1. What is PACS?                                                                                                                               

2. What is PAC?

3. What are the sources of information on PACS and PAC?

4. What was the need for PACS?

5. What is the authority for its operation?

6. In what way is PACS different from product certification systems?

7. Is the system transparent and how?

8. Do non governmental organizations participate in the management of PACS and how?

9. What does participation of non governmental organizations in PACS signify?

10. What are the benefits of PACS?

11. What are the specific characteristics of PACS which will provide a PAC wider acceptance by users?

12. What products can be covered under PACS?

13. Can PAC be granted for a product covered by an Indian Standard of the Bureau of Indian Standards?

14. What are the general conditions of grant imposed on a PAC holder?

15. What are the typical contents of PAC?

16. Is PAC a static or a dynamic document?

17. Is a PAC once issued permanent?

18. Can a PAC be amended or revised?

19. Is surveillance of PAC once issued a part of PACS?

20. Why should I as a manufacturer go in for PACS Certification?

21. Who can apply?

22. What is the procedure for obtaining PAC?

23. Why is a two stage application procedure followed?

24. What is the fee structure?

25. What is the validity period of PAC?

26. Does the applicant for PAC have any mode of grievance redressal?

27. What are the rights of a PAC holder?

28. As a PAC holder how do I indicate that I am a PAC holder?

29. Why should I as a designer, builder, developer, contractor, government construction department etc. use a product covered by a PAC?

30. What does PAC mean to a user of a product covered by PAC?

31. How does a PAC holder assure quality of the product on a continuing basis?

32. Once granted how does BMTPC ensure that the PAC holder is maintaining quality and that he follows all the requirements of the PAC?

33. As a user of product covered by a PAC, how do I know whether a PAC is current and valid?

34. Is there a distinguishing logo to visually indicate that a PAC has been issued for the product?

35. Does the user of a product for which PAC has been issued have mean of complaint redressal through PACS?

Performance Appraisal Certification Scheme (PACS) is a third party operated voluntary scheme for providing Performance Appraisal Certificate (PAC) to a manufacturer/ supplier/ installer of a product which includes building materials, products, components, elements and system etc after due process of assessment. The process includes:

• Verifying through   laboratory / field tests and field trials as required, study of historical data, supporting documents, reports of independent agencies which might have evaluated the product earlier, that the product conforms to the requirements for satisfactory performance, durability and safety.

• Establishing criteria of performance, if not available already.

• Issue of PAC providing, amongst other things, necessary data to designers and users.

PAC is an acronym for Performance Appraisal Certificate issued under PACS. PAC is an authentic document relating to a product issued to PAC holders after due inspection of their manufacturing and testing facilities, testing of samples, evaluation of product in use and the related reports and approved by the technical advisory committee of PAC. Its contents provide the necessary information to the designer and user to make informed choice, which binds the holder of PAC to conditions to assure quality of the product and its performance.
 

1. This website

2. Writing to:
   
   Sh. J.K. Prasad
   Chief (Building Materials)
   Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council
   Core 5A, 1st Floor, India Habitat Centre,
   Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110 003
   Phones: 24652416, 24638096,24638097
   Fax:     24642849
   E-Mail:    cbm@bmtpc.org

As a part of its activity BMTPC has helped in the development of a number of non-traditional building materials/ components and systems and machinery for their manufacture. A number of entrepreneurs have established factories, mostly in the small scale, to manufacture the products so developed. The characterization of these products is performance oriented. It is expected that the use of the products will help lower costs of construction. Many of these products use agricultural and industrial wastes. Some of them are substitutes for traditional materials, which use non renewable resources and are not therefore sustainable. These newly developed products are therefore user friendly and eco friendly. In the absence of data regarding design and use of these products, these products have not yet become popular / are not being used as widely as they should have been. National standards do not exist for some of these products or existing standards do not specifically cover the special aspects for these products. So the user does not have means of informed choice. There are many inhibitions and doubts in the minds of designers and users. Need was felt for a system which provides the necessary information to remove the inhibitions and doubts. Hence PACS was instituted as a mechanism to issue Performance Appraisal Certificate, which would give in the Certificate document the necessary information to the user and designer to assist him in making informed choice. 
 

The Government of India, Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation has authorized BMTPC through Gazette notification No I-16011/5/99 H-II in the Gazette of India No 49 dated 4^th December 1999 to operate PACS.
 

