Quality assurance for products and processes

Retrieved from como-online.com KOMO publishes all its assessment guidelines and quality declarations. With the advent of the Building Quality Assurance Act (Wkb), it also has these independently tested for their contribution to risk management, so that quality assurance companies have reliable declarations of conformity in their assurance activities. However, the market expects them to apply them unambiguously and consistently. This intrinsic value of a certificate is independent of the instrument used to establish and guarantee quality.

In preparation for the Wkb, KOMO developed an instrument for quality assurance (KiK). However, practice showed that there was a need for a general and independent assessment of conformity declarations, broader than KOMO or KiK. In response, KOMO, together with the Association of Quality Assurers in the Netherlands (VKBN) and the affiliated instrument providers, further generalized the valuation system. The result is the Wkb performance ladder.

Founded on two pillars

The Wkb performance ladder follows logically from the way in which building regulations are organized in the Netherlands. This is grafted onto the completed building and the minimum performance that the building components must then deliver. These performance requirements translate into two types of quality requirements. One type includes the quality requirements for the materials and products used; the other type includes the conditions that the construction process must meet. With this, the performance requirements in building regulations are founded on two pillars. Once it can be demonstrated that a construction project fully or partially meets the performance requirements and conditions of both columns, a declaration of conformity can be issued for all or part of that project.

A ladder for both columns

Now there are several quality schemes in circulation, which, moreover, also differ considerably from one another. In particular, the extent to which a quality scheme ensures that all conditions within the two pillars are met varies. This difference is reflected in the valuation of a quality scheme as a risk management measure. The Wkb performance ladder overcomes this difference. In it, the quality schemes of both pillars are included in a joint, double ladder. Only if both the conditions for the products used and the conditions for the construction process are met is the highest step achievable. That is the point where the legs of the ladder meet.

Other quality schemes

The rating of quality schemes - measured against the Wkb performance ladder - is determined by an independent committee. It reports objectively, shows the result in the scheme of the Wkb performance ladder and indicates opportunities for improvement for the quality scheme. A summary of the report is published on a central platform, where the contributions of all kinds of construction-related quality schemes to the risk management of construction processes can be viewed. This platform is openly accessible to everyone.

There is support for the Wkb performance ladder among quality assurance companies, instrument providers and managers of quality schemes. As initiator, KOMO has now started the concrete elaboration.