Certification Process

A. Application Guidelines

1. QCP applicants must own or lease a manufacturing facility and woodworking
   equipment (unless applying for certification for installation only) and employ,
   hire, supervise, and discharge woodworking employees who manufacture,
   fabricate, assemble, finish, or install architectural woodwork, as defined and
   described in the latest edition of the AWl Quality Standards Illustrated. QCP
   applicants must actively seek and transact business with the general public and
   must have complete responsibility for the quality of these products.
   
   
2. QCP applicants may request participant certification for either custom or
   premium grade in any or all sections of the current edition of the AWl Quality
   Standards Illustrated except sections 100 and 200.
   
   
3. Program participation certificates may be issued for manufacturing,
   finishing, and installation, or any combination thereof.
   
   
4. QCP applicants will be granted a period of one year from the date of
   application acknowledgment to complete all steps of the certification process.
   Re-application including payment of the applicable application fee and
   re-completion of all steps, including any completed previously, will be
   required if certification is not accomplished within one year of the initial
   application.
   
   
5. Application fees (non-refundable) are determined by the AWl Board of
   Directors and are set forth in a separate schedule. Consult with the QCP
   administrative office for the latest fee schedule.
   
   
6. In the case that an applicant for participation in the Quality
   Certification Program is not a manufacturing member of AWl, a non-member
   application fee shall be paid by the applicant. If the applicant initiates
   and is approved for manufacturing membership in AWl within three months of the
   certification application date and pays his/her full first year’s membership
   dues at that time, then a credit of the difference in the member and non-member
   application fee shall be applied towards AWl manufacturing membership dues.
   
   
7. The Quality Certification Program will notify QCP applicants on a periodic
   basis of the status of their application.
   
   
8. Requests for expedited certification service may be fulfilled on a
   time-available basis at the discretion of the QCP director. QCP applicants shall
   pay any and all additional costs, which may include but are not limited to
   airfares resulting from scheduling with an advance booking time of less than 14
   days.
   
   
9. Any change of firm ownership will automatically be cause for re-application
   and re-testing; participants are required to promptly report, in writing, all
   changes of ownership to the QCP director.

1. QCP applicants shall be required to successfully complete a multiple choice written
   test on the current edition of the AWl Quality Standards Illustrated.
   
   
2. The test shall be taken by the president/ owner or employee(s) with
   production responsibility for the firm designated by him/her.
   
   
3. The test shall be signed and attested to by the president/owner of the
   applicant firm regardless of who takes the test.
   
   
4. The test is an open book test based on the current edition of the AWl
   Quality Standards illustrated. Upon receipt of the application for
   certification, the test will be sent to the applicant firm. The completed test
   must be returned prior to scheduling of the plant inspection. The applicant firm
   will be notified of the test

1. QCP applicants shall demonstrate integrity, responsibility, and competence
   in supplying work that meets the specific AWl Quality Standards Illustrated
   grades and sections of work for which they are applying.
   
   
2. QCP applicants shall show evidence of the firm having been in the
   architectural woodwork business for two years preceding their application date.
   
   
3. QCP applicants shall solicit and submit letters of reference for review
   and approval on a form furnished by the Quality Certification Program.
   
   
4. References submitted may not be dated earlier than one year prior to the
   application date, referencing projects completed by the applicant no earlier
   than four years prior to the application date.
   
   
5. Letters of reference shall be from a minimum of ten different firms and/or
   individuals for whom the applicant has supplied architectural millwork within
   the last two years. These reference letters shall be from architects/design
   professionals, general contractors, and owners/ end use customers, with a
   minimum requirement of two different references in each category. No reference
   may be used more than once. Exceptions due to special circumstances must be
   approved by the QCP director.
   
   
6. The Quality Certification Program reserves the right to contact any or
   all of the furnished references, as well as any other sources necessary to
   determine the applicant’s eligibility as outlined in section II.A.1. By
   submission of an application for participation, QCP applicants expressly agree
   to release, hold harmless, and indemnify AWl from any claims of slander, libel,
   defamation, or otherwise that may arise in connection with AWl’s investigation
   of the applicant’s eligibility.
   
   
7. References must be received prior to the scheduling of the plant inspection.

1. QCP applicants must successfully complete the written test and submit all
   required reference letters prior to scheduling of the plant inspection. The
   inspection will be scheduled within four weeks of receipt of the written test
   and references.
   
   
2. A QCP representative will inspect the applicant’s plant to verify
   eligibility as outlined in section II.A. 1, assist new participants in meeting
   Program requirements as outlined in this section, and ascertain the applicant’s
   capability of producing adequate shop drawings.
   
   
3. QCP applicants shall provide samples of work in the sections and grade for
   which they are applying, as outlined in the AWl Quality Standards Illustrated.
   
   
4. Construction of samples of work in the sections and grade for which the firm
   is applying may be required of the applicant.
   
   
5. Previously completed work-in-place qualifies as a sample. In-place work to be
   used as a sample shall be located in reasonable proximity to the plant.
   
