ETE010 Highways Laboratory Test Data and UKAS Quality Management System Purchase

To comply with its legislative obligations to maximise value during the delivery of highway maintenance across the region of Derbyshire the authority employs a Highways Materials Laboratory. This facility is required to be at the forefront of all the road maintenance activities. Once the programme is identified for the next five years we start working on the sites. We are involved with the site from this point through to completion of any works.

The first task we are involved with is identification of the existing condition of the pavement, cores are extracted, logged and commented on – testing for contaminants is undertaken. The findings are recorded, located on a network plan and the new design takes this information to develop the detailed design.

During construction the laboratory attends sites and undertakes testing on site and removes samples for testing in the laboratory. Any system will need to have site based capability to record and calculate test results. This will need to interface with the lab based system and the network systems currently used.

We monitor samples and tests associated with :-

Soils

Aggregates

Asphalts

Concretes

Hazardous contamination such as Tar

Water Quality

Noise Levels

On Site skid resistance

On Site texture depth measurement

On Site longitudinal Regularity

On Site density

We undertake sampling and testing for both internal and external private clients, we invoice for the work we undertake. Invoices are made up of standard charges and additional time and add-on charges. In addition we run Profit and loss accounting and would like the system to manage a basic review of ongoing financial position.

Many of the items of equipment within the laboratory have interface with lab system capability, where possible we would like to utilise this facility to reduce Technician interface.

The materials Laboratory manages under a UKAS quality system, the standards we work to are onerous. We are looking for the system to help with this requirement. It should include calibrations and Technician training records. Highlighting any irregularities with full test compliance. For example if the Technician undertaking the test has not been reviewed for their annual competency in the test the system should say so. Likewise with equipment calibrations and the generation of annual quality review dates and records, standard formats for meeting minutes etc.