The certification specifications for VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2 and VDA 6.4 (6th revised edition, 09/2016 – hereinafter referred to as “VDA Volume 6”) are mandatory as of 1 January 2017.
Sanctioned Interpretations (“SIs”) and “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQs) on the certification specifications for VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2 and VDA 6.4 will be published hereafter from time to time.
Sanctioned Interpretations (SIs)
A “Sanctioned Interpretation” (SI) alters the interpretation of a rule or a requirement, and thereby becomes the basis for a nonconformity. “Sanctioned Interpretations” (SIs) prepared and released by the VDA QMC as applicable documents for VDA 6. VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2, VDA 6.4 and published on the VDA QMC website.
A “Sanctioned Interpretation” (SI) shall be binding from the date of its publication.
Revision history regarding the published Sanctioned Interpretations (SIs) is presented below:
- May 2017: Publication of SI No. 1 to SI No. 6
- February 2021: Publication of SI No. 7
- July 2024: Publication of SI No. 8
Frequently asked questions (FAQ):
A “frequently asked question” (FAQ) is an explanation/clarification of an existing rule or requirement, which is developed by the VDA QMC in consultation with the VDA QMC Working Group 6, approved and published on the VDA QMC website as applicable documents for the certification specifications for VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2, VDA 6.4.
The answer to a “frequently asked question” (FAQ) shall be of an explanatory nature.
Revision history regarding the published FAQs is presented below:
- May 2017: Publication of FAQ 1 to FAQ 3
You can also download the SIs and FAQs here:
Download FAQs and SIs for VDA Volume 6Previous requirement:
[…] Candidates must meet the following criteria:
a) must be permanent employees of the certification body (see section 10.0)
b) must have demonstrated technical competence by successfully completing the 3rd-party examination for the applicable VDA 6.x regulations, and
c) must have demonstrable expertise with regard to internal processes of the certification body.
The certification body shall submit potential vetoed persons who meet the listed criteria to the VDA QMC for approval before they are allowed to exercise the veto.
Amended requirement:
[…] Candidates must meet the following criteria:
a) must be a permanent employee of the certification body (see section 10.0 and FAQ 3)
b) must have verified qualification regarding “VDA 6 – Certification requirements for VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2 and VDA 6.4”,
c) must have approved active auditor for each QM system standard for which veto decisions are to be made
or – if no longer active as auditor – must have certificate of upgrade-training for each standard for which veto decisions have to be made,
d) must have expertise in internal processes of the certification body, i.e. demonstrable experience and knowledge of the certification body’s system certification, including relevant processes and procedures.
The certification body shall submit potential vetoed persons who meet the listed criteria to the VDA QMC for approval before they are allowed to exercise the veto. In cases where the above requirements cannot be met in full, the certification body must apply to VDA QMC for deviation approval beforehand.
Previous requirement:
[…] The certification body shall submit to the VDA QMC for approval internal VDA 6.x system auditors who meet the following criteria:
a) verified expertise in ISO/IEC 17021
b) technical competence demonstrated by VDA 6.x approval and
c) expertise regarding internal processes of the certification body.
Amended requirement:
[…] The certification body shall submit to the VDA QMC for approval internal VDA 6.x system auditors who meet the following criteria:
a) must have verified expertise in ISO/IEC 17021
b) must have verified qualification regarding “VDA 6 – certification requirements for VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2 and VDA 6.4
c) must have approved active auditor for a QM system standard (VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2 or VDA 6.4)
or – if no longer active as an auditor – must have certificate of upgrade-training for the relevant standard
or must have completed successful participation in an auditor training seminar for at least one QM system standard (VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2 or VDA 6.4).
d) must have expertise in internal processes of the certification body, i.e. verified experience and knowledge of the certification body’s system certification, including relevant processes and procedures.
Previous requirement:
[…] This process shall include the following specifications:
a) Appointment of active VDA 6.x auditors who have appropriate accreditation and who are familiar with the certification body’s internal processes. The designated auditors shall be reported to the VDA QMC for approval as internal witness auditors.
