"END USER" PROVIDED QUALITY ASSURANCE

 Much is being said concerning eliminating formally assigned contract inspectors and relying on the end user of the service contract provided services to judge contractor compliance with the contract specification requirements.  The assumption is the typical end user of the many services that installation organizations provide are capable of judging the performance of the services they receive.

For instance, anyone can tell if the services provided by the boiler operators, human resources specialists, postal clerks, custodian, equipment maintenance technician, etc. meet all the terms and conditions of a contract, to include the quality of work, the prescribed response requirements, and any subsequent performance documentation for which the contractor may be responsible.  Given this assumption, we would not need to plan for any significant quality assurance staffing, in the event of an A-76 study decision to award a contract.

Prior to accepting this assumption, consider the following:

1. Contract inspector requirements are driven by:

  • The technical expertise required to evaluate the success of contract performance.
  • Location of the provided services (i.e. are services provided in areas accessible to the public?).
  • Importance of the provided service.
  • Services not suitable for "end user" acceptance.

2. The success of "end user" contract inspection depends on:

  • The level of required technical knowledge required to evaluate success.
  • The "user's" ability to observe the service (i.e. is the user aware of or near the service location?).
  • The "user's" ability to recognize satisfactory performance per the PWS.
  • The "user's" availability or enthusiasm to provide QA support.

Consider the end user's capability to independently judge the services your organization is including in the A-76 study contract specification. Then make a reasonable decision of which services you can depend on the end user for consistent and accurate performance documentation, and which services that should be inspected by a trained and qualified inspector. A contractor's bid is definitely impacted by the knowledge a dedicated, qualified inspector will be reviewing his/her work.

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