AASHTO has resumed on-site assessments in the United States and Canada. For more details regarding our current on-site assessment progress, please refer to the
Estimated Assessment Schedule.
We will continue to offer remote assessments to laboratories that need a supplemental assessment in order to add standards to their current scope of accreditation, which are conducted via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Submitting a Request
The process for requesting a remote supplemental assessment is the same as requesting a regular assessment and can be done by clicking on “Request an Assessment “ from your laboratory’s homepage on the AASHTO re:source website. Please refer to the following guidance when submitting your laboratory’s supplemental assessment request:
Verify Laboratory Information (Step 1): Make sure the contact information is correct – AASHTO re:source will reach out to the contact person listed here to set up a date for the assessment.
Select Scope of Quality System Evaluation (Step 2): Only AASHTO R 18 needs to be selected under the “Quality System Evaluations” section. Additional quality systems, such as ASTM C1077, D3666, D3740, and E329, only need to be selected if you are adding any of these to your accreditation as part of the supplemental assessment. These do not need to be selected if your laboratory is already accredited for these systems.
Select Tests (Step 3): Select the applicable tests that you would like to add to your laboratory’s accreditation.
Enter Assessment Details (Step 4): Select “Request an Out-Of-Sequence assessment” at the top of the page. Please also leave a comment about your availability.
Tests Demonstrations
The remote assessment will only cover the new tests that have been requested. It is expected that these tests will be performed in their entirety. The laboratory can use any device that can connect to a Zoom or Microsoft Teams meeting (smartphone, tablet, laptop). Although not always necessary, using a tripod or designating a person to hold the camera generally works best. Laboratories are highly encouraged to test their setup before the assessment (internet connectivity, picture quality, speaker/headphone volume), especially for tests that need to be performed outside where Wi-Fi connectivity may be problematic. If the Assessor determines that they cannot effectively perform the assessment due to the laboratory’s setup, the assessment will be stopped and rescheduled for a later date once the laboratory’s setup issues have been resolved.
Quality System Evaluation
An AASHTO re:source Assessor will provide a list of documents that will need to be reviewed as part of the assessment after the request form has been submitted. The specific documents will depend on what tests and/or quality systems are included on the request.
Fees
Information on current remote assessment fees can be found on the
LAP Tests and Fees page.
Timeline
AASHTO re:source realizes that most supplemental requests are urgent for our customers. AASHTO re:source will work to schedule supplemental assessments as soon as possible, but the timeline from request submittal to assessment can take up to 8-10 weeks. After the assessment is completed, reports are generally processed in 3-4 weeks. The process for resolving findings is the same as it is for an on-site assessment.
If you have any additional questions about requesting a supplemental assessment, please contact
Jack Quinlan.