   
6. Previously completed work evaluated as part of the sample inspection must
   have been completed by the applicant within two years prior to the application
   date.
   
   
7. Upon completion of the plant inspection, the QCP representative will issue
   a written report to the AWl National office, outlining the findings of the
   inspection. A copy of this report is available to the applicant upon request.

1. Upon approval of an application, the Quality Certification Program shall issue
   a participation certificate certifying the competence of participants to produce and label work according to the AWI Quality Standards Illustrated for the sections and grades for which they are approved.
   
   
2. Certification shall stand in the name of the sole proprietor, firm, or corporation
   engaged in the architectural woodwork business.
   
   
3. Each participant shall have a duly accredited representative listed with the Quality
   Certification Program who shall be the owner, a partner or officer, or occupy a
   responsible position within the participant firm.
   
   
4. Certification is granted to sole proprietorships, firms, or corporations,
   but not to individuals.
   
   
5. Participant certification is neither transferable nor assignable.
   
   
6. Participant certification may be revoked if facts are subsequently revealed that
   show the applicant was ineligible as defined in II.A. 1 at the time of application approval.
   
   
7. AWl or the Quality Certification Program makes no representation regarding a
   certified firm’s financial condition, capacity for output, or ability to meet
   delivery dates for a given project. Users of the Program are to make their own
   inquiries and decisions regarding these matters.

1. Following certification, participants will be in a probationary status pending
   successful completion of two projects under the Quality Certification Program.
   During this initial probationary period, all project certification shall require mandatory
   in-plant compliance inspections unless the participant was approved for installation only. In that event, a compliance inspection at the QCP project site shall be sufficient.
   
   
2. It is the prticipant's responsibility to correct defianceies identified in compliance
   inspections. Refusal to correct deficiencies will result in immediate
   revocation of participant certification.
   
   
3. Lables may not be issued when acceptance of non-comforming work is part of a
   settlement outside the Quality Certification Program. Such settlement will not be
   considered as refusal to correct deficiencyies, but may not, at the discretion of the
   QCP director and considering the nature and extent of the deficiencies, be counted
   toward probation requirements. This does not apply to cases where non-comforming
   work originated from the modification of the AWI Quality Standards Illustrated by
   project plans and specifications.
   
   
4. Depending on the nature and extent of deficiencies that are identified, the QCP
   director amy require that more than the first two projects be inspected by a QCP
   representative. In such cases, the QCP director will advixe the participant of
   their extended probationary status in the Quality Certification Program. The
   participant shall pay to Quality Certification Program any and all costs
   for additional compliance inspections incurred as a result of extended probationary status.
   
   
5. After successful completion of two certified projects, participants are able to
   certify projects, participants are able to certify projects without madatory
   compliance inspections. The Quality Certification Program reserves the right
   to inspect any certified project at any time. In the event that such an inspection
   indentifies deficiencies, the participant will be placed on probation during the
   period granted to make necessary corrections. The participant shall pay to the
   Quality Certification Program any and all costs for repeat compliance inspections
   incurred as a result of a failed compliance inspection.

1. Participant certification expires December 3st of each year. All
   participants who were certified prior to October 1st of said year are obligated
   to renew certification by January 1st of the following year. Renewal will take
   effect upon receipt of payment of the required renewal fees and a signed copy of
   the QCP Code of Ethics.
   
   
2. Failure to renew by February 1st constitutes voluntary withdrawal from the
   Quality Certification Program.
   
   
3. A new participation certificate will be sent to each participant upon
   renewal of certification.
   
   
4. The Quality Certification Program will revisit and re-evaluate the plant,
   shop drawings, and work of participants for compliance with the current AWl
   Quality Standards Illustrated within three years of any previous inspection.
   
   
5. QCP representatives may arrange for and conduct plant inspections when
   convenient to help mitigate Quality Certification Program costs for conducting
   required three (3) year re-evaluations as well as restart the three-year
   re-evaluation period.
   
   
6. A participant wishing to reinstate certifi­cation in the Quality
   Certification Program after voluntary withdrawal (lapsing) of participation
   will apply as a new participant, including all fees and procedures required of
   new participants at the time of re-application.

1. Provide AWl Quality Certification Program [labels] [certificate] indicating that
   woodwork complies with requirements of grades specified.

1. Users of the Quality Certification Program should understand that the
   Architectural
   Woodwork Institute certifies only the firm’s competence to supply the grade of
   work for which it has been approved. The certification of the firm by the
   Quality Certification Program is of the competence of the firm, not a
   certification by AWl or the Quality Certification Program of any particular
   project or product. The placement of project specific labels or the issuance of
   a project specific certificate of compliance is a certification by the
   participant, not AWl or the Quality Certification Program, that the particular
   project or product complies with the specified grades listed in the AWL Quality
   Standards Illustrated. Project certification
   is available to QCP participants only.
   
   
2. Applicability of the AWl Quality Standards