Certification

1. Assessment and certification system

The objective of the scheme is to give confidence to the purchaser and user of PT products and/or associated services that the product and/or service complies with the appropriate specification without the need to undertake separate verification. It involves the application of quality assurance principles to assess the supplier’s quality management systems and, as appropriate, product testing, to ensure conformity with the requirements contained in the Scheme.

The scheme will complement ongoing activities by the State and Territory governments of Australia to enhance the quality control of built structures and the transparency of supply chains thorough digitalisation and other measures.

1.1. Principles

The assessment and certification system employed in the Scheme has been developed around the following principles:

• The Scheme is concerned with ensuring that the products and/or services comply with the relevant Standards.
• The responsibility for compliance with Standards rests absolutely with the Firm.
• The means of ensuring consistent compliance with the Standards is the formal quality management system which the supplier must operate and implement to the satisfaction of the Authority and which is subject to assessment by the Authority at periodic intervals.

1.2. Model Specification and Quality and Operations Assessment Schedules

The Scheme’s Model Specification and Quality and Operations Assessment Schedules is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Model Specification and Quality and Operations Assessment Schedules

1.3. Assessment

The assessment consists of:

• Full assessment in accordance with the relevant Quality and Operations Assessment Schedule.
• The supplier's office practice and procedures, including records, resources, training, contract review, product requirements, site controls and interfaces.
• The key site practices, procedures and activities e.g. grout trials, duct installation and testing, tendon installation, stressing, grouting and sealing of ducts vents and grout caps.
• Assessment of Post Tensioned kits and ancillary items by way of assessment tests, factory production control, and where applicable regular surveillance sampling and testing.
• Supplier audits are also undertaken as necessary following a detailed review of risk of the key component supply chain for the PT kits and ancillary items.

1.4. Applicant

The applicant is required to have and be able to demonstrate:

• The ability and resources required to supply and/or install PT systems to the relevant Standards.
• Sufficient control of resources involved in the supply chain for the manufacture of key components.
• A quality management system which complies with the requirements of ISO 9001, CARES Supply and Installation of Post Tensioning Systems for Concrete Structures Scheme Manual (5) and the relevant Quality and Operations Assessment Schedule. The system shall be described formally in the supplier's Quality Manual.

1.5. Certification

A recommendation for approval is produced when the both office and site practice have been assessed and the Scheme criteria have been satisfied and all reported deficiencies have been addressed to the satisfaction of CARES.

The Certificate of Approval is valid for one year with renewal subject to continuing satisfactory performance. Firms granted Certificates of Approval are required to reproduce the CARES Logo, and the Certificate of Approval number on all relevant documentation.

Firms granted Certificates of Approval are required to notify CARES of all post-tension contracts on award of contract using the Notification of Contracts form. It is a condition of the granting of the Certificate that CARES shall assess:

• The office activities once per year against the relevant assessment schedule including the training requirements.
•  A representative sample of site practice. The representative sample of site practice should include each of the installation activities. The assessment of site practice may be conducted on an unannounced basis by direct agreement with the client.
• Where the Firm has no PT contracts that fall within the scope of this scheme in one calendar year, CARES shall assess the office activities at least twice per year. The Firm shall notify CARES of the first suitable PT contract which shall be assessed.
• Where the Firm has no PT contracts that fall within the scope of this scheme for a period of three calendar years, the certificate of approval shall be withdrawn. In the case of approval against more than one CARES assessment schedule, this requirement shall be applied to each approved PT activity and the certificate of approval shall be reduced in scope or withdrawn as appropriate.
• Approved Firms shall undergo a triennial reassessment of their quality management system by CARES. Depending on the activities reviewed during the previous 3 year period in addition to the normal office audit this may also include a site audit to review those activities not observed during the previous 3 year period.

2. Post-tensioning supply chain

2.1. Identification and traceability system

CARES certification provides full traceability from the molten steel to the construction site by addressing all stages of production, delivery, receipt and installation into the structure and shall include the following as appropriate:
• The tendon source, majority heat number and coil/batch identities.
• The source and specification of PT anchor components (including the appropriate European Technical Approval, ETA, or CARES product certification)
• The source and specification of ducting and grout (including the appropriate CARES product certification)
• The source and specification of PT tensile elements such as strand or bar (including the appropriate ACRS product certification)

2.2. Post-tensioning supply chain – CARES approach

PT supply chain is designed to give confidence to the purchasers and is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Post-tensioning supply chain