Architectural woodwork firms which have experienced the Quality Certification Program (QCP) licensing process have some institutional knowledge of the cost and effort required to accomplish that goal. QCP currently offers 35 separate licenses, each corresponding to the fabrication, finishing, or installation of a particular product category covered by the Architectural Woodwork Standards. An applicant company must determine which combination of these licenses most accurately correlates to the products and services it provides which could be subject to certification. This is an important consideration, since a registered QCP project is not eligible for certification unless the woodwork subcontractor holds the licenses necessary to cover all the items subject to QCP’s conformance assessment (as determined by project specifications).
Obviously, situations can and do arise in which a license not included in a company’s initial list becomes necessary to meet the requirements of an awarded project. QCP has provided a means by which a company already licensed may easily add licenses at any time. It has come to our attention that some QCP participant companies are unaware that the process of adding licenses is far simpler than the initial licensing effort. QCP’s written policies detail exactly what is involved in qualifying for additional licenses:
“3.2.3. Licensing of any additional sections of work following a licensee’s initial licensure shall be accomplished by means of a work sample inspection and evaluation performed by a QCP Representative.
3.2.3.1. Samples provided by the licensee for this purpose may be:
3.2.3.1.1. Factory manufactured or
3.2.3.1.2. “in-place” work performed for a project fabricated and/or installed not more than two years prior to the date of inspection.
3.2.3.2. Samples provided for this purpose must conform to the current Standard and must reasonably conform to the Minimum Sample Criteria available on the QCP website.
3.2.4. Upon completion of a sample inspection, the QCP Representative shall issue a written licensing report, with a separate assessment and recommendation for each sample shown.
3.2.5. New sections licensed shall be added to the list of the licensee’s sections which appears on the QCP website.
3.2.6. All costs of additional section licenses shall be borne by licensee to include, but not be limited to, administrative fees, travel, meals, lodging and per diem. This requirement applies to fabrication, finishing, and installation.” (Complete QCP Policies are available at https://awiqcp.org/files/policies.)
So, inspection of a conforming work sample corresponding to the additional license(s) is required, as well as reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs incurred by QCP to conduct that inspection. And with the advent of QCP’s Virtual Inspection program, those costs could be quite minimal. (Read the article, “Case Study: QCP Project Inspection Using Remote Technology.”) Much of what is required for initial licensing (application fee, business references, passing written tests, etc.) has been deleted from the process of qualifying for additional licenses.