Basically both the types of schemes are complementary

·                   PACS is for products for which national level standards do not exist

·                PACS can be based on company, association or BMTPC documents

·                PACS emphasis is on performance rather than prescription

·                If test methods do not exist, methods specifically developed for the applicant product can be used

·                PACS is applicable to proprietary products also

·                PACS procedures includes inspection of product already in use.

PACS certificate namely PAC provides details, data, information, training needs, maintenance etc to the designer, installer/builder, user etc. Such information is not generally a part of product certification licenses of other systems.
 

PACS operation is fully transparent and to ensure transparency and objectivity is administered by a tier of committees. The structure consists of BMTPC Board of Agreement (BMBA) with a senior experts as President and comprising nominees from Construction Industry Development Council, Professional Bodies, major government bodies like the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Central and State Public Works Departments, Industry Associations, eminent individuals.

Technical Assessment Committee (TAC) with a senior Technical expert as Chairman and comprising members from R & D Institutions, Bureau of Indian Standards, Professional Bodies, user departments and other concerned agencies/ experts.

8      Do non-governmental organizations participate in the management of PACS and how?

Yes

• Non-governmental organizations are represented in its governing committees.

• Non-governmental organizations and experts are also used for inspection, testing and appraisal.

• Before PAC is issued, each PAC is approved by the Technical Assessment Committee of PACS, before it is issued in which related non- governmental bodies are represented.

9     What does participation of non-governmental organizations in PACS  signify?

• It signifies transparency of the system

• It ensures availability of wider experience.

• It signifies wider acceptance of the product.

• It motivates continuous improvement in the operation of PACS.

• It contributes to better management.

PACS benefits the society, user, designer, construction agencies, manufacturers/ suppliers / installers.

           Society

·  Promotes use of newly developed materials which may result in
  §         cost reduction
  §         speeding up construction
  §         improved quality
  §         environmental protection
               sustainable development
·  Encourages R&D effort and promotes transfer of technology from lab to field
·  Generates pre standardisation data 

          User

• Provides  third party assessment of claims  made by manufacturers/ suppliers.

• Provides confidence to user and reduces risk with responsibility of using the product as per provisions of the certificate resting with the users.

• Provides independent third party mechanism for redressal of genuine complaints

• Provides means to informed choice 

Designer

• Provides necessary data

• Provides confidence in the product

• Provides information on limitations, wherever applicable

Construction agencies

• Provides confidence in the product

• Provides scope for use of alternative products.

• Provides installation instruction, where necessary.

• Identifies training needed for installation/use of the product.

          Manufacturers / Suppliers/ Installers

• Provides third party assessment of the product with the involvement of several experts.

• Provides a marketing tool

• The process of assessment provides technical assistance from experts

• Helps globalisation of trade both Indian & other countries. 

11      What are the specific characteristics of PACS, which will provide a PAC wider acceptance by users?

There are several reasons: 

1. The claims of the product and the manufacturer are studied and scrutinised by experts.

2. Assessment process involves inspection of factory, the applicant’s manufacturing and laboratory facilities, inspection at site of installation, inspection of product already in use for some time.

3. PAC is granted not by any individual official but by a committee of experts consisting of experts from user organizations, research organizations, academics, professional bodies, industry association and others. It is a certificate issued by third party, which has no conflict of interest.

4. Draft PAC is circulated to related regulatory bodies and their views are considered before PAC is finalized.

5. PAC provides necessary information to the designer wherever required and means to informed choice by user.

6. PAC is not a “one time grant and forget” process. Surveillance inspections are carried out and the performance of the PAC holder monitored at regular intervals. In cases of unsatisfactory operation of PAC by the PAC holder it is liable to cancellation.

