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AGREMENT
SOUTH AFRICAinnovative construction products
assessment
What is “Agrément”?
The word “Agrément” is French and it means consent or approval. The Board of AGREMENT SOUTH AFRICA was established in 1969 as an objective, independent agency which evaluates the fitness-for-purpose of non-standardised construction products.
Structure of Agrément
Board of Agrément South Africa
Technical Agency Technical Committee
Experts
Why Agrément?
• Specialises in non-standard products (more than 30 years of experience)
• More than 350 certificates
• Complements SABS
• International links with WFTAO
The product life cycle
• Concept• Development• Introduction to
market• Market acceptance
and growth• Ongoing marketing
as conventional product
The product life cycle and approval
• Concept• Development• Introduction to
market• Market acceptance
and growth• Ongoing marketing
as conventionalproduct
• SABS
The product life cycle and approval
• Concept• Development• Introduction to
market• Market acceptance
and growth• Ongoing marketing
as conventional product
• Agrément South Africa
CSIR
Agrément
SABS
-ve
Market
Income
Role of CSIR, Agrément South Africaand SABS in Product Development Cycle
CSIRC
C.J.S. Date: Jun.'95
Development of standards,specifications/ codes of practice
Development
Research
criteria and test methodsDevelopment of performance
Technology
CSIR
CertificationAGREMENT
SABS Listing andMark Schemes
+ve
Certification/Specification/Guarantee
• Certificate“What can it do”
• Specification“How to do it”
• Guarantee“It will work for a certain period, otherwise you may be compensated”
Why certification?
• Facilitates acceptance of new products and saves selling time
• Supports innovation and promotional drives
• Assures customers that a QA system is implemented
• Technical evaluation may lead to product improvements
Certification ProcessProduct submitted to Agrément SA
Owner of Product
Quality ManagementSystem developedito ISO 9000requirementsEvaluation committee formed
Submitted to SABSfor adjudication
Feedback and reporting
Planning of evaluationprogramme-product classification-selection of tests-special considerations
Materials testing-material preparation-ageing/conditioning-performance testing
Feedback & reporting-discussion of results-technical report-technical summary
Preparation of certificate by Agrément South Africa agency
If satisfactory, certificate submitted to Board for approval
Checks and Balances
• Initial screening by Agency• Evaluation by experts
– CSIR and others– Different experts for different aspects– SABS
• Review by Agency• Technical Committee• Board
Quality
• Credibility
• Manufacturing
• On site
Agrément Appraisal
• Based on more than a single test result
• Takes into account many factors, including quality management
• Results in certificate of fitness-for-purpose that enables specifiers to make informed decisions
Approach to performance evaluation
• Relative rather than absolute evaluation
• Performance is compared to that of standard products
• Relies on benchmarking and expert evaluation
• Challenge: Cooperation
Why avoid absolute performance evaluation?
• Requires a validated and quantified relationship between performance and test indicators
• Indicator-performance relationships are not well validated at present
Relative performance evaluation
• Provides evaluation of performance relative to standard products
• Identifies product strengths and weaknesses
• Facilitates judgement re engineering and economic advantages/life cycle costing
Progress to date(bituminous products)
• Performance criteria established
• Test methods and indicators proposed
• Reviewed by local and international peers
• Applications invited for pilot projects
• Inertia/reluctance in the market
Current status
• Invited applications for bituminous products
• Developing criteria for bridge deck joints
• Examining possibility of introducing certification system for road stabilisers used on unpaved roads
The way ahead
• Pilot bituminous product evaluations• Authorities insist on Agrément certification for
innovative and non-standardised products – Clauses in tender documentation/project specification
• Cooperation between Agrément South Africa and Road Pavements Forum:– Regular feedback to Forum– Information sharing on products tested– Technical Committees
WFTAO
• 25 members from 21 countries
• Facilitates transfer of national products to the global market place
• Assessments accepted by all WFTAO members - but criteria might differ
• Co-operation and exchange of information
Test Report vs Appraisal
• Test report - single aspect
• Agrément appraisal - comprehensive