April 20, 2021
On 1st May 2021, the BDA Audit will enter a new era with official Minerals Product Qualification Council (MPQC) accreditation of the scheme coming into effect. As part of this accreditation, the audit Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) are set to be updated and formalised.
The British Drilling Association (BDA) and the Audit Management are often asked what the lead-in time is for an audit. The time it takes to complete an audit is often entirely reliant on the timely delivery of all pre-audit paperwork, payment for the audit, and then finally availability of suitable sites. The latter is often the most troublesome aspect of undertaking audits.
Considering this, the new T&Cs will be encouraging all applicants to ensure they have a suitable site ready and available before they submit their application and confirm their booking. From 1st May, when an audit booking has been finalised (i.e., all paperwork and fees received), the audit must be carried out within 30 days. If the audit is not completed within this timescale, the audit fee will be refunded, minus a £50 administration fee, and the application process will need to begin again with a fresh application and payment made.
It is hoped that this update will ensure audits are completed in a timely manner, therefore preventing a backlog of pending audits and ensuring auditor availability is undisrupted by sudden availability of historical audit bookings.
With our three auditors providing UK wide coverage and capacity to undertake up to 15 audits per week an audit can usually be arranged within a few days.
Other updates include cancellation fees and increased rates for audits conducted during night shift works.
To read the full BDA Audit T&CS, visit the BDA website here: https://www.britishdrillingassociation.co.uk/2021-bda-audit-terms-and-conditions/
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