Background

Why was SQMAS developed?

Organisations are being increasingly requested to demonstrate that they work to a Quality Management System (QMS) when tendering or completing supplier questionnaires.

SQMAS originated as a result of a recognised gap in the market for SMEs to be able to demonstrate that they are working to a QMS without having to go through the costly process of implementing ISO 9001.

Many SMEs struggled to compete with larger organisations when it came to resourcing the QMS and maintaining the expensive certification and implementation fees. SQMAS is helping to provide a more even playing field for small, local, independent businesses to procure services by having the quality credentials without it hitting the bottom line. SQMAS is also based on a programme of continual improvement and therefore drives business efficiency, helping organisations to be more competitive in the marketplace and save money.

Many companies struggle to find an effective way of managing their quality performance. SQMAS provides the tools to address this in an easy to understand and practical approach. The monitoring checklist ensures that the system is being effectively maintained and there is very little requirement for documentation. There is a lot of jargon spoken with ISO 9001 - SQMAS helps to keep things simple and relevant.

SQMAS is all about the SME and has been designed with this in mind to keep it minimal and uncomplicated. The Standard is easy to understand and follow and the templates are straight forward and is therefore time and cost effective. Companies should not be getting themselves so lost in the system that it starts to become ineffective.

With only six mandatory documents to manage all the business risks SQMAS is serving as a valuable business management tool for business sustainability and growth.