7. It provides a better means of complaint redressal to a user.

PACS covers all building materials, components, systems, etc. except those that can be fully covered under existing statutory product certifications schemes such as the Standard Mark Scheme of the Bureau of Indian Standards. Products having national standards can be covered provided the applicant product is either not certifiable under the other schemes or the applicant’s product claims additional performance and other requirements. Some examples of products that can be covered are: 

• Prefabricated systems and sub-systems

• Building sub-systems

• Proprietary systems

• Walling materials and systems

• Flooring materials and systems

• Roofing materials and systems

• Cladding and paneling materials and systems

• Insulation materials and systems

• Non-traditional building materials and systems

• Wood substitutes

• Compressed earth blocks

•  Water proofing chemicals and systems

• Construction chemicals and additives

• Ceramic tile adhesive

• Ready mix concrete

• Doors and window systems

• Formwork

• Piping systems for buildings

• Components from Building Centers

• Systems using components from Building Centers

•  Innovative builder’s hardware

• Composites

• Construction machinery

13     Can PAC be granted for a product covered by an Indian Standard of the  Bureau of Indian Standards? 

Generally no. However, if a manufacturer claims performance and other requirements not covered in the Indian Standard, his product may be considered for coverage under PACS. The decision will be taken on a product-to-product basis.
 

This certificate is issued subject to the following conditions:

1. The certificate holder shall continue to have the product reviewed by BMBA.
    

2. The product shall be continued to be manufactured according to and in compliance with the manufacturing specifications and quality assurance measures which applied at the time of issue or revalidation of this certificate. The Scheme of Quality Assurance separately approved shall be followed.
    

3. The quality of the product shall be maintained by the certificate holder.
    

4. The product user should install, use and maintain the product in accordance with the provisions in the PAC.
    

5. PAC does not cover uses of the product outside the scope of this appraisal.
    

6. The product is appraised against performance provisions contained in the standards and information from sources listed in the PACS. Provisions of any subsequent revisions or provisions introduced after the date of the certificate do not apply.
    

7. Where reference is made in the PAC to any Act of Parliament of India, Rules and Regulations made there under, statutes, specifications, codes of practice, standards etc. of the Bureau of Indian Standards or any other national standards body and the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO), manufacturer’s company standards, instruction/manual etc., it shall be construed as reference to such publications in the form in which they were in force on the date of grant of PAC.
    

8. The certificate holder agrees to inform BMBA of their distributors / licensees whenever appointed by him and agrees to provide to BMBA a six monthly updated list there of. 
    

9. The certificate holder agrees to provide to BMBA feed back on the complaints received, the redressal provided, and the time taken to provide redressal on complaint to complaint basis as soon as redressal is provided. BMBA agrees to provide the certificate holder the user feed back received by it, if any.
    

10. If  at any time during the validity period, PACH is unable to fulfill the conditions in the PAC, he should on his own initiative suspend using the PAC and notify Chairman, TAC the date from which he has suspended its use, the reason for suspension and the period by which he will be able to resume. He shall not resume without the prior permission of BMBA. He shall also inform, simultaneously, his agents, licensees, distributors, institutional, government, public sector buyers, other buyers and all those whom he has informed about his holding the PAC. He shall also inform all those who buy his product(s) during the period of suspension. He shall provide to BMBA at the earliest the list of who have been so informed by him.
     

11. In granting the PAC, BMBA takes no position as to:

    (a)    The presence or absence of patent or similar rights relating to the product;

    (b)    The legal right of the Certificate holder to market, install or maintain the product;

    (c)    The nature of individual installations of the product, including methods of workmanship.

12. BMTPC and the Board of Agreement of BMTPC (BMBA) take no position relating to the holder of the Performance Appraisal Certificate (PACH) and the users of the Performance Appraisal Certificate (PAC) respecting the patent rights / copy rights asserted relating to the product / system / design / method of installation etc covered by this PAC. Considerations relating to patent / copy rights are beyond the scope of the Performance Appraisal Certification Scheme (PACS) under which this PAC has been issued.. PACH and users of this PAC are expressly advised that determination of the claim / validity of any such patent rights / copy rights and the risk of infringement of such rights are entirely the responsibility of PACH on the one hand and that of the users on the other.
     

13. It should be noted that any recommendations relating to the safe use of the product which are contained or referred to in the PAC are the minimum standards required to be met with when the product is installed, used and maintained.  They do not purport in any way to restate or cover all the requirements of related Acts such as the Factory Act, or of any other statutory or Common Law duties of care, or of any duty of care which exist at the date of this Certificate or in the future, nor is conformity with the provisions of the PAC to be taken as satisfying the requirements of related Acts.
     

14. In granting this Certificate, BMTPC and BMBA does not accept responsibility  to any person or body for any loss or damage, including personal injury, arising as a direct or indirect result of the use of this product.
     

