NASA Procedures and Guidelines
This Document is Obsolete and Is No Longer Used. Check the NODIS Library to access the current version: http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov
NPR 8735.2B Eff. Date: August 12, 2013 Cancellation Date:	Management of Government Quality Assurance Functions for NASA Contracts
| TOC | Preface | Chapter1 | Chapter2 | Chapter3 | Chapter4 | Chapter5 | Chapter6 | Chapter7 | Chapter8 | AppendixA | AppedixB | AppendixC | ALL |

Chapter 4. Performance of Quality Assurance Functions by Non-NASA Organizations

4.1 Overview

4.1.1 This chapter provides general requirements for NASA contract quality assurance functions that are delegated to non-NASA Government agencies and/or assigned to support contractors. Specific requirements for work performed by delegated agencies, support contractors, and third parties are provided in Chapters 5, 6, and 7, respectively.

4.1.2 NASA Government contract quality assurance functions may be performed by NASA civil service employees or by a delegated Federal agency (e.g., DCMA). Certain functions, as outlined in Chapters 6 and 7, may also be performed by quality assurance support contractors or by an authorized third party (e.g., accredited quality system registrar, Nadcap special process accreditation). Government contract quality assurance functions performed by support contractors are required by FAR Part 46 to be performed under the direction of Government personnel.

4.2 NASA Technical Direction

The NASA SMA Lead shall act as a liaison for providing technical direction and recommendations to delegated agencies and support contractors on matters related to the following (Requirement):

a. Review and approval functions as defined in NASA requirement documents (e.g., NASA Directives, NASA-STDs) and as contractually specified.

b. Determination of the adequacy of fabrication, repair, and inspection processes, procedures, and techniques; inspection and test conditions, mandatory inspection points, workmanship standards, and conformance criteria; change control activity; the extent of retest after repair, modification, or substitution; and the adequacy of documentation related to these determinations.

c. Preparation of procedures, techniques, and plans for the evaluation of supplies and services.

d. Assessment of contractor quality assurance activities, including control over subcontractors.

e. Visits to contractor facilities to validate delegated or tasked work-hours, resolve conflicts between the delegated agency or quality assurance support contractor and the contractor, and to evaluate performance, including the adequacy of nonconformance dispositions, corrective actions, and their related documentation and records.

f. Assistance in the interpretation of contract requirements related to safety, quality, and mission assurance, as coordinated with and concurred in by the contracting office.

g. Guidance in the development and operation of nonconformance and corrective action systems.

h. Processing MRB actions and dispositioning nonconforming material.

i. Evaluation of deviations, waivers, and engineering changes for safety, reliability, maintainability, or quality impacts.

4.3 Coordination of NASA Quality Assurance Functions

When there are multiple NASA delegations and/or tasks at a contractor's facility, duplication of effort and inconsistent surveillance methodologies are to be avoided. Prior to providing a new delegation and/or quality assurance support contractor tasking, NASA SMA Leads shall coordinate their efforts to (Requirement):

a. Establish agreement among the delegating activities for interpretation of common requirements.

b. Establish agreement among the delegating activities for acceptance or rejection of delegated agency or surveillance support contractor operational methods.

c. Place common requirements on the delegated agency or surveillance-support contractor for similar supplies and services.

4.4 Selection of Organizations Performing Quality Assurance Functions

4.4.1 Program/project offices or the Center SMA office, as delegated by the Center Director, are responsible for selecting/assigning the organization that will be responsible for performing Government contract quality assurance functions (NASA civil servants, a delegated agency, quality assurance support contractor, or an authorized third party) based on the qualifications and abilities of the organization in relation to the needs and objectives of the quality assurance function(s).

4.4.2 The NASA office delegated to select an organization to perform quality assurance functions shall evaluate the following requirements and factors in the selection process (Requirement):

a. Final product acceptance is defined as an inherently Governmental function that may only be performed by NASA or other Federal agency personnel.

b. Quality assurance actions which verify compliance with critical contract requirements may only be performed by Federal agency personnel or under the direction and supervision of Federal agency personnel.

c. The long-term availability of personnel for the duration of the contract support.

d. Ability to provide quick response time.

e. Ability to implement specialized surveillance.

f. Technical, programmatic, product, and process training, qualifications, and certifications.

g. The availability of inspection and test facility.

h. The delivery schedule requirements.

i. Contract quality provisions including frequency and timing of inspections/monitoring.

j. The technical nature of the product and specialized skills/knowledge needed.

k. The location of other delegations or task orders at nearby facilities.

4.5 Planning

4.5.1 Quality assurance planning discussions between the NASA SMA lead, the delegated agency or quality assurance support contractor, and other responsible NASA parties (e.g., contracting officer, project office, safety officer) are to be conducted to ensure that support requirements, operating channels, and procedures are thoroughly/mutually understood prior to transmitting LODs or task orders. The NASA SMA Lead shall ensure that the planning conference includes discussions of the following (Requirement):

a. Contract and subcontract quality requirements.

b. End-use and criticality of supplies and services.

c. Current procedures and general operations, particularly those applicable to supplies and services similar to those being procured.

d. Technical direction to be given to the contractor.

e. Functions to be delegated or tasked and the performance desired.

f. Special skills, knowledge, qualifications, training, and certifications required.

g. Quality assurance functions to be performed at the contractor's facility by NASA personnel.

h. Channels of communication.

i. Past quality assurance history of the contractor, known contractor deficiencies, and the contractor's progress in correcting deficiencies.

j. MRB authority.

k. Redelegation and flowdown of requirements.

l. Interface situations arising from partial delegations, Department of Defense delegations, or other NASA delegations in the same facility.

m. Response time for mandatory inspections.

n. NASA, delegated agency, and contractor responsibilities related to the reporting, tracking, corrective action resolution, and closure of contract nonconformances.

4.6 Monitoring of Delegated Agency and Support Contractor Performance

4.6.1 NASA SMA Leads shall establish management controls to ensure that LOD and support contract requirements are effectively complied with and remain current (Requirement). Evaluation activities can include independent assessments, surveys, periodic review of plans and reports, observation of performance, and evaluations and assessment of work-hour reporting.

4.6.2 NASA SMA Leads shall provide evaluation results to the delegated agency/quality assurance support contractor (Requirement).

4.6.3 The contracting officer, in coordination with the NASA SMA Lead, shall formally request corrective action from the delegated agency or support contractor upon discovery that the organization is providing inadequate quality assurance support that does not comply with the LOD or support contract (Requirement). The existence of one or more of the following conditions constitutes inadequate quality assurance support:

a. Lack of an adequate plan describing quality assurance functions to be performed.

b. Unsatisfactory performance of delegated and/or contracted functions as evidenced by:

(1) Direct NASA observation of inadequately performed work.

(2) Inadequate quality of delivered supplies or services.

(3) Mishaps or process escapes revealing significant contractor quality system inadequacies.

c. Unsatisfactory or untimely reports or records demonstrating proper implementation of delegated or tasked quality assurance functions (e.g., quality status reports, audit records).

d. Use of unqualified personnel.

e. Lack of adequate and/or untimely resource reporting to NASA.

f. Inadequate allocation of internal resources (personnel or funding).

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