Organizations employing APEGBC Professionals have a significant influence on the practice of the professions. The APEGBC Organizational Quality Management Program has been developed as a resource to improve the quality management of professional engineering and geoscience practices at the individual and organizational level.

APEGBC Organizational Quality Management Program

In December 2010, the Council of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC (APEGBC) approved the implementation of an Organizational Quality Management Program (OQM). The APEGBC Council then established the OQM Committee to direct the implementation and management of a voluntary OQM Program, applicable to all organizations employing professional engineers, geoscientists and licensees which provide products/services involving the application of professional engineering and geoscience in the following sectors:

• Construction
• Consulting
• Heavy Industry
• High Tech
• Light Industry
• Resource
• Manufacturing
• Mining and Geoscience
• Municipal and Provincial Government
• Operations
• Research and Development
• Utilities

Implementation of an Organizational Quality Management Program

Participation in the OQM Program is completely voluntary. An organization that elects to voluntarily implement an APEGBC-approved OQM Program can:

• Use the policies and procedures already established by the organization that are consistent with the basic quality management requirements that their employee engineers, geoscientists and licensees must meet under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act and APEGBC Bylaws; or
• Adapt its existing policies and procedures to be consistent with the basic quality management requirements; or
• Adopt the APEGBC OQM Manual as-is; or
• Adapt the APEGBC OQM Manual to meet the particular needs of the organization while remaining consistent with the basic quality management requirements.

The Intent of an Organizational Quality Management Program

The APEGBC Organizational Quality Management Program is offered as a resource to organizations wishing to support APEGBC Professionals they employ by assisting them in meeting the following basic quality management requirements that their employee engineers, geoscientists and licensees must meet under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act and APEGBC Bylaws:

• Retention of complete project documentation for 10 years
• Documentation of regular checks for engineering and geoscience work
• Documentation of field reviews
• Documentation of independent review for structural designs
• Application of “direct supervision”
• Application of the relevant APEGBC practice guidelines
• Authentication of Engineering/Geoscience documents using the professional seal

Potential Benefits

The potential benefits that can be realized by organizations voluntarily participating in an Organizational Quality Management Program where the practice of professional engineering and geoscience is involved are:

• The OQM Program will assist in standardizing professional quality management processes across the organization.
• Through the issuing of an APEGBC Quality Management Certification, an organization would be identified as adhering to an APEGBC-endorsed quality management standard and its employee engineers, geoscientists and licensees would be exempt from being randomly selected for individual Practice Reviews.
• The OQM Program will assist organizations in supporting their employees who are APEGBC members or licensees so that their practices are compliant with the Act and Bylaws.
• The OQM Program is consistent with and promotes Qualification Based Selection when engaging professional engineering or geoscience services.

Program Status

Under the direction of the OQM Committee, a draft OQM Manual has been approved by the APEGBC Council. It is undergoing final legal review and will be available on this website by the end of June 2012. The OQM Committee plans for implementation of the OQM Program in the winter of 2013 when the first OQM Certificates should be issued.

APEGBC Quality Management Guidelines

These quality management guidelines are directed at APEGBC professionals and provide guidance on the respective requirements under the quality management related provisions in the Act and Bylaws.

The following Guidelines are in Adobe PDF format.

• APEGBC Quality Management Guidelines - Use of the APEGBC Seal
• APEGBC Quality Management Guidelines - Retention of Project Documentation
• APEGBC Quality Management Guidelines - Documented Checks of Engineering and Geoscience Work (available May 24, 2012)
• APEGBC Quality Management Guidelines - Documented Independent Review of Structural Designs (available May 24, 2012)
• APEGBC Quality Management Guidelines - Direct Supervision (available June 6, 2012)
• APEGBC Quality Management Guidelines - Documented Field Reviews During Implementation or Construction (available June 6, 2012)

Questions regarding the APEGBC Organizational Quality Management Program may be directed to:

Lina Bowser
Manager, Quality Assurance Programs
Direct Tel: 604.412.4862
E-mail: oqm@apeg.bc.ca