Accreditation Guidelines for Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery Testing Center

May 16, 2017

DA DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR NO. 04-17

 

Pursuant to Section 27 of the Republic Act No. 10601, otherwise known as the Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Law and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, this Accreditation Guidelines for Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery Testing Center is hereby prescribed and promulgated for guidance in the establishment of reliable and competent testing centers in the country.

ARTICLE I

General Provisions

SECTION 1. Objectives. —

The provisions under this Department Circular aim to achieve the following:

a) Provide and implement an accreditation scheme for agricultural and fisheries machinery testing center that is accessible, reliable, ethical and competent;

b) Set out the criteria, minimum requirements and standards for agricultural and fisheries machinery testing center; and

c) Encourage private sectors' and Higher Education Institutions' (HEIs) involvement in the testing of agricultural and fisheries machinery.

SECTION 2. Scope. —

This guidelines shall cover the rules and regulations governing the accreditation of HEIs, government, and private entities nationwide, which are independent institutions that can perform the testing and evaluation of locally and/or internationally manufactured agricultural and fisheries machinery.

The scope/s of accreditation covers the assessment of the building facility, equipment and Test Engineer or manpower including the support staff as applicable.

These guidelines shall complement with the Department Circular No. 05 otherwise known as the "National Guidelines on Testing and Evaluation of Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery." Thereby, the provisions in both guidelines shall apply.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. —

As used in this guidelines, the following terms shall be understood as follows:

3.1. Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery — refers to machinery and equipment for the production, post-production, harvesting, processing, storage, manufacture, preserving, transporting and distribution of agricultural and fisheries products and by-products. It includes, but not limited to, tractors and their attachments, power tillers, seeders, transplanters, windmills, harvesting machines, crop protection and maintenance equipment, irrigation equipment and accessories, greenhouses and other thermal conditioning equipment, livestock equipment, fishery equipment, slaughtering equipment, meat/fishery and crop processing equipment, postharvest machines such as milling machines, dryers, threshers, and fiber extraction machines;

3.2. Accreditation — the process of acquiring formal recognition from the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (BAFE);

3.3. Accredited Testing Center — any private, government entities and HEIs which has the capacity to measure, examine, test, calibrate or otherwise determine the characteristics and performance of agricultural and fisheries machinery and has undergone accreditation by BAFE;

3.4. Applicant — refers to HEIs, government and private entities that have the capability to comply with the requirements for accreditation;

3.5. Building Facility — an infrastructure that follows precautionary measures for safety, and security, and wide enough to accommodate the office/s of the Test Engineer/s and the testing and sheltering of the different agricultural and fisheries machinery;

3.6. Certificate of Accreditation (CoA) — a document issued by the BAFE to testing center/s accrediting them to perform the tests and evaluations;

3.7. Revocation — refers to the complete annulment or withdrawal of the granted CoA;

3.8. Suspension — refers to the temporary invalidation of the granted CoA;

3.9. Test Engineer — licensed Agricultural and Biosystems Engineer who is accredited to perform testing and evaluation of agricultural and fisheries machinery pursuant to RA 10915.

ARTICLE II

Testing and Evaluation Accreditation Advisory Committee

SECTION 4. Testing and Evaluation Accreditation Advisory Committee as the reviewing and recommending committee. —

The Testing and Evaluation Accreditation Advisory Committee (TEAAC), as created through the Department Circular No. 5 under Section 4, is composed of representatives from concerned offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and other agencies namely: Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS), Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), Professional Regulatory Board of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (PRB-ABE), Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers (PSAE), and University of the Philippines Los Baños-Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (UPLB-AMTEC). One of the core functions of the TEAAC is to review and recommend the granting of CoA for Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery Testing Centers. CAIHTE

ARTICLE III

Accreditation of Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery Testing Center

SECTION 5. Criteria for Accreditation. —

The following are the criteria for the accreditation of the agricultural and fisheries machinery testing center which is in accordance with the scope of accreditation applied for:

a) Must be an HEI, private or government entities,

b) Must have at least one Test Engineer,

c) Must have the building facility, equipment and manpower,

d) Must follow the PNS/PAES of agricultural and fisheries machinery, and

e) Must have a quality assurance system.

SECTION 6. Procedures for Accreditation. —

The following outlines the various stages of the accreditation process (see Annex A).

6.1. Submission of Requirements and Application Review

 The applicant shall submit to the BAFE the required duly accomplished form (see Annex B) and its corresponding attachments for evaluation of the completeness and validity of the documentary requirements (see Annex C). Only valid and eligible applications shall be processed.

6.2. On-site Assessment

 The BAFE shall then endorse to TEAAC the eligible applications for an on-site assessment. After the conduct of this assessment, the TEAAC shall submit the assessment report and recommendation letter to BAFE.

6.3. Evaluation and Approval of the Accreditation

 The BAFE shall conduct final review and assessment of the recommended applications, prior to approval and issuance of CoA.

 Applicant/s who does not meet the requirements shall be notified by the BAFE. The applicant/s shall be informed of the deficiency/non-conformity to the accreditation requirements.

6.4. Remedy in Case of Denial

 Request for reconsideration together with the evidence of corrective action shall be submitted within fifteen (15) working days after the receipt of notification of denied accreditation. Otherwise, the decision of the BAFE shall be final.

6.5. Post Accreditation Assessment/Monitoring

 After the grant of the CoA, the testing center shall be subjected to assessment every year to ensure their continued compliance with the conditions of the accreditation (Section 7.2.b) to be conducted by BAFE, with or without prior notice. Testing records, and records of calibration of test equipment conducted shall be ready for inspection at all times.