15. The PAC holder indemnifies BMBA, its officers and officials involved in this assessment against any consequences of actions taken in good faith including contents of this certificate.  The responsibility fully rests with the certificate holder and user of the product.
     

16. The responsibility for conformity to conditions specified in this PAC lies with the manufacturer who is granted this PAC. The Board (BMBA) will only consider requests for modification or withdrawal of the PAC.
     

17. The PAC holder shall not use this certificate for legal defense in cases against him  or for legal claims he may make from others.

The contents of a PAC will obviously vary from product to product and is therefore designed for each product when an application is processed. A typical sample of contents of a PAC is:

PART-I              CERTIFICATION

   Cover page
   Status of PAC

1. Certificate holder

2. Description of product

3. Assessment

   3.1        Scope of assessment

   3.2        Assessment summary

   3.3        Requirements relating to building regulation (NBC or any other regulation as applicable)

   3.3.1     Structural design/stability/safety

   3.3.2     Fire protection, behaviour under fire, fire safety.

   3.3.3     Other safety/health aspects as applicable e.g. Thermal performance; Acoustic performance etc.

   3.4        Durability

   3.5        Compatibility with other materials/systems

   3.6        Comments on other claims made by certificate holder
    

4. Use of the product & limitations

5. Conditions of Certification
    

   5.1         General conditions

   5.2         Technical conditions

   5.3         Quality Assurance

   5.4         Handling of user complaint

   5.5         Data to be maintained

PART-II              CERTIFICATE HOLDERS TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

1.            General

2.            Specifications for the product

3.            Design data

4.            Installation including drawings

5             Criticality of design and construction pertaining to the product/system ,if any

6              Maintenance requirements

7              Life cycle cost

8              Special skills/training needed for installation, if any

9              Handling & storage

PART-III          BASIS OF ASSESSMENT AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE

1.              General

2.              Basis of assessment

3.              Lab tests

4.              Field tests

5.              Manufacturing process

6.              Factory and site/installation inspection

7.              Data on previous installations (given by the certificate holder/collected by BMBA) 

PART-IV          STANDARD CONDITIONS TO BE INCLUDED IN ALL CERTIFICATES

1         Standard conditions

2         Dealing with user complaints 

PART-V          LIST OF STANDARDS AND CODES USED IN ASSESSMENT

1.           Indian standards

2.           ISO standards

3.           Standards of other countries

4.           Company standards of the certificate holder

5.           Standards developed by BMTPC / BMBA

6.           Standards specifically developed by BMBA for this assessment

PART-VI   SOURCES OF INFORMATION OTHER THAN STANDARDS

PART-VII   ANNEXES  (If any)

PAC is a dynamic document. It can be amended or revised at the initiative of BMTPC or PAC holder depending upon technological and other developments.
 

 No.

1.  It can be revised or amended.

2.  It can be suspended, withdrawn or cancelled as a result of findings during surveillance / review.

Yes. It can be amended or revised as may be required by findings during the operation, results of analysis of data, changes in performance requirements, advancements in technology etc. Such modifications are endorsed on page 1 of the PAC “Status of PAC” which is at the back of cover page of the PAC.
 

Yes. Surveillance is kept over operation of PAC. 

• by periodic inspection of factory of PAC holder once a year.

• by inspection of product in use.

• through review during investigations of complaint, if any.

• through file review once in 6 months

• comprehensive review at the time of renewal.

1. The very process of application gives you motivation to evaluate your own   system/product for identifying gaps and for improvement.

2. The very process of assessment provides you with valuable inputs from experts, which will help you in improving your system and the product.

3. It provides a third party certification and thus provides you a marketing tool.

4. The grant of PAC is widely publicized and building regulatory agencies, construction agencies etc. are informed and they are therefore informed of your product.

5. The surveillance inspections also provide you a third party audit of your system, which will in turn help you in improving your system.

   All those who manufacture, install and supply products, which can be covered under PACS.  

• Manufacturers / suppliers / installers of products

• Manufacturers / suppliers of construction related machinery

• Construction agencies / installers - provided the system / product used is covered by PACs

• Installers of proprietary system - provided the system / product used is covered by PACs

• Installers - provided the system / product used are covered by PACs

• Importers / exporters of product

The steps in the procedure broadly are:

1. Receipt of preliminary application (PA)

2. Evaluation against application acceptance criteria, primarily, to decide whether the product is certifiable within the scope of PACS

3. If it is decided that the product is certifiable a product/process/ manufacture specific Detailed Application Form (DAF) is prepared and sent to applicant. The purpose is to collect information/data documentation to study the claims of the applicant, define the scope of appraisal and work out details of assessment and prepare assessment documentation.

