Gaining a QCP project certificate for your woodworking project demonstrates it has been certified to the industry’s leading quality assurance program. These certificates mean that your project has been completed by a QCP-licensed firm, and therefore has been carried out in accordance with stringent quality standards.
What Are QCP Project Certificates?
QCP project certificates are awarded to woodworking projects that incorporate the AWI Standards into their construction documents and are found to be conforming to the Standards and/or project specifications.
Only woodworking firms that are QCP licensed can order QCP certification for projects. Similarly, just because a firm is QCP licensed does not automatically mean that their project is QCP certified. This is only guaranteed with a QCP project certificate, which includes the project’s certification number.
AWI’s Quality Certification Program (QCP) ensures that woodworking firms and projects comply with best industry practices for quality assurance. When an individual project is QCP certified, it demonstrates that it has been inspected against the project specifications and stringent quality standards and awarded a status in excellence.
After the project has been registered by you, a third party, or a QCP-licensed woodworking firm, the QCP-licensed firm awarded the project, orders QCP project certificates. These are what confirms your project QCP certification.
Why Do I Need QCP Project Certification Labels?
QCP project certification certificates prove that your project complies with the industry-leading practices set out in the AWI Standards and your specifications. Without these certificates, your project will not be QCP certified, and you could lose out on competitive assurance opportunities.
The six-digit QCP project number on your project specifications indicates your project bids should include QCP certification, attracting the attention of QCP licensed firms. Woodworking firms that hold this license have already undergone rigorous vetting and inspections to ensure that they adhere to industry standards. This will bring major benefits to your project:
- Your woodworking project will be quality assured and executed with the utmost integrity
- If on inspection the project doesn’t meet your specifications and the AWI Standards, it will be the responsibility of the firm to address discrepancies, protecting both you and the owner
- Shop drawings are reviewed by an experienced QCP representative to ensure they comply with quality standard requirements and your specifications
How to Specify a project for QCP Certification?
The recommended language architects and design professionals are urged to use to specify a project for QCP certification is embedded in MasterSpec and Speclink, making it easy to incorporate into your project documents. Specification is usually included in the Quality Assurance section for both fabrication and installation. Ideally, if you opt to register the project, include the project’s registration number, and specify compliance with ‘AWI Standards, Current Edition. Specifying a project for QCP ensures that it will be inspected by trained and experienced QCP inspectors.
If a Woodworking Firm is “Self-Labeling”, What Does That Mean?
A “self-labeling” accredited firm is a woodworking firm that is QCP licensed and has passed compliance inspections on two provisional projects.
When a woodworking firm becomes QCP licensed, they’re required to fully certify two provisional projects.
If these projects are successfully certified, the woodworking firm earns “self-labeling” status, meaning that future projects won’t have to undergo inspections for a period of three years, as long as they:
- Adhere to the project specifications and AWI Standards
- Renew and keep their license current every year
At the three Year mark, their next project requiring QCP certification will be inspected.
In the cases of woodworking firms that are “self-labeling”, QCP project certificates are issued simply by requesting them after registering a project. This essentially means they’re able to self-certify their projects as QCP compliant.
How Do I Ensure My Woodworking Project is QCP-Inspected Regardless of Labeling Status?
Unless you’re a QCP-licensed woodworking firm that has passed two provisional inspections, your project will always be QCP-inspected if it includes the correct QCP specification language in its documents.
To ensure a project is inspected regardless of self-labeling status, include in your specifications a statement that the project is to be inspected regardless of QCP status or require inspection and inspection reports. You may also contact the QCP office and request an inspection.
Specifying a project for QCP certification ensures that it will be performed by qualified firms and inspected by trained and experienced QCP inspectors.
How Do I Order QCP Project Certificates and Labels?
QCP project certificates and labels can only be ordered by woodworking firms that are QCP-licensed, and for projects that are QCP-registered as requiring QCP certification. If a firm is not yet licensed, but require project certificates and /or labels for a registered project, The firm can apply for licensing and perform the project and receive QCP inspection while also undergoing the licensing process. However, the project cannot be certified until the required licensing is completed.
If you have yet to register your interior architectural project, you can do so here. Once it has been registered, a project number will be generated and emailed to you.
After you’ve registered your project, and have been given a six digit project number, using the project number, a QCP- licensed firm can order QCP project labels by following the link below:
Order QCP project certification labels
