Subcontractor surveillance

When carrying out subcontractor surveillance you will need a plan which indicates what you intend to do and when you intend to do it. You will also need to agree the plan with your subcontractor. If you intend witnessing certain tests, the subcontractor will need to give you advanced warning of its commencement so that you may attend (see also later in this chapter under Supplier verification at subcontractor s premises.)... 

The quality plan would be a logical place for such controls to be defined but clause 4.2.3 does not specifically refer to subcontractor controls. Any intention that they be defined in the quality plan is hidden in 4.2.3.1(b) where it requires you to give timely consideration to the identification and acquisition of any controls etc. Some companies produce a Quality Assurance Requirement Specification to supplement ISO 9001 and also produce a Subcontractor Surveillance Plan. In most other cases the controls may be defined on the reverse side of the purchase order as standard conditions coded and selected for individual purchases. 

L. A medical surveillance program must be in place to assess and monitor the health and fitness of employees. A medical surveillance program helps assess and monitor the health and fitness of employees working with hazardous substances. The contractors at Sites A, E, H, and K and one subcontractor at Site I appear to have established medical surveillance programs that with minor exceptions were consistent with HAZWOPER requirements. 

Ensure that the contractor/subcontractor can implement a comprehensive health and safety program in compliance with applicable regulations, including accident prevention programs, medical surveillance, training, work practice controls, use of personal protective equipment, and so on. 

Audit the contractor/subcontractor prequalification form and program for compliance with this procedure and provide medical surveillance and training policies. 

New controls may also be needed if there are unusual contractual relationships, such as overseas subcontractors, international consortia, or in-plant surveillance by the customer. There may be language problems, translation work, harmonization of standards, and other matters arising from international trade. 

The quality of the product can only be verified by the subcontractor during its design and manufacture. (In such cases you need to rely on what the contractor tells you and to gain sufficient confidence you can impose quality system requirements, require certain design, manufacturing, inspection, and test documents to be submitted to you for approval, and carry out periodic audit and surveillance activities. This method is usually applied for one-off systems or small quantities when the stability of a long production run cannot be achieved to resolve problems.)... 

Subcontractor/supplier performance will be evident from audit reports, surveillance visit reports, and receipt inspections carried out by you or the third party if one has been employed. You need to examine these documents for evidence that the subcontractor s quality system is controlling the quality of the products and services supplied. You can determine the effectiveness of these controls by periodic review of the subcontractor s performance what some firms call vendor rating . By collecting data on the performance of subcontractors/suppliers over a long period you can measure their effectiveness and rate them on a scale from excellent to poor. In such cases you should measure at least three characteristics quality, delivery, and service. Quality would be measured by the ratio of defective conforming products received delivery would be measured by the number of days early or late and service would be measured by the responsiveness to actions requested by you on scale of excellent to poor. The output of these reviews should be in the form of updates to the list of assessed subcontractors/suppliers. 

GR-6.2.2.3 Subcontractor Control. The subcontractor services shall be controlled by the processes of procurement, quality review, and surveillance, including receiving inspection, supported by the proper documentation. The subcontractor shall provide a Quality Control System (manual), documented procedures, and applicable work instructions. The construction organization shall be responsible for approval of all subcontract services. 

---