4. Detailed Application received from applicant is evaluated and a decision is taken about certifiability under PACS. The applicant is required to annex several documents which are listed in the DAF. If it is found that the product is not certifiable under PACS, the applicant is informed with suggestions if any to be implemented by him before submitting a fresh application

5. It found certifiable the scope of assessment is agreed to between BMTPC and the applicant, fees to be paid is worked out and an agreement is signed.

6. Detailed assessment documents are prepared which include:                                                                                              
   
   List of applicable standards – Indian, International, BMTPC Applicant, company standards etc, including performance parameters to be assessed. If standards are not available they are prepared by the Applicant
   
   Assessment procedures – including inspections of factory, installations etc.
   
   Samples to be taken and test to be done, tests on prototype where required.
   
   Aspects relating to environment/energy conservation, waste material utilization, statutory regulations to be addressed/considered/assessed, as applicable.
   
   Draft contents of PAC
    

7. Factory and site inspections by experts to assess adequacy of manufacturing and test equipment and facilities, testing of samples in the factory, taking samples.

8. Inspection of installation/field tests, if and where required

9. Inspection of already installed product, if applicable.

10. Getting samples tested in an independent laboratory.

11. Compilation of reports and test results from previous steps, study and assessment by experts

12. It acceptable for grant of PAC, preparation of draft PAC and Scheme of Quality Assurance in discussion with applicant

13. Limited circulation of PAC to selected building regulatory authorities, major users, members of the Technical Assessment Committee (TAC) of BMTPC for comments.

14. Consideration of PAC and related documents by TAC and its approval, a validity period for the PAC is fixed at this stage. The applicant may be invited for the meeting of TAC when the draft PAC is considered

15. Issue of PAC to the applicant.

16. Printing, distribution, sale of PAC

17. Publicity through publication in “PACS Newsletter”, press note, circulars to major users and building regulating authorities

          After issue of PAC

1. Periodic Surveillance inspections are carried out and the performance reviewed if non-conformities are found appropriate action is taken including suspension/ cancellation of PAC.

2. During the validity period data on performance is collected and along with complaints data, if any are used for review during validity period and renewal.

PACS cover materials, components, systems, construction machinery etc. These could be for walling, roofing, ceiling, prefabricated components, chemicals etc. These again could be of different basic materials/steel, aluminum, plastics, concrete, gypsum, industrial and agricultural wastes, composites and so on. Again for a given product different manufacturers may follow different processes. So the assessment procedure details, the Scheme of Quality Assurance, and the contents of a PAC are process product and manufacturer specific. The information needed to plan the assessment will differ like wise. It is not practical to have a single stage application form. Therefore, the application form will have to be tailor made. Hence a two stage application process – Preliminary and Detailed. The Preliminary Application Form (PAF) (of two types one for machinery and the other for the rest of the products) elicits basic information on the basis of which the first decision to cover the product under PACS or not is taken and a Detailed Application Form (DAF) is framed. The PAF is a simple form requiring ticking boxes provided and it obviates the need for providing detailed information and documentation even before it is known whether a product can be covered under PACS. The DAF would ask for additional information needed, documents to be provided, etc. and is used for preparing the assessment documentation.
 

The following fees are levied in addition to actuals of traveling and other allowances for inspection, testing charges, and investigation of complaints. 

1. Preliminary Application fee

2. Detailed Application fee

3. Assessment fee

4. Annual fee

5. Printing of PAC

6. Amendment/modification fee

7. Renewal application and renewal fee

For some of the above items different fees are applicable to small scale units compared to medium and large scale units. For all classes of units some concessions are given in annual fee and the renewal fee for eco-friendly products and for products containing a minimum of 50% of agricultural, industrial, mining etc. waste materials. For details of fees contact  Chief (Building Materials), BMTPC.

All payments are to be made by a crossed Demand Draft in favor of 'Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council', payable at New Delhi only and sent to the 'Executive Director, BMTPC, Core 5A, 1st Floor, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110 003