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Qualification
Q: Where can I find DoD Qualified Products Lists (QPLs) and Qualified Manufacturers List (QMLs)?
A: The Qualified Products Database (QPD) is the official source for all DoD qualification data. You can access the QPD in one of two ways: You can access the QPD through ASSIST, https://assist.dla.mil. Once logged into ASSIST, click the QPD tab under the ASSIST Banner at the top of the screen. To access QPL/QML data without logging into ASSIST, you can use the QPLDOCs site at https://qpldocs.dla.mil. Please be advised that QPL/QML data through QPLDOCS is limited. More information can be found by going through the QPD via ASSIST.
Q: I have a product that I would like to qualify and have listed on the QPL. How do I do that?
A: You will need to contact the qualifying activity directly. In order to find the correct qualifying activity, you will need the governing specification number for the QPL to which you wish to qualify. Once you have the specification number, log into ASSIST and search for that document. Once you find that document in ASSIST, click on the document ID and you will be taken to the document details page. Under "Responsibilities," click on the standardization code for the " Preparing Activity" (in almost all cases, the preparing activity for specification is also the qualifying activity responsible for the QPL/QML). Once you click on the standardization code, the point of contact information is provided.
Q: How will I know if a specification has a qualification requirement associated with it?
A: In the "Overview" section on the document details page in ASSIST, there will be a hyperlink to "Qualification," if the specification has a qualification requirement. Clicking on that hyperlink will bring you into the QPD and directly to the QPL for that specification. You can also find the qualification requirement in section 3, "Requirements," of the specification.
Q: Can adopted non-government standards (NGSs) contain qualification testing and have Qualified Products Lists (QPLs) or Qualified Manufacturers Lists (QMLs) associated with them?
A: Yes, the policy, procedures, and criteria for the establishment and maintenance of the qualification program, and the associated QPLs and QMLs, are outlined in Enclosure 14 of DoD 4120.24 Manual, Defense Standardization Program Procedures. Paragraph 2, Responsibility for Qualification, states:
"...The requirement for qualification must be specified in the applicable federal or defense specification or an adopted NGS...."
Inclusion of qualification and establishing an associated QPL or QML can occur in one of two ways:
- If the NGS developing committee concurs with a DoD request to include a government qualification requirement in the non-government standard, but does not want the qualification requirement to be a mandatory requirement for non-DoD users, the DoD adopting activity would be responsible for establishing and maintaining the QPL or QML for the NGS. The same justification and criteria that govern inclusion of qualification in a government specification apply when including a government qualification requirement in a non-government standard.
- Alternatively, if the NGS developing committee considers a qualification requirement to be desirable for all users, it is also possible to have industry-wide QPLs or QMLs associated with a NGS that are developed and maintained by third-party qualifiers from the private sector. Such industry-wide qualification efforts are now underway in the area of sealants, o-rings, and hose assemblies.
In scenario (1) above, DoD policy in DoD 4120.24 M, Enclosure 14, paragraph 7, requires the preparing activity to submit requests for the inclusion of qualification in new specifications, or the addition of qualification as a new requirement to existing specifications, to its Departmental Standardization Office (DepSO) for approval. [NOTE: in this context, the term "specifications" also encompasses non-government standards.] In scenario (2) above, this policy does not apply, since the private sector, and not DoD, will establish and maintain the QPL or QML.
If a military specification with no qualification requirement is being converted to a non-government standard and DoD is requiring qualification, approval is necessary. If, however, a military specification with qualification is converted to or replaced by an NGS with qualification, no approval is needed. DoD activities should reconsider the need for qualification at the time of conversion, since it may no longer be necessary or DoD may not have the resources to maintain the QPL or QML adequately. Two examples of QPLs associated with non-government standards are QPL-J1899 and QPL-J1966, which are managed by the Naval Air Systems Command and are based, respectively, on SAE-J1899 and SAE-J1966, SAE standards for lubricating oils.
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