News
ESAC and ICC-ES Cooperative Efforts Continue
The cooperative efforts of the Evaluation Services Advisory Committee (ESAC) and ICC-ES continue. The first of three 2008 ESAC meetings was held January 24 in Aurora, Colorado. The next two ESAC meetings will be May 14 in Whittier, California, and in September during the ICC Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Work continues in the following areas:
- Evaluating ways to improve communications throughout the acceptance criteria (AC) public comment and approval process and, as a result, speed up the process. Some of the ideas being discussed include establishing a web-based forum for improved and timely sharing of supporting information on proposed changes and discussing issues related to the AC; exploring ways to streamline the public hearing process while still allowing all interested parties to communicate their thoughts and concerns; and consideration of a number of other adjustments intended to provide an improved open, transparent, interactive and timely process.
- Evaluating ways to help ensure consistent application of technical decisions within ICC-ES to all evaluation report applicants. Some of the ideas being discussed include establishing an electronic means of documenting all technical decisions made regarding the application and interpretation of AC requirements. (This electronic system could also include other historical information.) ESAC and ICC-ES are also exploring ways to provide additional training for ICC-ES staff on key technical issues and ways to improve interaction with industry.
- Evaluating ways to improve draft AC submittals that are received at ICC-ES. Some of the ideas being discussed include providing a flowchart/decision tree to help applicants understand if they would be better served using a consultant to aid with the process or not, and providing a submittal checklist, sample AC template, FAQs, etc., all at one location on the ICC-ES website.
A number of items have been suggested for future consideration by ESAC, including:
- ICC-ES using pre-qualified technical consultants to help reduce the time required to obtain an evaluation report.
- Enabling/encouraging ICC-ES to reject substandard submittals of draft ACs and Evaluation Service Reports (ESRs).
- Establishing a set revision cycle for existing AC. Some ACs change in multiple successive public hearings causing applicants to have to retest multiple times before they can submit for an evaluation report.
- Implementing a documented customer compliment/complaint process to help ICC-ES identify areas that may need improvement.
- Establishing a structural advisory council comprised of expert consultants that could advise ICC-ES staff on highly technical or controversial issues. ICC-ES could have them assist in developing their pre-public hearing comments and recommendations.
- Establishing a schedule of response and review times for ICC-ES on evaluation report review and processing. (i.e., establish maximum time for each step of the review process such as acknowledging the receipt of the application package, number of days to provide the detailed response, etc.)
If you have any suggestions for issues you feel would be beneficial for ESAC to address, please feel free to communicate them to Mark Crawford (current ESAC Chairperson.
