Quality Requirements for Subcontractors

April 13, 2006

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Right about now, you may be thinking to yourself, "If I am just a subcontractor, I won't have to do all this quality stuff, will I?" Guess again.

In many instances, a prime contractor will find it necessary or desirable to pass along the quality requirements to the subcontractor. Why? The prime contractor is responsible for the quality of materials supplied by the subcontractors or suppliers, and it is in its best interest to assure that all suppliers are capable of providing the materials and meeting the quality requirements of the prime contract.

The only way that the prime can assure itself that you can do quality work, on time and within budget, is to inspect your systems and get them approved. The day of the "pal" or "buddy" at the prime level that will issue a contract just on an owner's assurance that the company can deliver the required product is becoming a thing of the past. Many a small business that had this type of relationship has found, to their woe, that it must still have some kind of quality control system in place. So you must market your company in ways that you might not have had to before.

To the surprise of many contractors and subcontractors, government contract quality assurance at the subcontractor level does not relieve the prime contractor of any responsibilities under the contract nor does it establish a contractual relationship between the government and the subcontractor. So, if you think that you are getting out of some of the quality "stuff" by being a sub, think again.

The prime might, under a special exception or for a particular job, let you slide by without a QA program for a while, but it will eventually want to see a formal program in place or it won't want to work with you. Therefore, you may as well start creating your own program now, and do it to your satisfaction, without having the pressure of having to create one on the eve of a bid contract that you really want.