The Development Academy of the Philippines, after having passed the transition audit conducted by the Certification International Philippines, Inc. in shifting from the previous standard to the 2015 standard, finally got the certification to ISO 9001:2015 that it sought as it became one of the first government agencies to do so.

The DAP was formally informed by Certification International, through its president and managing director, Renato Navarrete, that its Quality Management System or QMS under its revised scope “Project Management System for the provision of research, training, education, technical assistance services, and conference facilities management” has been approved.

In a letter dated October 14, 2016, Navarrete informed DAP  President Antonio D. Kalaw Jr. that the confirmation was based on the results of the second surveillance audit of the Academy’s QMS in August as well as the “improvement action on the single non-conformity that was raised at that audit.

‘In accordance with ISO 2015’

“The audit found your QMS maintained in accordance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015,” Navarrete told Kalaw. “It reported the strengths of your QMS and the activities that have been initiated by your different departments to meet their quality objectives, (and) ensure external and internal customer satisfaction.”

Kalaw congratulated DAP employees for the Academy’s successful hurdling of the ISO 2015 requirements and exhorted them to “face up to the challenge” of the new certification.

It would be recalled that Kalaw, back in  August, announced to the employee force the Academy’s passing the transition audit from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015.  He then told the DAP’s personnel how significant such a certification would be as it would further affirm the Academy’s role as a training, research, educational and consultancy institution.

‘Living up’

“This simply means that we live up to what we are teaching our clients, that we know and practice what we are talking about,” he said in reference to the Academy’s role as a proponent of institutionalizing QMS in the government.

Navarrete also exhorted the Academy and its management team to “consider opportunities for continual improvement.” He said these opportunities, which were discussed during the audit, would require the appropriate actions that would “escalate the effectiveness” of the Academy’s QMS as a tool for continual improvements and a guide for meeting organizational performance objectives.

The audit conducted by Certification International covered the DAP’s QMS, including all management, core and support processes and sites. The particular scope of its Project Management System that was also covered includes the provisions for research, training, education and technical assistance services as well as conference facilities management.

The ISO 9001:2015 certification covers all offices of the DAP, including that in Pasig, DAP sa Mindanao and that in Tagaytay City.