Membership Requirements

Join The Network

There is no cost to join the 21ST Century Manufacturing Network and no dues to pay. To join, simply complete the online membership application - click the "Join the Network" tab at left, and follow easy instructions.

Quality Certification and RCBI

The Network offers you many kinds of assistance and encouragement to develop your contracting efforts. An important part of our assistance centers on issues of quality control certification, how to get it, and the way we list your certification credentials.

Quality Manual

RCBI recommends that your company maintain, at minimum, a quality manual that documents your processes and procedures. Just having a quality manual does not necessarily make your company compliant, but it's a good start.

If your company does not have a quality manual, RCBI's Quality Certification group offers an initial consultation to discuss quality manual implementation. Your company can purchase Quality Manual Templates for $200. After you've tailored the template to fit the processes of your own organization, RCBI's Quality Certification group will review the manual and provide recommendations as necessary. We recommend a two-hour review at $60 an hour.

RCBI does not assume any responsibility if your company bids on government work without having a quality manual in place. Similarly, if you use our Network Directory to find subcontractors, it remains your responsibility to identify the subcontractor's quality program.

Your Network Directory Profile

You'll notice that our Network Directory "profile" for each member includes notation of their standards certification. If you've recently submitted a membership application, you'll soon receive a call from us to discuss your quality control program and how it should be noted on your directory profile.

If you have a current Certificate of Registration to ISO 9001: 2000, ISO/TS 16949: 2002, or AS9100 A, from an accredited Registrar, and can send a copy to RCBI's Quality Certification group, then your ISO registration status will be noted on your profile accordingly.

If you do not have a current Certificate of Registration, then your company will be listed as "Not Certified" under the ISO 9000 section of your Network directory profile unless you undergo and pass a Quality Management System Assessment-a service of RCBI's Quality Certification group. If you choose to have a Quality Management System Assessment, here's how it works:

Quality Management System Assessment

The purpose of the Assessment is to determine your company's level of compliance with a quality standard and to provide RCBI a sense of confidence that your company can provide products or services that meet customer requirements. The cost of the Quality Management System Assessment is $60 per hour, plus travel, for which financial assistance is available (see below).

Typically, one RCBI Quality Trainer will visit your site for one-day. Their Assessment will be based upon the ISO 9001: 2000 Standard or another recognized Standard of your choice such as ISO/TS 16949:2002, Quality Management Systems or AS9100 A.

Our Quality Trainer will review your quality management documentation, observe operations, and interview personnel. The Quality Trainer will use a standard checklist and give you a copy of the written results. The Assessment has three possible outcomes:

1. Full Compliance

Your company is determined to have a fully compliant quality management system. Full compliance includes active management review, internal audit, corrective action and preventive action systems.

2. Compliance In Progress

Your company is determined to have the crucial elements of a quality system in place and is working toward full compliance to a recognized standard. Crucial elements include the following:

A process for reviewing orders prior to acceptance
Control over external documents (i.e. customer drawings/specifications) at a minimum
A process for evaluating and selecting vendors
Control of customer-supplied product
Product identification including status
Controlled processes including handling, storage, packaging, preservation and delivery
Documented inspection and testing
Calibration of inspection, measuring and test equipment
Control of nonconforming product

3. Non-Compliant

Your company does not meet the minimum requirements (i.e., crucial elements) of a quality management system.

Obtaining ISO 9000 Registration

If you wish to take the additional step of registering your company quality management system to one of the ISO 9000 Standards, RCBI and the State of West Virginia have developed a cost-effective, step-by-step implementation program that prepares each company for successful registration.

View Quality Certification Assistance Information

Financial Aid

There are two programs available through the West Virginia Development Office to assist your company with the expense of quality management system implementation:

1. For West Virginia companies with ten or more employees:

The Governor's Guaranteed Work Force Program (GGWFP) will typically reimburse companies a percentage of their implementation expenses, excluding Registration. Pre-approval is required. For additional information on GGWFP funding, contact Sharon Adams at 304.558.7027.

2. For companies with ten or fewer employees:

The Small Business Work Force program awards training grants up to $5,000 a year to small companies. For additional information, please contact Kimberly Donahue at 304.558.2960.

View Small Business Work Force Grant Opportunities