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IAS Building Department Accreditation Program FAQs, Part II
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Kellee Lostaunau, Project Coordinator for IAS, continues her clarification of the IAS Accreditation Criteria for AC251. |
Clauses:
3.2.10 Annual internal functional process audits and management reviews.
3.2.11 Copies of reports of management or operational audits conducted within the past six years.
Q: In both clauses of the accreditation criteria, IAS talks about audits. What’s the difference between the two clauses?
Lostaunau: In Section 3.2.10, we would like to see audits a department has conducted on itself and, if available, a report of how management responded to any areas of concern noted during the self-audit. In Section 3.2.11, we’re looking for audits that have been performed by an outside party—usually by a consultant or firm the department has hired for this specific purpose.
Clauses:
3.2.20 Awareness programs and community outreach activities conducted by the department.
3.2.21 Description of all documents available to the public through the department.
Q: Do both sections of the criteria address the department’s public-outreach activities.
Lostaunau: Actually, the difference between the two is the “type” of outreach the department conducts. In Section 3.2.20, we’re looking for “active” outreach. For example, does the department produce television programs, hold roundtable meetings, host community events or send staff members to appropriate events to provide information on behalf of the department?
But in Section 3.2.21, we’re looking for “passive” outreach. Here, we’re looking for a brochure that you put out on pool safety or a link on your website that shows a homeowner what the permitting process is for replacing a water heater.
Clause:
3.2.17 Validation procedure for computer programs used for plan checking.
Lostaunau: If the department uses plan-checking software (and the use of plan-check software is by no means a requirement), please tell IAS how you have validated the software. For instance, one jurisdiction purchased plan-checking software, but the vendor never mentioned that it was only valid up to a maximum load. During the validation process, hand calculations by staff showed the limits of the software in use. The staff then knew to use alternative methods to check plans beyond the limits of the software’s capability.