For those who manage quality in the Aviation, Space & Defense Industry, ‘DCMA’ can be an intimidating word. The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) manages Department of Defense (DoD) contracts and ensures acquisition programs are delivered on time and on budget. Performance requirements for defense-related products are also monitored to ensure military readiness and protect our freedoms. These strict parameters set forth by the Agency add a level of complexity to the manufacturing process that can’t be ignored.
DCMA concerns itself with contracts awarded to industry suppliers. Each supplier must adhere to the terms of the DOD or Federal contract, and performance is monitored on a regular basis. Product quality and delivery must be fully compliant with the defined standard. Without the DCMA, our government would be at risk of working with unqualified contractors and manufacturers and a budget that could easily get out of control.
This video put out by the DCMA gives a great overview of how the Agency operates and underscores its importance to our nation’s safety.
So with all of this to worry about, how can you ensure you will be ready for a DCMA audit?
Many of the requirements set forth by the DCMA can be easily maintained using an electronic quality management solution (EQMS) that can facilitate compliance.
Effective EQMS software can put your company in a position of audit readiness:
- Tracking for industry compliance and regulations(ISO, DFARS, MIL-STD-1916, AS9100D and more)
- Effective manufacturing process control
- Documentation of the entire quality process and supplies built data for audit
- Generation of consolidated bill of material
- Employee skills tracking
- Supply chain performance
- Counterfeit parts mitigation
- Asset tracking throughout the product lifecycle
Accurate information is readily available within the EQMS through simple queries which creates peace of mind not only for your organization, but for the auditor as well. DCMA personnel are an important part of the Material Review Board (MRB) process and are actively involved with nonconformance review and approvals for dispositions like “Repair” and “Use as Is”. Companies can provide DCMA personnel with an EQMS software login ID to review nonconformances and corrective actions and require MRB electronic approvals directly within the solution.
TIP Technologies provides quality solutions to address regulatory needs and ensure compliance. The TIPQA Quality Management Solution and the TIPSFE Shop Floor Execution solution work together to create a paperless shop floor environment. Users can perform “Witness” transactions against an operation on a work order. A Witness could be a peer review, quick inspection, or depending on the product, a mandatory inspection imposed by the DCMA that could be completed with the use of a Witness. A paperless shop floor gives companies the advantage of electronically capturing the electronic witness record within the system as part of the routing and quality record associated to a work order.
Failure to meet compliance or performance requirements may result in a loss of contract. An effective electronic quality management system such as TIPQA can help avoid this costly situation by eliminating paper-based processes or disparate systems
TIP Technologies is actively engaged with agencies and associations that influence policy and engineers its solutions to support industry requirements. Its quality solutions are deployed around the world and provide effective DCMA audit support. TIPQA facilitates compliance to DoD requirements for counterfeit parts avoidance, mitigation, and disposition, as well as DMSMS diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages. Contact us today at 262-544-1211 to learn how we can help you exceed quality standards and maintain industry compliance.