The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) maintains its ISO 9001:2015 certification as recommended by the SOCOTEC Certification International, formerly AJA Registrars, after successfully passing its first surveillance audit.
Held on August 5, 2019, the surveillance audit was conducted to assess the continuous fulfillment of the Council’s certified Quality Management System (QMS) to the ISO requirements from its original ISO certification in November 2018 to recertification audit in August this year.
In reference to its QMS processes and documented information, the audit employed interviews and gathering of documented evidences.
From the selected audit areas, no non-conformity was raised by the external auditors thereby maintaining DOST-PCAARRD’s certification with the following scope of registration:
“Public administration with scope of formulating policies, plans, projects, and strategies for science and technology (S&T) development in the agriculture, aquatic and natural resources (AANR) sectors; Programming and allocation for government and external funds generated for research and development (R&D) efforts in the AANR sectors; Monitoring R&D projects; and Generating external funds for its R&D Activities.”
The audit was participated by the DOST-PCAARRD directorate and staff headed by Acting Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora. The audit team, composed of Mr. Eugene Herradura, Ms. Czharina Buaquna, and Mr. Allan Carandang, observed the improvement in system compared with that of the last audit.
During the closing meeting, Dr. Ebora thanked the audit team for guiding the Council in its QMS implementation. He mentioned his appreciation to the auditors for handling the surveillance audit “quite light,” describing the activity as “less tense” which provided a good atmosphere among the staff.
Dr. Ebora also commended the DOST-PCAARRD staff for working efficiently as evidenced by the result of the surveillance audit.
ISO 9001:2015 is the international standard that specifies requirements for a QMS. Organizations use this standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.
The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD) were already ISO 9001:2000 certified prior to the implementation of the Rationalization Plan in 2011, where the two Councils merged as DOST-PCAARRD today.
The Council launched its ISO 9001:2008 QMS certification on February 18, 2013 and was officially registered on September 27, 2013. This was after passing stages 1 and 2 of its certification audit.
DOST-PCAARRD maintained its certification and successfully transitioned to ISO 9001:2015 on November 14, 2018.