10 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Metrology Services Provider

Does the provider fully understand your drawings and requirements? Can they meet your accuracy requirements and tolerances? Are they quoting accuracy of your project or just the specification of their measurement equipment? Can they provide reports from past projects that are like your job?

Is the provider qualified to perform other tasks at your company? Many companies like to minimize their list of suppliers, so it makes sense that the metrology provider can offer more than a simple laser tracker or scanning job. Ask your provider for a list of all their services.

How large is the supplier's staff? What are their qualifications and experience? Have they provided business resumes for the people coming to your facility? Do they have additional personnel available if the schedule changes? Does their staff have certifications?

What type of equipment do they propose for your project and why? Do they have back-ups in case of equipment failure? Will they bring a back-up to your job, or how long will it take to get a replacement? Will they be charging you for equipment downtime?

Has the provider's equipment been recently calibrated by a certified lab? Will they provide you with calibration certificates? Was the equipment calibrated or certified? This is a big difference, and customers should understand it. Do they own their equipment or just rent it? What is their standard operating procedure to minimize error? Will they use your equipment if requested?

What type of software do they intend to use for your project? Is it compatible with your downstream systems? Is the provider using the latest version of the software or an older copy? Does the software belong to the provider, or is it rented or possibly bootlegged?

It is important to ensure that software is kept up to date, as OEM instrument providers frequently supply updates to third-party software vendors. Proper operation of the equipment requires that interfacing software stay current.

Does the provider have sufficient support? Often with smaller firms, the only company representative available to you is the technical person working your project. How available is that person if you have an issue with their report the next week and they are on another customer's job?

Does the provider have a Quality Manager who reviews all customer projects to ensure quality? If you need help with the provider's invoice or additional services, are those personnel available?

Does the provider have a list of references and past customer satisfaction reports? Do your due diligence and check with other customers before hiring a provider of metrology services.

Does the metrology provider have the necessary liability insurance to work at your facility? Is it the minimum amount, or do they have ample insurance in case of the unexpected? Typically, major and expensive decisions are made with the help of your metrology provider.

After a successful metrology services job, customers frequently decide to "do it themselves." Does the service provider offer plans to sell, lease, or rent equipment? Can they train the customer on the equipment and software? How about future automation? Can they provide programming to interface the measurement equipment with work cells? Do they have engineering support that can interface with customer engineers?

Does the metrology service provider have an approved quality plan? This may be very important: first to ensure the necessary level of quality is enforced and documented, and second, if you are audited by your customer, can you be sure the provider's quality plan will add value to your process?

Finally, does your provider have their own safety plan? These personnel will be working on your product or facilities, and you must ensure proper safety controls are in place. You want the metrology provider to not only follow your safety rules, but also their own plan, one that addresses working with specialty measurement equipment that interfaces with your personnel and processes.

Paul Nicholas

Vice President of Contract Services