Question 1

What does a "graded" quality assurance approach mean?

Accepted Answer

Graded QA means the level of design control, procurement rigor, inspection intensity, and documentation scales to a component's actual safety significance, rather than applying one uniform standard to everything.

Question 2

Q: We want to become a nuclear supplier; how do we achieve this?

Accepted Answer

We specialize in guiding organizations through the rigorous process of becoming qualified nuclear suppliers. Our expert team works closely with your organization to develop and implement a graded approach nuclear quality assurance program tailored to meet industry standards and regulatory requirements. We assist you in establishing robust procedures, documentation, and controls necessary for compliance, and provide ongoing support to maintain and continuously improve your quality program. This comprehensive approach ensures your readiness to operate confidently within the nuclear supply chain while upholding the highest standards of quality and safety.

Question 3

What does your staffing model look like on a typical engagement?

Accepted Answer

A senior QA Lead serves as the point of continuity and technical accountability, supported by a team(depends on the project) of technical writers, auditors, and subject-matter specialists sized to the project's scope. Training development is scoped to real program content rather than built ahead of it.

Question 4

Do you deliver a full procedure set or a single consolidated manual?

Accepted Answer

Either, depending on project size and organizational maturity. Our preferred architecture is a concise, licensing-basis program description at the top, implementing procedures beneath it, and work instructions and forms at the point of use. This lets a smaller organization start simple and expand the procedure set as the organization and supplier network grow in complexity.

Question 5

How do you scope the complexity and level of effort for a given project?

Accepted Answer

We size the engagement against the licensing phase, the population of activities affecting quality, the degree of design authority involved, the number and maturity of suppliers, and how much commercial-grade dedication or first-of-a-kind supplier qualification the program will require. The goal is complete requirement coverage without creating administrative burden an organization can't sustain.

Question 6

How do you evaluate an existing quality program to identify gaps before drafting new documentation?

Accepted Answer

We treat the gap analysis as a structured, evidence-based audit, mapping every applicable criterion and NQA-1 requirement against existing documents, procedures, and objective evidence, then testing actual practice against what's written through interviews and sample reviews of representative workflows. The result is a prioritized, documented list of gaps that becomes the direct basis for the development plan.

Question 7

Do you carry professional liability insurance appropriate for licensing-basis consulting work?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We carry professional liability (errors and omissions) insurance with limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 in the aggregate, and can provide a certificate of insurance on request.

Axiom Assurance LLC

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