML interfaces of the DOM Level 1 Recommendation. In recent years, the term conformity has gained international use and has generally replaced the term conformance in ISO documents. Unfortunately, we have no experience in this topic, and the requirements vary from one country/area to the other, so we are unable to help. Define performance specification. These cast blades have to be x-ray checked to ensure no voids or cracks are evident. and more interested in what a product does. This is the official blog of Sofeast.com. Some clients have asked us what is a certificate of conformity over the years, and we wrote this article to answer that question. What steps lead conformance to specification? 2) The car shall have a really kickin stereo system. Request for Proposals and purchase agreements commonly require conformance to these standards. 0000005716 00000 n Although conformance testing is not a guarantee for interoperability, it is an essential step towards achieving interoperability. It is not sufficient to have this paper, of course. controlled conditions and assessments made of their performance 0000069347 00000 n the methods for establishing and maintaining a QPL varies widely Vendors should be provided the 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. When does a buyer ask the supplier for a CoC? Haytham Abdel-Rahman, MBA. Lets take an example. A standard may classify features as "mandatory" vs. "optional," and provide a table listing features so classified. competitors that can supply the product, the department head has 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. definitions of non-standard terms. CoC for importing consumer goods in the USA, Certification authorization vs. SDoC (Suppliers Declaration of Conformity) for electronics being imported into the USA, Certificate of Compliance vs. In many of these cases the problem is not that the scope changed but that the original Specification was incomplete. conformity testing - conformity assessment by means of testing. 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. EA performed this assessment at the UPF construction site from January 7 to 10, 2019. Give examples of conformance specification. Some standards have subsequent documentation for the test methodology and assertions to be tested. Design specifications are an interpretation of what the customer needs. Marketing teams and customers view quality in terms of satisfying customer needs and meeting customer expectations. 0000003290 00000 n 0000002964 00000 n 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 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. Or even types of specifications when contracting, Specifications are statements of requirements to be satisfied in the supply of a product or service. specifications; brand-name-or-equal specifications; design Buyer requires conformance to the Specification. manufacturers' names, brand names and model numbers, but it is 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? requirements of the item being purchased. What are the characteristics of a good specification in procurement? developing your specifications, however, Procurement does not 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 test procedures define the administrative as well as the technical process for testing an implementation. Lock 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 . Levels are nested subsets of the specifications. 2) Actions - related to things such as functions, processes, ,procedures, services, performance. Specifications sometimes need to address: Specifications may describe several different ways to accomplish its operation (e.g., a choice of file formats or codes). The conformance clause identifies what must conform and how conformance can be met. DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS: Design If the bid does not conform to the specification in all elements, it is not a bid at all; but a new proposition.