We’ve recently looked at what happens before and during a QCP project inspection, as well as detailing the five different types of inspection. In this article, we look more in-depth at what happens after a QCP project inspection has taken place.
Following an inspection, the QCP inspector will complete an inspection report with a statement of conformance. They will forward it to the QCP Inspections Manager for review and distribution.
If the project is found to be conforming, a copy of the report will be sent to both the woodworker and the architect. If the inspection was the last inspection on a project, i.e. both fabrication and installation inspections are complete and there are no outstanding fees, you will be sent a certificate and/or labels to distribute to relevant project stakeholders.
If the project includes non-conformities, the inspector will advise whether a re-inspection is recommended or if Proof of Correction (PoC) will be accepted – you will often be told this at the end of inspection as well.
The QCP Inspections Manager will again review and distribute the report. A copy of the report will be sent to the licensee along with a “10-day letter”. This letter states that the licensee is required to respond to the QCP inspector in writing within 10 calendar days with their plan to resolve the non-conformities noted in the report and an estimated date of completion. We are not looking for a detailed explanation of what the woodworker intends to do to correct the non-conformities, we are looking to see if they are going to correct them or not. If there are non-conformities which the licensee does not feel they are responsible for, they should state their reasoning in their response. QCP will take that into consideration. Ten days after the QCP inspector’s report is sent to the licensee, a copy of the report will be sent to the architect. This gives the woodworker time to see the report and work on a plan as to how they will respond.
How to Resolve Non-Conformities
There are three options for resolving non-conformities:
- Our recommended approach is to make the corrections
- You can also provide a ‘letter accepting variations’ (LAV) from the architect, owner or owner’s representative. This means that each party accepts the project with its non-conformities and the project will be issued a modified QCP certificate in such instances. It can also result in your company being placed on probation
- Do nothing – this can lead to revocation from the program
1. Making Corrections to a Project
If your report requires a re-inspection, an inspection should be scheduled and a second report will be issued. The woodworker will be responsible for all costs associated with the re-inspection.
If your report requires Proof of Correction, you will need to provide sufficient photographic evidence of the corrections. These photos should clearly identify the report item number and location for verification. The QCP inspector will review the photographs and determine if he now has sufficient information to certify the project. If he does, the project will be certified. The woodworker will be responsible for all costs associated with reviewing the PoCs and all invoices must be paid before certificates will be released. A copy of the revised report will be sent to the woodworker and to the architect.
2. Letter Accepting Variations
The LAV must be from the architect, owner or the owner’s representative and must clearly state acceptance of the project including the noted non-conformities. This letter must contain an indication that they are aware of the non-conformities and that they are accepting the project as it is. This does not guarantee project certification and QCP’s Executive Director will make the final certification decision. If the project can be certified, certification will be a “limited certificate” which means the project is certified but there are still items which are non-conforming. In this case, the licensee’s QCP status will change to “probation”, and in the next QCP-specified project they win that includes the same scope as the previous non-conformities, an inspection will take place. The licensee is responsible for all costs of the inspections and will remain on probation until a project that QCP has inspected achieves certification.
3. Doing Nothing
We hope that no one chooses to go down this route, but if your project fails inspection and you do nothing, you will be placed on suspension. This means that your QCP website access will be blocked and QCP will not provide its services to you. You will then be subject to revocation of your license and you will have to re-apply to rejoin QCP.
