Although non QCP-accredited woodworking firms may bid on QCP-specified projects, it is strongly recommended that firms become Q-accredited prior to acceptance of bid or award of contract. This is because only Q-accredited woodworking firms are eligible to meet QCP specification requirements to certify that their projects meet the quality standards set forth in the Architectural Woodwork Standards (AWS), as well as project specifications.

Q-accreditation becomes mandatory when the QCP is included by direct reference in project specifications, addenda and/or bulletins that form part of the contract documents and to which the parties involved commit. Should a non-Q-accredited firm receive an award of contract, that firm would be required to achieve Q-accreditation, which can take time and possibly result in delay of services rendered. Furthermore, Q-accreditation must be earned prior to fabrication so that the project can undergo the required fabrication-phase inspection conducted by the QCP.

Q-accreditation is earned by woodworking firms that, through rigorous testing and inspection, demonstrate the ability to fabricate, finish and install work in accordance with the quality grade criteria set forth in the AWS. Because of this comprehensive evaluation process, Q-accredited firms are prequalified to bid on QCP jobs. Their skills and abilities have been verified by the QCP, an impartial third-party with expertise in architectural woodwork. Therefore, not only is Q-accreditation a requirement when the QCP is specified, but it is also a powerful marketing tool that woodwork contractors may use to market their quality products and services.

As mentioned in the previous issue of the Quality Times, the QCP Policies test has been revised and is now ready to be taken. All current participants and applicants are required to take this test.

Testing Deadlines
Current QCP participants have until September 10, 2012 to complete the QCP Policies test. Applicants have 60 days, or the remainder of the application period (whichever is greater) to successfully complete the test.

Taking the Test
The test consists of 70 questions concerning the QCP Policies. A score of at least 85 percent (60 correct answers) is required to pass. We recommend that a project manager or person responsible for overseeing your certified projects take the test. The test is to be taken open-book, using the 2012 QCP Policies. Click here to download a copy of the QCP Policies before beginning the test.

The test can be found on our Web site, www.awiqcp.org. Click on Take Test in the lower left-hand side of the screen. You will need your username and password in order to log in.

Taking the test online is convenient and once completed, results are generated immediately. Also, you do not need to complete the test in a single sitting. You may save your progress and return to complete the test at a later date and time if so desired.

Those requiring further assistance taking the QCP Policies test may contact any member of the QCP staff at info@awiqcp.org or 800-449-8811.

The Minimum Sample Criteria (MSC), which lists the specific samples of work examined during the plant inspection of applicant firms, has been completely revised. Notable changes include:

1. Elimination of "combination" sections. Each section now carries its own minimum requirements, and each must be completed individually in order to achieve accreditation in that particular section.
2. Revision of Section 6 sub-sections.
3. Revision of Section 8 sub-sections.
4. Revision of Section 11 requirements. Section 11 no longer covers general accreditation. Each type of countertop must be fabricated and shown as a sample as indicated in the MSC.

Effective June 12, 2012, new applicants to the program must follow the revised MSC in order to achieve accreditation. Click here to download the new version or visit the Web site, www.awiqcp.org.

Current applicants to the program may use either the new or the previous version, and must declare which version they will use PRIOR to the plant inspection. Furthermore, use of a combination of the two versions is not permitted. Applicant firms must use one or the other exclusively.

For further clarification of the revised MSC, contact your Q-representative.

Per section 3.3 of the QCP Policies, all current Q-accredited woodworking firms are required to undergo a project inspection approximately every three years. Pending completion of the firm's second provisional project, a QCP-representative will inspect the next available registered QCP project after the three-year anniversary date of any previously certified project.

Implemented in 2011, the periodic re-inspection requirement for a QCP project offers the architect and the project owner greater return on investment because the results of the project inspection are shared with them. In addition, the requirement validates the selection of a Q-accredited woodworking firm to perform the work, as inspection and distribution of an inspection report are available only via the QCP.

For additional information on this requirement, click here to download the latest version of the QCP Policies.

Effective June 1, 2012, the application fee for Q-accreditation has increased to $2,000 for AWI members and $3,500 for all others. In addition, the annual QCP renewal fee required for all Q-accredited firms will increase to $1,200 for AWI members and $2,650 for all others.

The QCC Board approved the increases at their meeting in May. This is the first increase in application and renewal fees in more than a year. The fee increases are necessary to cover the rising travel costs associated with inspections.

Due to the wide array of discrepancies seen in project specifications calling for the AWI Quality Certification Program (QCP), the QCC is asking all woodworkers and architects to ‘Check Your Specs.’ 

Click here to ‘Check Your Specs’ now, and receive a special gift for helping us clean up the QCP specification language.

