Joe,
That depends upon what level of government you are referring to.
At the local level you need to get ahold of the city and/or county building officials and get their application for special inspection. There will be a lot of information and documentation required.
At the state and federal level it all depends upon what type of job you are looking at. Dept of Defense, DOT, FAA, etc. I think they all have their own list of approved personnel.
I'm sure some of the other guys here have first hand knowledge to answer your question.
Have a Great Day, Brent
Brent has the right idea, it depends on who or what government agency you are working with. In general, the company is awarded the contract and then submits the required documentation for review and approval by the agency that awarded the contract.
The bid package will state what the qualification requirements are. Review the requirements carefully, if the company does not meet the criteria, it can be a long road to get everything approved before production can start. In the mean time, the clock is ticking and the delivery date isn't changed because the company doesn't have have all their ducks in a row. Late delivery charges can be substantial.
Best regards - Al
Joe,
After Al's post I realized I was thinking strictly in line of inspections. But much would be the same for Fabricators etc. The person/company seeking approval, rather it is before seeking a contract or after being awarded a contract, needs to be reasonably sure they are going to be able to qualify and then be very diligent to get all documentation in place ASAP after getting the contract.
Some jobs may require the approval BEFORE the contract is awarded. Others may give you some time but there would be parts of some jobs that could not even begin until all the paperwork is in place. Kinda like those who start a structural job with no WPS's in place, few if any of their welders properly certified/qualified, no shop QC, but we get there as TPI's and have to send a report to the engineer for his determination of how to proceed on work that is already complete. Then get all the paperwork in order for the rest of the job to be done according to proper procedures.
Any job should have a list of contact personnel.
Have a Great Day, Brent
By waccobird 
Date 04-30-2011 21:23
Edited 04-30-2011 21:47
joe pirie
Contact the respective agency soliciting the bid.
They usually will do an audit to see you have a QC Plan in place and are following it. ISO or AISC depending on the agency.
They may decide it is adequate or they might not.
After the audit and it is as they require you will be considered a vendor for your scope audited to.
Good Luck
Marshall
And they like LEED's participation and or Minority ownership.
thank you all i appreciate the help joe
