ICC Evaluation Service, QAI Laboratories Expedite Testing and Evaluations
Words: Dan Kamys ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) has partnered with QAI Laboratories Inc. to streamline the process for building product manufacturers to have their products tested and evaluated. The result is an expedited ICC-ES Evaluation Report or an ICC-ES Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas (PMG) Listing.
Under the new partnering program, manufacturers can now work with ICC-ES and QAI to bring products to market faster and at less cost. Products covered include, but are not limited to, wall systems and coverings, roofing systems and underlayments, water-resistant and air barriers, insulation, plumbing fixtures and fittings, PVC pipe and fittings and innovative building products in all of these areas.
Traditionally, manufacturers submit test data from independent testing labs directly to ICC-ES to obtain an Evaluation Report that covers comprehensive building code requirements. However, often due to miscommunication, needed information for the various code evaluations is incomplete or omitted, which results in delays. With the new partnering program, the manufacturer, ICC-ES and QAI will establish close communications and work together from the beginning of the process to decide on the scope of the project, and agree on a testing plan and the data requirements necessary to achieve the ESR or the PMG Listing. Now, if issues arise during inspections and testing, they are resolved among the parties as testing proceeds so that??agreed-upon testing criteria and specifications are met.
QAI will act as the single point-of-contact and supervises the entire ?Įevaluation process through plan development, sampling, testing, quality documentation, inspection, data package and draft report. Also, manufacturers of plumbing products have the added advantage of receiving dual certification for product recognition in the U.S. and Canada.