Process for Selecting Innovative Quality Assurance Practices for Materials

A process used in California to evaluate and implement innovative quality assurance practices for materials is described. The process involves three distinct phases: an audit of current practice, a structured evaluation of innovative practices, and the planned development of a materials management system (MMS). More than 1,600 performance elements were identified and categorized by material type. The quality assurance practice for each element was documented, and an assessment was made of its criticality on the basis of the consequence of failure. Testing and inspection workload for each materials category is determined through workload standards, sampling frequencies, and bid quantities. Analyses of these data reveal that testing and inspection costs are higher, dollar for dollar, for materials whose consequence of failure is low. This suggests that innovative practices such as quality control–quality assurance (QC/QA), pre- or postqualification of bidders, and warranties should be considered seriously for these materials. Evaluation of recent QC/QA projects indicates that adoption of innovative practices may not save dollars in the short term, but it can free resources for redirection to more critical needs and may provide higher quality work. The structured evaluation process used to assess the appropriateness of 18 primary and 11 supporting quality assurance options by performance element is described, and tables detail the decision logic used. Many of these options rely on an effective method for storing materials test information and tracking contractor and producer compliance. Design considerations for an MMS capable of providing this ability are discussed.