NEA passes ISO standards

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) has received the latest International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification for complying with international quality management system standards.

In a statement, the state-run agency said it is now ISO 9001 with upgrade to 2015 standard after successfully passing a surveillance audit conducted last Nov. 10.

This places NEA among the first national government agencies to be upgraded to the 2015 version and confirms the effectiveness of its quality management system.

The scope of certification covers the three legs of the organizational mandate of the NEA which is “to provide financial, institutional, and technical assistance to the electric cooperatives (ECs) which in turn undertake power distribution on an area coverage basis.”

“NEA’s upgrade to ISO 9001:2015 certification is a proof of our unceasing desire to improve our operational performance and strengthen our alliance with the ECs to meet and even exceed the growing expectations of our power consumers,” NEA administrator Edgardo Masongsong said.

Launched on April 28, 2016, ISO 9001:2015 is the latest version of ISO quality management system.

TÜV Rheinland, NEA’s certifying body, said “the organization has established, and maintains an effective system to ensure compliance with its policy and objectives.”

“The audit team confirms in line with the audit targets that the organization’s management system complies with, adequately maintains and implements the requirements of the standard(s),” it said.

In successfully passing the second surveillance audit, NEA registered zero nonconformity in the processes surveyed and showed a number of notable positive findings which backed its bid for the award of the certificate.

Among the positive findings observed by TÜV Rheinland are NEA’s overshooting of its target for the Sitio Electrification Program (SEP), active involvement in the implementation of the on-grid Sitio electrification projects under the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BuB) program, upgrading of its network performance, publication of informational materials, and the systematic keeping of records and documentation of organizational processes and initiatives.

“At our table assessment, NEA substantially complied with all the requirements of ISO 9001:2015. However, there are areas that still need to be improved on. We congratulate NEA for successfully migrating from its 2008 version to the 2015 version,” TÜV Rheinland said.

NEA also obtained the Government Quality Management Program Award.

The agency was the first governmentowned and controlled corporation to be given the 2008 version of the certification.