I guess your situation gives evidence to the sayings " what goes around comes around" or "those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones". As you described, it's "bad form" to try to get a job by discrediting someone else, that says something about a person's character when you consider him/her for a job. Nothing wrong with competition if the person accents the positive.
If my job was to check credentials, (which sometimes it is) I would have called AWS too. Matter of fact, I do that whenever someone shows me an AWS Welder qualification with an expired date, "but AWS hasn't sent me a new one yet."

As far as writing WPSs and PQRs, I don't know why it is, whenever I write one out, double check it, triple check it, there always seems to be something I didn't do correctly. Usually something simple like calling a vertical groove a 1G position. So I always try to remember that when I get to review someone else's, unless they are totally out to lunch.

Also as far as Pipewelder's situation, I personally like to keep my credentials current, but I do understand that a lot of people feel the same as he does. But as long as a person is not misrepresenting himself and the client understands and accepts the situation, I don't think any harm is done.

So as long as you know you weren't trying to burn anyone and were merely doing what you were supposed to do, I'd leave the matter alone. It'll be settled and forgotten soon enough.
CHGuilford

Well I’ve got to raise my hand because I’m also one of those who’ve allowed his certs to expire.
Specific to Rick’s case though, the lack of current certification is nothing compared to the individuals lack of integrity! Did the individual really make technical mistakes or were they mistakes being made by an exempt and inexperienced inspector!

Once I retired from my career company, I didn’t want to quit doing what I really enjoyed prior to retirement so I continued to provide part-time contract consulting and inspection services. The problem arose as I came due to renew my CWI certs last April. Since retirement and during the last three years of part-time work I’d only been working 300-500 hrs/yr. As per the requirements of QC1, 12.2.1, I couldn’t honestly show two years of activity during the last three years. If I’d had the two years worth, it would have taken me up to my 2nd, nine year certification and I would not have let it lapse.

The interesting thing about the renewal and recertification process for me was that nobody required or cared if I was a CWI. I changed my resume to read that I “had been certified until April 2002” but at present I was “certifiable”! What they did care about and found value in, was my 38 years of welding and QA/QC experience.

I will agree wholeheartedly that if a client requires an individual to have current certs that’s fine but sometimes there’s a point being missed. The point missed is that we, as experienced and trained individuals, don’t empty our heads as you would a wastepaper basket when we aren’t working! Look at the common codes and standards of construction we work with, none that I’ve worked to require an individual to be a CWI, not even the good old AWS’s D1.1 as stated in 6.1.4.1 (1)(2)(3).
Granted, there has to be a time for all of us individually when we lose our edge and lose step with the technology advances due to in activity in our field. Then it’s time to hang it up.

The key, as I see it, has to do with verification! Not unlike the verification process we use in determining a welders ability to produce sound welds and meet minimum spec requirements. If a client is knowledgeable enough to hire us, they should be knowledgeable enough to verify that we are performing to his expectations! That means a client would need to have a quality assurance process by which to verify the inspectors performance. Heck, he’s hiring an inspector to perform either a QC or QA process that verifies a welders ability, why not do the same thing with an inspector? This shouldn’t be a problem but from my experience, it certainly can be. I’ve personally witnessed NDE Techs with CWI certs perform thickness testing 40 hours a week for three years that had no problem with renewing their CWI certs! I’ve also witnessed a CWI/API510 inspector that did the same thing and had no problem with his three-year renewals either and this guy didn’t know the difference between a PQR and a WPQR when he had one in each hand!

In the end, what does a current certification really provide a client? In my opinion, darn near nothing except it shows the individual at some point in time passed a test! To me, it only gives him a license to inspect the first production weld and nothing more and then only if he gets past my interview!