The Hindu Business Line : Certification for quality in construction planned

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Certification for quality in construction planned

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Will assure end-users or financiers about project reliability

New system
CQRA has developed a quality audit system that benchmarks construction quality in building projects.
Will have data being periodically captured in objective formats and comprehensive, stage-wise audit reports are generated with the help of a specially developed in-house software.
Consumers can make an easier purchase decision based on the quality standards adopted by individual builders.

Pune , Aug. 22

Construction Quality Rating Agency (CQRA), a Pune-based quality audit service provider, is set to foray into the field of third-party certification for quality in construction.

The company, which has provided quality audit services to over 25 projects in Pune, Mumbai and Hyderabad, said on Tuesday that the certification would provide recognition of quality standards achieved on-site and assure end-users or financiers of projects about the reliability of the project.

CQRA has developed a quality audit system that benchmarks construction quality in building projects with data being periodically captured in objective formats and comprehensive, stage-wise audit reports are generated with the help of a specially developed in-house software, said Mr Ujwal Kunte, Director.

The quality certificates would be issued for various categories such as overall construction, RCC work, masonry, plumbing, and water proofing, among others.

"Third-party quality certification will shift the focus on to the quality aspect of construction instead of focusing on the amenities in a project, as is currently the case. Consumers can make an easier purchase decision based on the quality standards adopted by individual builders."

Mr Anant Khandekar, Director (Marketing), said: "The cost of quality audits and certification services is less than 0.5 per cent of the project cost."

He added that in the long run the developer would make savings by using the right work practices, based on the company's feedback.

Meanwhile, having tapped the residential and commercial complex segments, the company is now planning to tap the high-potential industrial segment. It is firming up plans to enter markets such as Goa, Chennai and Bangalore within a year.

The company is expecting turnover to rise from Rs 1 crore last fiscal to over Rs 4 crore this year, with the addition of the certification business.

The company's sister concern, Durocrete Engineering Services Pvt Ltd, has a lab that conducts testing of construction material. Set up at a cost of Rs 50 lakh, it currently tests concrete, cement, steel, tiles and bricks and plansning to add paints testing soon.

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