# 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](https://www.p-r-i.org/nadcap)
- **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.