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Quality Assurance

Laboratory Qualification

To assure that maximum quality control and superior highway materials are used in Federally funded highway infrastructure, the FHWA published a regulation for Quality Assurance Procedures for Construction on June 29, 1995 (23 CFR 637), and amended it on December 10, 2002.

The regulation establishes laboratory accreditation and qualification requirements. The laboratory qualification requirement is that "All contractor, vendor, and State DOT testing used in the acceptance decision must be performed by qualified laboratories by June 29, 2000."

Laboratory qualification requirements were detailed in an Oct. 9, 1998 FHWA memorandum (superseded by Non-Regulatory Supplement 23 CFR Part 637).

Laboratory Accreditation

The FHWA regulation for Quality Assurance Procedures for Construction on June 29, 1995 (23 CFR 637) establishes laboratory accreditation and qualification requirements. The accreditation requirements are: (1.) The central laboratory of each State Department of Transportation (DOT) must become accredited by June 30, 1997. (2) Non-State-DOT Lab Accreditation: Non-State-DOT laboratories that perform independent assurance (IA) testing or testing for dispute resolution must be accredited by June 29, 2000.

The regulation requires accreditation "by the AASHTO Accreditation Program (AAP) or a comparable laboratory accreditation program approved by the FHWA." The requirements for a comparable accreditation program are written in paragraph 3b of the non-regulatory supplement for 23 CFR 637 which can be seen at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/0637bsup.cfm.

In addition to the AAP the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and the Construction Materials Engineering Council (CMEC) have been approved as accreditation Bodies. The approval letters for the additional accreditation bodies can be seen at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/materials/index.cfm

Materials Technician Qualification

The FHWA regulation for Quality Assurance Procedures for Construction on June 29, 1995 requires that all sampling and testing of highway materials for Federal-aid projects on the National Highway System (NHS) be performed by qualified technicians. Deadline for compliance with this regulation was June 29, 2000.

Technician qualification programs can vary in format while achieving the primary objective of qualified technicians. Several regional groups have formed through which cooperating State DOTs are promoting regional reciprocity and establishing qualification requirements. At the same time, some State DOTs are pursuing individual qualification programs. The Technician Qualification Memorandum (superseded by Non-Regulatory Supplement 23 CFR Part 637) was made available July 17, 1998.

For more information on technician qualification, contact:

The Western Alliance for Quality Transportation Construction includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and the Western Federal Lands Highway Division of FHWA.

The North East Transportation Technician Certification Program includes Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Working together with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and industry throughout New England, a nonprofit organization has been established named North East Transportation Technician Certification Program (NETTCP). The intent of the program is to jointly develop training and certification courses that are supported by each of the New England States and that are commonly specified by each of them. Training and certification programs have been developed in a number of technical areas including hot mix asphalt, soils/aggregate and concrete. At this time, certification by the NETTCP is being required by several New England States and is recognized by all New England States.

Multi-Regional Training and Certification Program includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana.

Updated: 12/06/2023
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000