5.1 Procurement practices encourage industry innovation and provide flexibility to achieve the benefits of continuous improvement.

5.2 There is an evolving industrial product quality philosophy that recognizes the need for quality policy changes that will provide producers with opportunities and incentives toward improvement of product quality and cooperative relationships between the producer and the consumer.

5.3 Process controls and statistical control methods are the preferable means of preventing nonconformances, controlling quality, and generating information for improvement. An effective process control system may also be used to provide information to assess the quality of deliverables submitted for acceptance. Producers are encouraged to use process control and statistical control procedures for their internal control and to submit effective process control procedures in lieu of prescribed sampling requirements to the consumer for approval.

5.4 Sampling inspection by itself is an inefficient industrial practice for demonstrating conformance to the requirements of a contract and its technical data package. The application of sampling plans for acceptance involves both consumer and producer risks; and increased sampling is one way of reducing these risks, but it also increases costs. Producers can reduce risks by employing efficient processes with appropriate process controls. To the extent that such practices are employed and are effective, risk is controlled and, consequently, inspection and testing can be reduced.

5.5 The following points provide the basis for this standard:

5.5.1 Producers are required to submit deliverables that conform to requirements and to generate and maintain sufficient evidence of conformance.

5.5.2 Producers are responsible for establishing their own manufacturing and process controls to produce results in accordance with requirements.

5.5.3 Producers are expected to use recognized prevention practices such as process controls and statistical techniques.

5.6 This standard also provides a set of sampling plans and procedures for planning and conducting inspections to assess quality and conformance to contract requirements. This standard eliminates acceptable quality levels (AQL's) and associated practices within specifications.

5.7 Applicability-This standard, when referenced in the contract, specification, or purchase order, is applicable to the prime producer, and should be extended to subcontractors or vendor facilities. The quality plans are to be applied as specified in the contract documents, and deliverables may be submitted for acceptance if the requirements of this standard have been met.

5.8 Applications-Quality plans and procedures in this standard may be used when appropriate to assess conformance to requirements of the following:

5.8.1 End items,

5.8.2 Components or basic materials,

5.8.3 Operations or services,

5.8.4 Materials in process,

5.8.5 Supplies in storage,

5.8.6 Maintenance operations,

5.8.7 Data or records, and

5.8.8 Administrative procedures.

Note 1-Use of the word "product" throughout this standard also refers to services and other deliverables.

5.9 Product Requirements-The producer is required to submit product that meets all contract and specification requirements. The application of the quality plans or procedures of this standard does not relieve the producer of responsibility for meeting all contract product requirements. The producer's quality system, including manufacturing processes and quality control measures, will be established and operated to consistently produce products that meet all requirements. Absence of any inspection or process control requirement in the contract does not relieve the producer of responsibility for assuring that all products or supplies submitted to the consumer for acceptance conform to all requirements of the contract.

5.10 Limitations-The sampling plans and procedures of this standard are not intended for use with destructive tests or where product screening is not feasible or desirable. In such cases, the sampling plans to be used will be specified in the contract or product specifications.