Development of Quality Control/ Quality Assurance Specifications by Using Statistical Quality Assurance for Asphalt Concrete Pavements in California

1998 ◽  
Vol 1632 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Dobrowolski ◽  
Terrie Bressette
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Asphalt Concrete ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Materials Testing ◽  
California Department ◽  
Statistical Quality ◽  
Industry Group ◽  
Control Quality ◽  
Implementation Program

Since 1992, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has been working to improve quality in construction contracting and ultimately the quality of the product provided to the public. In 1996, Caltrans implemented quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) specifications for asphalt concrete paving. These specifications require contractor QC and provide rewards or penalties based on statistical quality analysis of eight quality characteristics. These specifications were developed through a joint Caltrans/industry group and are supplemented with a QC manual. They were introduced through presentations to user/producer groups, appointment of district QC/QA coordinators, and training for engineers. In March 1996 the first project using QC/QA specifications for asphalt concrete went to bid and in the first year six projects were completed with them. Early projects were for the most part successful. Throughout 1996-1997, the specifications, the QC manual, and the implementation program were reviewed. Revisions to the specifications have been developed. The specifications and manual, issues, recommendations based on the 1996 projects, changes Caltrans has made for the continued use of QC/QA for asphalt concrete, and anticipated additional endeavors in the areas of QC/QA and materials testing are discussed here.

Analysis of Contractor Pay Adjustment Schedule Using Simulation

1996 ◽  
Vol 1544 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-115
Author(s):  
Robert P. Elliott ◽  
Yanjun Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Quality Control ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Direct Analysis ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Construction Contracts ◽  
Simulation Process ◽  
Control Quality

A common provision in quality control/quality assurance construction contracts is the adjustment of the contractor's pay on the basis of the quality of the construction. The expected impact of the provision on the pay should be examined to ensure that the adjustments are neither unduly severe nor excessively lenient. Most pay adjustment plans have been developed around a quality index by using a percent defective approach. Analyses of these plans are complex but reasonably well defined. Other plans, however, are more complex and do not lend themselves to direct analysis. These plans can be examined by computer simulation. The use of computer simulation to examine a complex pay adjustment provision is demonstrated. The analyses show that simulation can reveal that a pay adjustment schedule behaves differently than it appears on the surface. For example, the schedule examined bases pay solely on averages and appears to ignore construction variability. The analyses, however, demonstrate that the pay adjustments are at least as sensitive to construction variability as they are to construction averages. It is also shown that the simulation process can provide a better, more detailed examination of the pay schedule than is possible by simply determining the expected pay. In particular, the simulation process can provide an indication of the variability of pay at various quality levels and can identify the factors most responsible for pay adjustments.

scholarly journals Quality assurance in anti-tuberculosis drug procurement by the Stop TB Partnership—Global Drug Facility: Procedures, costs, time requirements, and comparison of assay and dissolution results by manufacturers and by external analysis

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243428
Author(s):  
Cathrin Hauk ◽  
Simon Schäfermann ◽  
Peter Martus ◽  
Nigorsulton Muzafarova ◽  
Magali Babaley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Drug Procurement ◽  
Water Soluble Compound ◽  
Medicine Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Time Required

Background Quality-assured medicines are a principal means of achieving health-related Sustainable Development Goals. An example of quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures in drug procurement is provided by the operation of the Global Drug Facility (GDF) of the Stop TB Partnership, the largest provider of tuberculosis (TB) medicines to the public sector worldwide. Methods Procedures and results of GDF’s quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) over the five-year period 2013–2017 were analysed retrospectively. 13,999 batches of 51 different medicines had been procured and reviewed within this period. 1,388 of these batches had been analysed in the laboratories of GDF’s external quality control agent (QCA). Assay and dissolution results determined by the manufacturers and by the external QCA were compared using Bland-Altman analysis. Results All investigated batches of medicines were in specifications at the time of shipment. The costs for QA/QC were 0.8% of purchase costs. The median time required for chemical analysis was 10 working days. Comparison of the medicine quality analysis results showed for the poorly water-soluble compound rifampicin a bias of 4.4%, with the manufacturers reporting higher values than the external QCA, most likely due to different methods employed for the analysis. Overall 95% limits of agreement (LOAs) were -6.7 to +8.0% for assay, and -10.1 to +11.8% for dissolution. In case of kanamycin injections, 95% LOAs for assay reached -14.5 to +13.2%, largely attributable to samples from one manufacturer who had used a microbiological assay while the external QCA had used an HPLC assay. Conclusions GDF’s procedures represent a useful benchmark when evaluating QA/QC procedures of other medicine procurement operations. Inter-laboratory comparison using Bland-Altman plots allows to investigate bias and variability in medicine quality control and should be considered as a routine procedure by drug procurement agencies, to identify priorities for further improvements.

SPEL: The Quality Journey

2005 ◽  
Vol 09 (02) ◽  
pp. 203-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamshed Hasan Khan
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Statistical Quality Control ◽  
Trade Barriers ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Productivity Improvement ◽  
Statistical Quality ◽  
Quality Culture ◽  
Control Quality ◽  
Quality Tools ◽  
Current Systems

Synthetic Products Enterprises (Private) Limited (SPEL) was one of the few (indigenous) Pakistani companies that had introduced and implemented many quality and productivity improvement initiatives. These included Benchmarking, Statistical Quality Control, Quality Control Circles, and 5S'. A distinguishing feature of these initiatives was the involvement and motivation of its employees. However, with emerging competition coupled with reduced trade barriers, it became imperative for the company to constantly review and improve its current systems, which were predominantly quality driven. SPEL was able to develop a quality culture within its organization whereas several other companies, which had implemented similar kinds of quality tools, failed to develop it. This case explores the process through which a customer focused Total Quality Culture was developed and the conditions needed to facilitate this development.

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