Quality Assurance Clauses
(prior to September 08, 2023)

A(#)

Quality Management System (QMS)

The Seller shall maintain a QMS that meets the requirements of AS9100, notated as A(A), ISO9001, notated as A(I), or AS9120, notated as A(S).  Any equivalent systems shall require Buyer approval.  The Seller shall notify the Buyer of any changes to the QMS that impact the Buyer’s product.

B

Facility Audit

The Buyer may a conduct an audit of the Seller’s facility, procedures, processes, production line, etc. as applicable to the Buyer’s product at any time.  The Buyer shall give the Seller minimum 5 days written notice.

C

Certificate of Conformance or
Certificate of Compliance
(C of C)

The Seller shall provide a C of C with all shipments to the Buyer.  At a minimum, the C of C shall contain the following information (if applicable):

1. Part Number and Revision (if applicable)
2. Description
3. Serial Number (if applicable)
4. Purchase Order (PO) Number
5. Quantity
6. Lot Date Code (LDC)
7. Supplier Name/Information
8. Country of Origin
9. A statement indicating the material or products meets all requirements outlined in the PO

The C of C should be signed by an authorized representative.

D

Counterfeit Prevention Program

The Seller shall maintain a counterfeit prevention program in accordance with AS5553 (Counterfeit Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition), AS6174 (Counterfeit Material; Assuring Acquisition of Authentic and Conforming Material) or equivalent (with Buyer approval).

E

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

The Seller shall maintain an ESD Program compliant to ANSI/ESD S20.20 (Protection of Electrical and Electronic Parts, Assemblies and Equipment (Excluding Electrically Initiated Explosive Devices)).  Any equivalent programs shall be approved by the Buyer.  Parts shall be handled, packaged, and labeled accordingly to maintain integrity and prevent ESD damage.

F

Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Program

The Seller shall maintain a FOD Program to prevent foreign objects, debris, or contamination from getting into the product shipping to the Buyer.

G

Calibration

The Seller shall maintain a calibration program in compliance with ANSI/NCSL Z540.3 (Requirements for the Calibration of Measuring and Test Equipment), ISO/IEC 17025 (General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories), or equivalent.  Any equivalent calibration system shall require Buyer approval. 

H

First Article Inspection Report (FAIR)

The Seller shall supply a first article inspection report in accordance with AS9102 (Aerospace First Article Inspection Requirement).  An equivalent format may be used if all requirements have been fulfilled.  An FAIR is required under the following conditions:

1. A first time build or run
2. A Class I change to the product or a process
3. A two year or more gap between builds or runs
4. A change to the manufacturing facility’s location
5. A specific flow down on the PO

The latest revision of AS9102 at the time the PO is issued will apply, unless otherwise specified.

I

Conflict Minerals

The Seller shall not provide product or materials with conflict minerals as defined by Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act.

J

Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

The Seller shall provide SDS or Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), as applicable, for materials or products as required by the Occupations Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

K

Pure Tin

The Seller shall not provide the Buyer with any electrical or mechanical components that are pure tin, unless authorized by the Buyer.  The component finish shall not contain greater than 97% pure tin.

L

Class I Changes

The Seller shall notify the Buyer in advance of changes to materials, parts, processes, etc. that impact the form, fit, function, safety, weight, interchangeability, or reliability of the product being supplied.  The Buyer shall approve Class I changes in writing. 

M

Material Review Board (MRB) Authority

The Seller shall notify the Buyer of any nonconformances against the Buyer’s documentation (e.g. drawings, specifications) resulting in a Use-As-Is (UAI) or Repair disposition.  The Buyer has final MRB Authority. 

N

Notification of Changes

The Seller shall notify the Buyer in advance of any of the following:

1. New location or facility
2. QMS status change (e.g. revoked)
3. Equipment, Process, or Personnel change resulting in a form, fit, or function Class I change to the product

O

Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) Components

The Seller shall maintain a program to ensure handling and packaging of MSL components, as defined by original component manufacturer, is in compliance with IPC/JEDEC J-STD-020 (Moisture/Reflow Sensitivity Classification for Non-Hermetic Surface Mount Devices) and IPC/JEDEC J-STD-033 (Handling, Packing, Shipping and Use of Moisture, Reflow, and Process Sensitive Devices).  The latest revisions of the standards at the time the PO is issued will apply, unless otherwise specified.

P

Packaging For Shipment

The product shipping to the Buyer shall be packaged to prevent damage while in transit.  A packing slip shall be affixed to the outside of package and contain, at a minimum, the following information:

1. Part Number and Revision (if applicable)
2. Description
3. Serial Number (if applicable)
4. PO Number
5. Quantity Shipped
6. Supplier Name/Information

Q

Supplier Corrective and Preventive Action Requests

The Buyer may issue a Supplier Corrective and Preventive (CAPA) Request to the Seller for a non-conformance or repetitive issue.  The Seller shall acknowledge the CAPA Request within 5 calendar days of receipt and provide a formal response, including containment (if applicable), root cause, corrective/preventive action, etc. within 20 calendar days of receipt, unless otherwise specified.

