Operating in a global market, large amounts of construction products and materials are sourced from overseas. There are a number of Quality risks associated with buying construction products and materials from other countries - including:
Product Quality Issues: Materials may not be manufactured to the same quality as those produced domestically, which could lead to structural or safety problems.
Shipping and handling: Materials may be damaged during transport, and if they are not properly inspected upon arrival, they may need to be replaced.
Differences in laws and regulations: Materials may not comply with local building codes, safety regulations and environmental standards.
Testing / Certification Issues: Materials may not be tested to the required standards – and documentation may not be available. Materials may not comply with local schemes.
Surveillance Challenges: It is more difficult to keep an eye on overseas manufacturing and fabrication.
Recourse following issues: It will be more difficult to deal with any issues in a foreign jurisdiction - and suppliers may have less skin in the game to respond to any issues post-delivery.
In order to mitigate the quality risks (and consequent cost and time risks), the Procurement and Engineering team need to consider the following actions:
Commercial Off-The Shelf (COTS) or Bespoke: Is the product/material commercially-available or is it being fabricated to your own design. If the product is commercially-available then you may be limited
Country risk: Are you procuring from a country that has a similar culture and standards to your own? Are banned substances such as lead or asbestos legal in these jurisdictions? Do you have controls and partners in place to ensure Quality?
Clear specifications: Clearly define the required standards and specifications for the materials, including any relevant codes or regulations, and communicate them to the supplier.
In-process inspections - process and manufacturing risk: Can the product be tested/inspected as a complete unit – or are there any additional key in-process inspections/tests that need to be implemented to ensure Quality? Agree these with your client, the designer and the fabricator through their Fabrication Inspection and Testing documentation.
Samples/Prototypes: Is the product of variable quality, complex, or is visual appearance essential to the client? You may want to require the Fabricator to produce physical samples or construct prototypes so that these can be inspected or tested and any issues can be identified before the products are shipped to site.
Vendor Assessment: Understand the suppliers' track records, reputation, and ability to meet the required standards and specifications.
Conduct pre-shipment inspections: Consider hiring an independent third-party inspection company to conduct inspections of the materials at the supplier's facility before they are shipped. This can help ensure that the materials meet the required specifications and are free of defects and to ensure that the materials are properly packaged and protected from damage.
Use quality control documents: Request and review quality control documents such as mill test reports, material safety data sheets, and certifications of compliance from the supplier prior to delivery to verify that the materials meet the required standards.
Conduct receipt inspections: Hire an independent third-party inspection company to conduct inspections of the materials on receipt at your local port.
Use a quality management system: Implement a quality management system that includes procedures for monitoring and controlling the quality of the materials, including regular inspections and audits.
For Australian procurers interested in product certification and conformance, read the APCC Procurement of Construction Products - a guide to achieving compliance.
By following these steps, you can increase the likelihood that the construction materials you purchase from overseas will meet your Quality requirements on your project.
Have we missed anything? E-mail us at info@cqa.org,au
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