Radio Quality Assurance Scheme - Quality System Guide (Part A) Issue 2: May 1999

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Quality Assurance Scheme (RQAS)

THE RADIO QUALITY ASSURANCE SCHEME (RQAS)

What is Quality Assurance?

1. Quality means giving complete satisfaction - providing customers with what they want, when they want it, at a price they can afford. "Fitness for Purpose" is the phrase which best explains the concept and employs the principle of "Get it right, first time, every time".
2. Quality Assurance is a company wide commitment to quality involving each employee from top management to the newest recruit, with the aim of making everyone aware of the importance of their own particular role and where it fits into the drive to improve total quality. It requires that "standards" are set for products and services and that a documented and workable system of management control is in place within the company to ensure that such product and service standards are met. It is a continuous process to ensure that quality of service is consistently maintained and in the most efficient and economic manner.
3. Firms registered under a Quality Assurance Scheme are required to:
* commit themselves to maintaining the standards of the scheme;
* implement management controls to ensure that these standards are maintained;
* obtain independent assessment by nationally accredited certification bodies to the relevant International Standard.
4. Although the task of setting up a Quality Management System which fulfils all the requirements may seem daunting at first, once started most people wonder how they operated their company without such a Quality System. Many firms may already be operating to a number of the standards required without being aware that they are doing so. For those radiocommunications firms already operating well managed procedures with clear and logical work practices, registration to The Standard in general and RQAS in particular should be a relatively straightforward task.
5. Quality Assurance is more than just a paperwork exercise stating what the company does. It is a practical on-going commitment to ensure that you will do what you say you will do to fully and consistently satisfy your customer requirements.

What is the RQAS?

6. The Radio Quality Assurance Scheme (RQAS) is a specific sectoral scheme (i.e. it is designed by the industry for the industry) to encourage quality assurance in-the radio industry. It is based on BS EN ISO 9000, an internationally recognised standard for quality management ('The Standard'). The scheme is managed by the Radiocommunications Quality Council (RQC) which is made up of representatives from the industry, trade associations, users, participating certification bodies and the Radiocommunications Agency.
7. The scheme was launched in 1988 as the Land Mobile Radio Quality Assurance Scheme. Its launch followed responses to a consultative document issued by the Department of Trade and Industry on a proposal for the establishment, within the radiocommunications industry, of an independent third party quality assurance scheme under the aegis of the National Accreditation Council for Certification Bodies (now known as the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)).
8. Although it was always envisaged that the scheme would be available to all sectors of the radio industry, the scheme concentrated initially on the Land Mobile Radio sector. Having become well established the RQC decided, in 1994, and after consultation with member firms, to widen the scope of the scheme to make it available to all sectors of the radio industry. The name of the scheme was changed to the Radio Quality Assurance Scheme to reflect its wider coverage.
9. Assessment of firms wishing to become registered in the scheme is undertaken by certification bodies which have been accredited by the UKAS to undertake RQAS assessments, thereby ensuring the maintenance of high and consistent standards.
10. BS EN ISO 9000 sets out how you can establish, document and maintain an effective quality system which will demonstrate to your customers that you are committed to quality and are able to supply their quality needs. The Standard has been broken down into clauses to enable applicant firms to implement it effectively. There are no awkward steps designed to catch you out and no "right" or "wrong" ways in which it should be implemented. The procedures to be assessed are your work practices. The aim is to ensure that the services you provide are "fit for the purpose" for which they are intended and that you follow the "right first time" principle.
11. It is important to recognise that The Standard is for management systems and can be applied to any organisation no matter what its end product, service or size. Assessment against The Standard by a qualified third party assessor working for a certification body which has been accredited by the UKAS, shows that the registered company has set in place documented management systems and procedures.
12. In the field of radio, Specific Guidance Notes have been agreed to clarify and interpret the requirements of The Standard as to how they apply to the defined activities.

What is the purpose of the RQAS?

13. The aim of the RQAS is to:
* encourage all reputable firms in the industry to be assessed to The Standard;
* promote recognition of the scheme to all radio users.
14. The objectives of the RQAS are to:
* improve quality and service giving users of radio better assurance of getting the standard of equipment and services they require;
* maintain competitiveness of the industry while also getting rid of bad practices, thus promoting market confidence in the industry;
* ensure good management of the radio spectrum, thus giving control and protection from interference to all radio users.

How does the Scheme work?