R(#)

Record Retention – # years

The Seller shall maintain product records (e.g. routers, test data, reports, quality, material traceability, etc.) for a minimum of # years after completion of contract, unless otherwise specified.  For example, R(7) = 7 years or R(10) = 10 years.

S

Shelf Life

The Seller shall not ship product or material with greater than 25% of the shelf life consumed, as determined by the original manufacturer, unless otherwise specified by the Buyer.

T

Traceability

The Seller shall maintain full traceability (e.g. source of supply, LDC, serial number, etc.) of the product or material from the configured item to the individual components.  The Seller shall provide the information to the Buyer, if requested.

U

Source Inspection (SI)

The Buyer requires SI prior to shipment for the product or material being supplied by the Seller.  The Seller shall notify the Buyer 10 days in advance of shipping.  The Seller shall provide the Buyer a work location at their facility (e.g. a desk, microscope, WiFi, etc.) to conduct SI.  The Buyer may waive SI as necessary, in writing.

V

Prohibited Materials

The following materials are prohibited, unless otherwise stated:

1. Solder fluxes or chemicals that are corrosive
2. Selenium or magnesium, unless used inside devices that are hermetically sealed
3. Mercury
4. Radioactive or hazardous materials like uranium
5. Zinc or cadmium in fabrication or surface finishes
6. Dissimilar metals used together that are not compatible.

W

Specialty Metals

The Seller shall comply with the Department of Defense (DoD) DFARs §252.225-7009, “Restriction on the Acquisition of Certain Products Containing Specialty Metals” for any products delivering to the Buyer with specialty metals.

X

Customer Furnished Equipment (CFE)

The Buyer (Customer) shall provide the Seller equipment as agreed upon to complete the product or material for the Buyer.  The equipment shall be tracked and maintained at the Seller’s facility until ready to be returned to the Buyer.  The Seller shall notify the Buyer immediately if there are any issues with the CFE.

Y

Test Data

The Seller shall provide test data for the product being procured in variable and attribute data format.

Z(#)

Parts Aging

Parts shall not be beyond # years from the Lot Date Code (LDC) at the time of shipment to the Buyer.  For example, Z(2) means parts must be no greater than 2 years of age from the original manufacturer’s LDC.

AA(#)

Circuit Card Assemblies (CCAs)

The Seller shall comply with J-STD-001 (Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies) and IPC-A-610 (Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies), unless otherwise specified.  The latest revisions of the standards at the time the PO is issued will apply, unless otherwise specified.
Classification will be noted as follows:

1. AA(1) = Class 1
2. AA(2) = Class 2
3. AA(3) = Class 3

AB(#)

Cables, Wires, Harnesses

The Seller shall comply with IPC/WHMA-A-620 (Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies), unless otherwise specified.  The latest revision of the standard at the time the PO is issued will apply, unless otherwise specified.
Classification will be noted as follows:

1. AB(1) = Class 1
2. AB(2) = Class 2
3. AB(3) = Class 3

AC(#)

Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)

The Seller shall comply with IPC-A-600 (Acceptability of Printed Boards), unless otherwise specified.  The latest revision of the standard at the time the PO is issued will apply, unless otherwise specified.
Classification will be noted as follows:

1. AC(1) = Class 1
2. AC(2) = Class 2
3. AC(3) = Class 3

AD(#)

Printed Circuit Board Design

The Seller shall conform with design requirements outlined below, as applicable, to the Buyer’s product.
AD(21) = IPC-2221 Generic Standard on Printed Board Design
AD(22) = IPC-2222 Sectional Design Standard for Rigid Organic Printed Boards
AD(23) = IPC-2223 Sectional Design Standard for Flexible Printed Boards
AD(24) = IPC-2224 Sectional Standard for Design of PWBs for PC Cards
AD(25) = IPC-2225 Sectional Design Standard for Organic Multichip Modules (MCM-L)   
and MCM-L Assemblies
AD(26) = Sectional Design Standard for High Density Interconnect (HDI) Printed Boards
The latest revisions of the standards at the time the PO is issued will apply, unless otherwise specified.

AE

Solderability Testing

The Seller shall ensure the Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) conform to J-STD-003 (Solderability Tests for Printed Boards).  The latest revision of the standard at the time the PO is issued will apply, unless otherwise specified.

AF

PCB Test Coupons

The Seller shall provide PCB Coupons to the Buyer from each PCB lot fabricated.

AG

Right Of Access

The Buyer reserves the right to access the Seller’s facilities to review any work in progress (e.g. inspection, test, reviews) associated with the Buyer’s product.  The Buyer shall give the Seller 5 days written notice, unless otherwise specified.