Incorrect specification of the QCP can nullify the program's ability to provide for quality assurance of doors or any millwork project, resulting in the possibility that the woodwork specified may not meet quality expectations.

Proper specification of the QCP means that the doors and millwork fabricated, finished and installed on a project will receive all of the quality assurance benefits offered by the program, including third-party project inspections by industry experts, conformance to industry-wide standards and project specifications, and access to pre-qualified QCP-accredited door and woodwork contractors.

The purpose of the QCP is to protect design professionals' reputations for delivering quality doors and millwork. Best of all, there is no charge to specify the QCP correctly. Simply click here to ‘Check Your Specs’ online and complete the form at the bottom of the page to receive your free, heat-sensitive, color-changing coffee mug. 

A benefit of serving on both the AWI and QCC boards is that I get to see the progress and work from two different angles. Both associations and the members of each board are strong proponents of the QCP program. We all dream of the day that woodworkers and our clients eagerly choose to participate in and promote the program for the good of themselves and our industry.

QCC has been hard at work refining many of the original policies and procedures in order to make QCP “more user friendly,” to quote your QCP President, Joe Sorrelli. Most of the changes are complete, and a few more are in process and close to completion.

The new testing requirements and the tests themselves have changed. The new policy test is out and accurately reflects numerous changes in QCP policy, along with the removal of some ambiguous questions. The AWS standards test is currently in beta testing and is due out in the next few weeks. Once released, it will contain 50 fewer questions and only requires each firm to complete the sections that are relevant to the accreditation sections they desire. As many woodworkers are probably aware, if you are successfully doing a certified project at least every three years, you no longer have to endure the triennial plant re-inspection. Lastly, the Q-representatives have just reviewed and approved the release of the new Minimum Sample Criteria (MSC). This has also been simplified and has made more relevant the process of creating and providing the samples required to become certified. The revised MSC is effective immediately for new applicants. All of the items mentioned above serve to streamline the accreditation process, so now is a great time to become Q-accredited!

The Joint Standards Committee (JSC), consisting of AWI, the Woodwork Institute (WI) and the Architectural Woodwork Manufacturer's Association of Canada (AWMAC), is also hard at work preparing and revising the Architectural Woodwork Standards (AWS) for its 2nd edition release in mid-2013. I’m certain the changes to the format will be welcome to the manufacturers and design community alike. In addition to the correction and addition of numerous items, we are also working on a “live” online version of the book that will replace the current cumbersome errata, making it easy to keep up with changes to the AWS in future editions.

In closing, AWI and QCC have put a lot of work in making the QCP a success for all of its stakeholders. Becoming Q-accredited and using Q-accredited woodworkers for projects simply makes sense and provides quality assurance! 

Familiarity with the AWI Architectural Woodwork Quality Standards Illustrated (QSI) can no longer be relied on in woodwork project specifications because the Architectural Woodwork Standards (AWS), introduced in August 2009, supersedes the QSI. Don’t assume the standards are the same. Learn what the AWS says about shrinkage.

The most common complaint from contractors and owners in the winter is that the fine millwork you shipped in August and installed immediately is now defective and needs to be replaced because the wood has shrunk and there are gaps in the woodwork and laminate products. Now you have to explain the scientific implications of high humidity on the swelling of wood fibers, as well as shrinkage during periods of low humidity. Here are some tips that can help with that situation:

• In section 2 of the AWS, starting on page 44, there is a discussion about the effects of relative humidity and moisture content (1.2.3).
• A technical review of what happens to wood fibers under various hygroscopic conditions (1.2.5).
• Recommendations for the owner on indoor humidity requirements (1.3). Responsibility acknowledgements are given that describe who is responsible for proper humidity levels at various stages of the project.

Use this information as early as the submittal process. Include copies of pages 44 to 46 in your initial submittal package. Follow up with continuing communication to the architect and contractor via comments made at meetings or any opportunities that come up, including the language in your shop drawings and a copy with every delivery of materials to the job site. (Some shops include this information with their original contract, every requisition and every change order).
 
Will this effort relieve any and all complaints? Of course not, but if the situation becomes litigious, you can at least demonstrate that you made a good faith effort to educate the designer, contractor and owner on the proper installation and final humidity conditions required for the longevity of fine architectural millwork.

For additional information on this topic, please contact Shows Leary directly at shows@showsleary.com.

IWF -- booth #1575
August 22-25, 2012
Atlanta, GA
http://www.iwfatlanta.com/

CONSTRUCT2012 -- booth #514
September 11-14, 2012
Phoenix, AZ
http://www.csiphoenix.org/CONSTRUCT2012.aspx