NADCAP Compliance

Your OEM Customer Requires Nadcap Accreditation Across 26 Critical Processes. Can You Prove Every Supplier Is Compliant?

Nadcap compliance demands verified accreditation status, documented process controls, and audit-ready evidence across every tier of your aerospace supply chain—with audit cycles as frequent as every 12 months. Over 50 prime subscribers now mandate Nadcap accreditation as a non-negotiable condition of business. Audit criteria updates occur at every tri-annual Task Group meeting.

Certivo automates supplier accreditation tracking from evidence collection to audit-ready output.

Regulation Overview

• Jurisdiction: Global (Aviation, Defense, and Space industries worldwide)
• Regulatory Body: Performance Review Institute (PRI), administered under SAE International
• Regulation Number: NADCAP Program — Critical process accreditation for suppliers in the aerospace, defense, and space supply chain
• Effective Date: 1990 (by SAE International; governed by the Nadcap Management Council)
• Official Source: Performance Review Institute
• Key Threshold: AS9100 (or equivalent QMS) certification required before Nadcap eligibility

What Is Nadcap?

Nadcap is the globally recognized, industry-managed accreditation program for critical manufacturing processes in aerospace, defense, and space. For supply chain and quality teams, Nadcap compliance means ensuring that every supplier performing a critical process—heat treating, nondestructive testing, welding, chemical processing, coatings, and more—holds current accreditation verified through PRI-administered audits.

Over 50 prime subscribers, including Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Safran, and Raytheon, require Nadcap accreditation as a prerequisite for supplier qualification. PRI conducts over 6,200 audits annually across 26 accreditation programs. Audit criteria are developed by consensus-driven Task Groups composed of OEM engineers, government representatives, and supplier experts. Non-conformances identified during audits must be resolved through root-cause corrective action before accreditation is granted.

Key Components / Sub-Frameworks

• Obligation: Suppliers must demonstrate conformance during PRI audits
• Audit Criteria (AC): Industry-agreed checklists for each critical process
• Qualified Manufacturers List (QML): PRI's online registry of accredited suppliers
• Nadcap Management Council (NMC): Governing authority of subscriber representatives
• Task Groups: Process-specific technical committees
• Supplier Merit Program: High-performing suppliers earn 18- or 24-month audit cycles
• Non-Conformance Reports (NCRs): Findings issued during audits

Key Compliance Requirements

Who Must Comply

• Aerospace, defense, and space OEMs subscribing to the Nadcap program
• Tier 1, Tier 2, and sub-tier suppliers performing critical processes
• Captive processors (in-house manufacturing with critical process operations)
• Non-captive processors (third-party service providers for heat treating, NDT, coatings, etc.)
• Additive manufacturing suppliers producing aerospace-grade parts or powders
• Any supplier directed by a prime subscriber to obtain Nadcap accreditation

Key Thresholds

• AS9100 certification: Prerequisite quality system required before Nadcap audit eligibility
• 12-month cycle: Initial accreditation period; merit-based extension to 18 or 24 months
• 21 days: Supplier response window for non-conformance corrective action
• 30 days minimum: Internal audit results must be submitted before official PRI audit

Core Obligations

1. Initial Accreditation: Pass PRI audit against applicable Audit Criteria checklists
2. Re-Accreditation: Undergo periodic audits per assigned cycle (12, 18, or 24 months)
3. NCR Resolution: Submit root-cause analysis and corrective action for all non-conformances
4. Internal Audit: Complete self-assessment against Nadcap Audit Criteria
5. Scope Maintenance: Maintain accreditation across all applicable critical processes

Nadcap-Specific Pain Points

• The 26-Process Visibility Gap: Tracking accreditation status across multiple suppliers.
• The 21-Day Corrective Action Crunch: Timely resolution of non-conformances is critical.
• The Flowdown Documentation Maze: Managing documentation across varying supplier scopes.
• The Audit Criteria Revision Trap: Staying current with continuously evolving requirements.

Certivo automates compliance through effective tracking of supplier accreditation, making audit readiness achievable.

Key Statistics

• 26 Critical process accreditations tracked with automatic status sync
• 99.2% Document extraction accuracy from supplier accreditation evidence
• 95% Supplier response rate with CORA-powered campaigns

Frequently Asked Questions

What companies are subject to Nadcap compliance obligations?
Suppliers performing critical processes for aerospace, defense, or space OEMs must obtain accreditation.

What happens if a supplier fails a Nadcap audit?
Non-conformances must be resolved within 21 days. Accreditation is contingent on this resolution.

How does Certivo track Nadcap accreditation status across the supply chain?
Certivo continuously monitors supplier accreditation status and alerts changes.

What evidence formats does Certivo accept from suppliers?
Certivo accepts multiple formats including Nadcap accreditation certificates and audit reports.

Does Certivo support Nadcap compliance alongside related aerospace frameworks?
Yes, Certivo validates evidence across multiple standards simultaneously, reducing duplicate requests.