On Friday last week, HVIA’s Chief Technical Officer Adam Ritzinger wrote to the NHVR’s Service Delivery department to formally raise concerns regarding a new assurance program targeting the Performance Based Standards sector.
The NHVR initially proposed the program to HVIA in June this year and explained that it would eventually comprise in-person audits of PBS assessors and certifiers, to assess conformance to the PBS rules.
HVIA was supportive of the proposal, and immediately began working with the NHVR, and provided up-to-date communications to impacted members via its PBS Working Group.
During that time, HVIA became concerned by NHVR feedback that it planned to test its program through a series of audits conducted on HVIA members, potentially resulting in punitive outcomes, which raised Adam’s alarm bells.
“We had previously understood that the NHVR wanted to work with industry through a ‘co-design’ approach, aimed at seeking feedback on the content of the assurance program,” he says.
“Naturally, I was surprised when that later changed to ‘pilot audits’, potentially with punitive outcomes. Those two things are not the same, and they cannot co-exist in a framework that is developed in a fair and equitable way.
“It is absolutely possible to co-design a system without conducting an audit – simply develop the audit materials and checklists, provide them to industry as a group, and seek feedback before any auditing occurs.
“I’m at a loss to explain why the NHVR hasn’t done that, and by its apparent urgency in commencing audits immediately after announcing the program,” Adam adds.
The NHVR ran two industry webinars in late June to provide information on the program, but to HVIA’s knowledge has still not released its audit materials to industry for consultation and had contacted at least one HVIA member to arrange an audit in late July.
HVIA’s letter to the NHVR raised the lack of consultation, alongside other concerns related to the proposed audit notice period, audit timeframe and audit cadence. At time of writing, HVIA has not received a response.
For more information on this matter contact Adam Ritzinger at a.ritzinger@hvia.asn.au.