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Information Notice No. 86-21, Supplement 2: Recognition of American Society of Mechanical Engineers Accreditation Program for N Stamp Holders
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION WASHINGTON, DC 20555 April 16, 1991 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE NO 86-21, SUPPLEMENT 2: RECOGNITION OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS ACCREDITATION PROGRAM FOR N STAMP HOLDERS Addressees: All holders of operating licenses or construction permits for nuclear power reactors and all recipients of NUREG-0040, "Licensee Contractor and Vendor Inspection Status Report" (White Book) Purpose: This information notice supplement is to alert addressees of a clarification of IN 86-21 and Supplement 1 concerning the recognition by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Accreditation Program This supplement clarifies that a method, other than auditing, may be used by purchasers of certain ASME Section III Code items to verify that the ASME-accredited suppliers of the items are effectively implementing their quality assurance (QA) program It is expected that recipients will review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems However, suggestions contained in this supplement do not constitute NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written response is required Background: In IN 86-21, the NRC informed holders of operating licenses and construction permits that the NRC recognizes the ASME Accreditation Program for N, NA, NPT, and NV stamps and associated certificates of authorization as evidence that the holder of the certificate of authorization has a documented QA program that meets the requirements of Appendix B to Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 50) The information notice also stated that when assessing whether a company has an acceptable QA program to enable it to become a supplier, licensees and their subcontractors could rely on the fact that ASME had surveyed the supplier and issued a certificate of authorization of the appropriate scope and for the desired location, without performing any additional evaluation of the supplier's QA program IN 86-21, Supplement 1, clarified the intent of IN 86-21, by noting that the NRC's recognition of the ASME Accreditation Program as providing evidence of an acceptable QA program also applied to holders of quality system certificates 9104100050 IN 86-21, Supplement 2 April 16, 1991 Page 2 of 3 Discussion: IN 86-21 and Supplement 1 stated that the NRC's recognition of the ASME Accreditation Program applied only to the programmatic aspects of the QA programs and that holders of operating licenses or construction permits, and their subcontractors, are still responsible for ensuring that the suppliers are effectively implementing their approved QA programs However, recent inquiries from licensees and vendors suggest the need to further clarify the earlier information notice and supplement regarding the purchaser's responsibilities for verifying effective implementation of a supplier's QA program Several nuclear industry standards and NRC regulatory guides (RGs) provide guidance for scheduling and performing periodic audits to verify that licensees and their suppliers are effectively implementing QA programs (ie, ANSI N45212, NQA-1, RG 128, RG 1144) Licensees may wish to review their plant-specific commitments to determine which standards and NRC regulatory guides apply in their case The NRC issued RG 1144, Revision 1, "Auditing of Quality Assurance Programs for Nuclear Power Plants," to endorse (with modifications) ANSI N45212-1977 In that regulatory guide, the staff stated that the licensee should schedule and perform periodic audits when the supplier is performing a sufficient quantity of work to demonstrate that the supplier is adequately performing the functions defined in the QA program for the purchased item In RG 1144 and RG 128, Revision 3, "Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Design and Construction)," the staff also noted that, after awarding a contract, the licensee may evaluate the procurement requirements and determine that implementation audits are not necessary for procuring items that are (1) relatively simple and standard in design, manufacturing, and testing; and (2) adaptable to standard or automated inspections or tests of the end product to verify quality characteristics after delivery It is important to note that the ASME Accreditation Program, as discussed in IN 86-21, Supplement 1, and this supplement, applies only to items manu- factured in accordance with Section III of the ASME Code and does not apply to noncode items that may be supplied by ASME certificate holders For example in IN 88-95, "Inadequate Procurement Requirements Imposed by Licensees on Vendors," the staff has provided additional information regarding the procurement of nonpressure-boundary parts used on ASME code components IN 86-21, Supplement 2 April 16, 1991 Page 3 of 3 This information notice supplement requires no specific action or written response If you have any questions about the information in this supplement, please contact the technical contact listed below or the appropriate NRR project manager Charles E Rossi, Director Division of Operational Events Assessment Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Technical Contact: Larry L Campbell, NRR (301) 492-0976 Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Friday, May 22, 2015
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