Update of the quality management system for public sector consultancy

Advice from Tech for the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and others through research-based public sector consultancy is within the framework of an ISO9001-certified quality management system. The system was updated on 28 March and will be again on 1 May 2023.

The comprehensive quality management system that ensures the high quality of Tech's public sector services is a dynamic system and has to be improved at least once a year on the basis of input from users, internal and external auditors, and others.

"There is no doubt that our quality management system has proven its worth by ensuring that Tech's reliability in consultancy is documented. Support from the quality management system means that no one can be in any doubt that consultancy from Tech maintains arm's length to stakeholders, that there is quality and transparency in the performance of tasks, and that we deliver consistent answers. The system also protects employees from pressure from stakeholders, requisitioners and other external parties," says the vice-dean for public sector consultancy and business collaboration, Ole Hertel.

A new set of improvements came into force on 28 March 2023 in a revised version 8. This was an extraordinary revision due to a number of requirements from external auditors regarding some of our processes. The most important adjustments to the system were:

→ Consistency corrections after time registration processes were lifted on 1 January 2023.

→ Addition on outsourcing parts of the consultancy, including requirements and evaluation

→ New Workzone-based method for evaluation of subcontractors

→ Addition about when AU serves as a subcontractor for other consultancy providers

→ Clarifications and additions about roles and responsibilities.

The quality management system is always available here >>

Contact Thomas Plesner at tpl@au.dk If you don’t have access.

The next minor revision will follow next week on 1 May 2023. Among other things, this will implement a simplified version of the procedure to quality-assure products, and this is the first step in making the quality management system easier to use. A goal for 2023 is to simplify the system, and if you have any ideas on how the system could be made easier to use, please send them to Thomas Plesner at tpl@au.dk.