SECTION 7. Certificate of Accreditation. —

The CoA shall be specific to each type of test, thus multiple CoA can be issued to a testing center according to the scope of accreditation they were granted. The name of the accredited testing center shall be included in the Registry of Accredited Testing Centers.

7.1. Validity

 The CoA is valid for a period of three (3) years unless suspended or revoked.

7.2. Conditions of Accreditation

 Following the grant of accreditation, the Testing Center shall abide by the following commitments:

a) Maintenance and Calibration of Equipment

 All testing equipment shall be maintained in good condition. Instruments and equipment requiring calibration or adjustment shall be calibrated and adjusted in accordance with the instructions of the manufacturer as well as quality assurance system of the testing center which reflects the external calibration of the third party.

b) Records

 The accredited Testing Center/s shall provide a copy of all test reports upon its completion to the BAFE, excluding that of those agricultural and fisheries machinery undergoing research and development. They shall also maintain and make available for monitoring the records of their transaction such as follows:

• Records of the agricultural and fisheries machinery tested and evaluated,

• Records of the Test Engineer/s and other manpower responsible in the testing of the machinery,

• Records of all testing equipment, including number of units, date acquired, location and condition, and

• Copy of the schedule of fees/testing fees being imposed as prescribed by the BAFE and all the related financial transactions together with the supporting documents (e.g., official receipts)

NOTE: The accredited Testing Center/s shall provide official receipts to their clients.

c) Display

 All accredited Testing Center/s shall display the official signboard, CoA, and testing fees in a place and manner conspicuous to their customers.

7.3. Renewal

 Application for renewal of accreditation may be filed three (3) months prior to its expiration. The requirements for renewal are as indicated in Annex C. Test reports issued by Testing Center/s with expired CoA shall be invalid regardless of their pending renewal application.

7.4. Suspension/Revocation of CoA

 In case of incapability or non-compliance of the testing center, a suspension or revocation of CoA and removal of the testing center from the certification registry shall be done accordingly (see Section 10). Moreover, other specific grounds for suspension and revocation are listed under Section 9 (Prohibited Acts) of Article V.

 Reapplication in case of revocation shall be done in accordance with the terms and conditions set by the DA through BAFE and TEAAC.

ARTICLE IV

Schedule of Fees

SECTION 8. Fees and Charges. —

Fees and charges to be paid for the accreditation shall depend on the scope of the CoA granted (Annex D).

ARTICLE V

Final Provisions

SECTION 9. Prohibited Acts. —

9.1. Operating a Testing Center or engaging in agricultural and fisheries machinery testing business without proper or expired accreditation.

9.2. No employed test engineer/s or employment of test engineer/s with expired or invalid license and accreditation.

9.3. Using uncalibrated, broken or damaged equipment.

9.4. Violation of condition/s of accreditation (see Section 7.2).

9.5. Misrepresentation for purposes of securing the CoA or renewal thereof, such as giving a material false statement in the application, or submitting falsified documents.

9.6. Tampering of test results/test reports or rigging test procedures or entering false information about the agricultural and fisheries machinery being tested.

9.7. Obstructing or attempting to obstruct inspection by authorized representatives of BAFE or TEAAC.

9.8. Any act similar or analogous to the foregoing.

SECTION 10. Penalties and Sanctions. —

After due notice and hearing, the accredited Testing Center found to have committed any of the acts provided under Section 9 hereof shall be dealt with suspension or revocation of the CoA and/or with any applicable administrative penalties as imposed by the law.

The suspension of CoA of the test center issued thereof shall not exceed one year.

SECTION 11. Separability Clause. —

Should any provision of this Department Circular or any thereof be declared invalid, the other provisions, so far as they are separable, shall remain in force and effect.

SECTION 12. Effectivity. —

This Circular shall take effect upon approval of the DA Secretary and fifteen (15) days after publication by DA-BAFE. Three (3) copies of this circular shall be sent to the University of the Philippines Law Center. DETACa

Approved and promulgated this 16th day of May 2017.

(SGD.) EMMANUEL F. PIÑOL

Secretary

ANNEX A

(Informative)

ANNEX B

(normative)Application/Assessment Form

ANNEX C

(informative)

The following are the documentary requirements for the official accreditation:

1) General Requirements for Application

• Duly accomplished Application Form/Letter (Annex B)

• Organizational Structure

• Company Profile

• Staff Complement and Profile

• Proof of quality assurance system

• Building Lay-out/Floor Plan/Shop Lay-out

• Location Map

• Fire Safety Certificate

a) Private Entities

• BIR Registration and TIN

• Business Permits (e.g., Mayor's Permit)

• DTI/SEC registration

b) Government Entities

• Certificate of registration or other related permits

2) Renewal Requirements

• Existing Certificate of Accreditation

• Updated floor map (if applicable)

• Revised quality assurance system (if applicable)

• Copy of results of post accreditation assessment

NOTE: This includes such other documents that the BAFE may require from time to time protecting the interest of the government and the public.

ANNEX D

(normative)

The following are the prescribed fees relative to the Accreditation of the Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery Testing Center which shall be payable to the BAFE.

A	Application Fee (Non-refundable, payable upon submission of application form)	Php500.00
B	Assessment Fee (Payable upon receipt of notification of endorsement for an on-site assessment to TEAAC) *Plane fares/travelling expenses of the assessors should be shouldered by the applicant	Php7,000.00
C	Re-assessment Fee (In case of denial and/or changes in application)	Php3,500.00
D	Basic Accreditation Fee (Payable after on-site assessment and approval of grant of CoA)	Php1,000.00
E	Other Fees Certified copy of the certificate of accreditation	Php50.00