15. All applicants wishing to join the scheme have to go through an assessment procedure. This is carried out by one of the UKAS accredited third party certification bodies involved in the scheme and the purpose is to ensure that the management procedures of that company meet the requirements laid down in The Standard.
16. The Standard was originally written for the manufacturing industry but is of such importance and generality that it can be applied to any activity. To avoid misinterpretation by different assessors and to explain terminology for particular industries, guidance notes are agreed by industry representative committees. In the RQAS these are known as RQAS Specific Guidance Notes and are agreed by the Radiocommunications Quality Council (RQC). These guidance notes identify more detailed codes of practice or specifications which should be followed by the company in complying with the requirements of the scheme.
17. To meet these requirements the company has to write down its procedures, at all levels of the organisation, bringing them together in what will become the " Quality Manual " and the "Procedures Manual". These manuals quite simply identify who in the company is responsible for each particular activity and how that job will be carried out and is simply common sense set down on paper in an organised way. Their preparation should, therefore, not be seen as an additional burden upon the company but more as good management practice in defining who does what. In most companies it will largely be a matter of writing down and drawing together current work procedures and individual job descriptions. It should always involve all the workers in that company to give them a sense of involvement in the scheme.
18. Having assessed and approved the manuals, the selected certification body will then visit the company to observe that the written procedures are in fact being followed in practice and to identify and discuss any deviations. Only when the assessor is convinced that The Standard is being followed will the company be recommended for certification.
19. Certification allows the company to display the registration symbol of the appropriate certification body. In the case of radio industry firms assessed under the RQAS guidance notes, they can be issued with the RQAS certificate and have the right to use the scheme logo. Successful firms are also listed in the DTI Quality Assurance Register which identifies all UK firms which have been assessed to these Standards. For radio industry firms the RQC maintains a Directory of RQAS Registered Firms.

What are the benefits of the RQAS?

20. Quality Management is now accepted throughout the EU and the rest of the world as the way to improve standards and enhance trading prospects. BS EN ISO 9000 is recognised internationally as the accepted criteria for quality management systems.
21. Suppliers can use BS EN ISO 9000 when setting up their own quality management systems; customers may specify that the quality of goods and services they are purchasing shall be controlled by a management system complying with BS EN ISO 9000 and customers or third parties may use it as a basis for assessing a supplier's quality management system and thus their ability to produce satisfactory goods.
22. Companies which display the RQAS logo have proved they meet exacting standards and operate efficient QA systems. It is therefore in the customer's interest to look for the RQAS logo when choosing installers or suppliers of radio equipment. Members of the scheme have an immediate advantage over their non-registered competitors as more and more users include QA certified suppliers as part of their procurement specification.
23. The operation of an effective quality management system in conformance with BS EN ISO 9000 usually leads to:-
* increased efficiency and productivity, and therefore profitability;
* a reduction in scrap and failure costs leading to reduced warranty costs - "getting it right first time";
* improved communication within the company and a sense of involvement by the work force, as well as improved communication with customers;
* reduction of customer complaints;
* improved marketing opportunities;
* improved competitiveness and reputation.
You also have a complete record of every stage of your system which B5 invaluable for product, service or process improvement and in relation to any product liability claim.

Is the RQAS mandatory?

24. The RQAS is a voluntary scheme, with the limited exception of ~certain frequencies available for Private Mobile Radio Short Term Hire licensees. Companies are encouraged to register in the acknowledgement of benefits it will achieve for them, particularly with the opening of The Single Market where assessment against BS EN ISO 9000 is recognised as a mark of a firm providing a quality service. Exporting firms which have been assessed will find that it helps them to obtain reciprocal recognition of certificates where needed by overseas authorities e.g. compliance or type-approval certificates.

What should you do next?

25. The first step is to make sure that your procedures are clearly defined and that, where possible, you work in accordance with any relevant MPT specifications, ETSI standards or appropriate codes of practice. Select the RQAS Specific Guidance Note(s) which apply to your activities and the sections of the codes of practice or specifications which best suit your work and then incorporate the details in to the procedures and working practices of your firm.
26. Part B of The Guide and the Specific Guidance Notes are intended to identify special areas where you as a user or supplier of mobile radio goods or services need to apply particular attention. Thereafter several avenues are open for investigation. Each of the certification bodies would be willing to discuss procedures and to give some indication of what future work may be necessary.
27. When first applying to your chosen certification body for assessment tell them which RQAS Specific Guidance Note(s) you are working to and against which you wish to be assessed in your scope of registration. These are the documents which the assessors will use to see if you comply with the requirements of the RQAS.
28. The RQC wish you good luck with your efforts and look forward to seeing your notification as a member of the RQAS.
29. Addresses and telephone numbers of the Certification Bodies participating in the scheme can be found in the "RQAS Directory of Registered Firms and List of Certification Bodies" available from the RA library or the RQC Secretariat at the address given on the front page of this document.

 

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Step by Step Guide to Becoming RQAS Registered

 

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Enquiries about the RQAS should be addressed to:

The Secretary
Radiocommunications Quality Council
c/o Radiocommunications Agency
Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SX

Tel: 020-7211 0193
Fax: 020-7211 0118

Copies of all RA publications can be obtained from:

The Library
Radiocommunications Agency
Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SX

Tel: 020-7211 0502/0505 (24 hour answerphone)
Fax: 020 7-211 0507

This guide may be freely reproduced as a complete document except for sale or advertising purposes.

Published on behalf of the Radiocommunications Quality Council by the Radiocommunications Agency, an Executive Agency of the Department of Trade and Industry

 

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RA 311
May 1999

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