Amended requirement:
[…] This process shall include the following specifications:
a) Nomination of auditors who are familiar with the internal processes of the certification body and who fulfil the following competence criteria:
- must have verified qualification regarding “VDA 6 – Certification requirements for VDA 6.1, VDA 6.2 and VDA 6.4”,
- must have approved active auditor for each QM system standard for which witness audits are to be carried out
- must have verified audit experience
The designated auditors shall be reported to the VDA QMC for approval as internal witness auditors.
In cases where the above requirements cannot be met in full, the certification body must apply to VDA QMC in advance for approval of a deviation.
New requirement (supplement):
j) In case of an existing certification according to IATF 16949, a re-certification according to VDA 6.1, edition 5, December 2016 can only be issued after a complete system audit. The audit duration must at least be equivalent to the expenditure required for a re-certification audit. No readiness assessment is required.
Previous requirement:
Based on the audit results, the QM system can be classified during supplier audits (2nd-party) and certification audits (3rd-party):
[…]
Amended requirement:
A new subchapter “5.9.2.3 Classification during supplier audits (2nd-party)” is inserted before the existing text as follows:
5.9.2.3 Classification during supplier audits (2nd-party)
Based on the audit results, the QM system can be classified during supplier audits (2nd-party).
[…]
Previous requirement:
n) Production processes must be audited in all shifts they operate in, including an appropriate testing of shift transfers. For level 2 initial certification, re-certification and transfer audits, all production processes shall be audited in all shifts. Random auditing of shifts or processes is not permitted. In the following surveillance audit cycle (depending on the number of audits – see section 5.1.1), all production processes in each shift must be audited.
New requirement (supplement):
[…]
If, in exceptional cases, production processes cannot be audited in subsequent shifts in the following surveillance cycle for organisational reasons, the client must ensure the auditing of the production processes concerned by way of internal audits and provide the audit reports to the certification company for this purpose. This detail shall be noted in the audit report.
Previous requirement:
[…]
VDA 6.4 requires that at least one construction site be audited on-site and two construction sites be audited in a 3-year cycle for each certification audit and re-certification audit as well as in one of the two surveillance audits.
[…]
New requirement (supplement):
[…]
VDA 6.4 requires that one construction site be audited on-site in each certification and re-certification audit as well as in one of the surveillance audits.
The time required for the audit of the construction site is included in the audit day calculation of the respective regular audit.
The audit of the construction site shall be carried out within the following time window from the last day of the respective regular audit:
- Certification: until 30 days after the certification audit.
- Re-certification: 120 days prior to the re-certification audit to 30 days after the re-certification audit.
- Surveillance: 90 days before the first surveillance audit to 90 days after the last surveillance audit.
For production sites within a group scheme that manufacture similar production equipment, one site audit per production site shall be conducted within the three year audit cycle.
The first 3-year audit cycle starts with the last day of stage 2 of the initial certification audit.
[ ]
Previous requirement:
[…]
Table 4.3.2: The following requirements apply for requalification:
click here to view the table 4.3.2:
New requirement (supplement):
[…]
Table 4.3.2: The following requirements apply for requalification:
Question:
Can internal IATF 16949 witness audits be recognised as internal witness audits for VDA 6.1?
Answer:
For VDA 6.1, internal witness audits according to IATF 16949 can be recognised as a substitute upon application.
Question:
What does the wording “If the interpreter is deployed for any part of the audit, the expenditure required for this part of the audit will be increased by at least 20%” imply?
Answer:
Where interpreters are deployed, the expenditure required for the audit has to be raised by at least 20% to cover the scope of the processes for which translation is necessary.
No additional expenditure has to be calculated if a technical expert is involved in the auditing process.
Question:
What exactly is meant by the term “permanent employee” with “individuals directly employed by a certification body or under contract to the certification body”?
Answer:
“Permanent employees” are persons who have been permanently employed by a certification body in the field of system certification for at least two years or who have been under contract for at least two years for the field of system certification only for this certification body.