In yet another recognition for its efforts to maintain quality in services and works, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has been awarded the Certificate of Registration of the Quality Management System ISO 9001: 2015, it was announced yesterday. 
The award was presented to Jamal Sharida al-Kaabi, manager of Planning and Quality Department at Ashghal, at a ceremony held at its headquarters as part of Ashghal Corporate Excellence Programme.
Ashghal won the award after a comprehensive and extensive external audit at all of its departments was carried by Intertek Group in December 2019 resulting in zero non-conformance with the internationally recognised standards set by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
The scope of the certification covered all Ashghal functionalities comprising design, construction, and management of major projects including roads, drainage, buildings and public amenities such as public buildings, schools and hospitals in addition to operation and maintenance of assets such as roads, drainage networks and sewage treatment plants.
Al-Kaabi said that achieving the award is a key milestone and major accomplishment for Ashghal and a fundamental pillar for establishing a culture of quality in the implementation and management of infrastructure projects and service delivery. 
“It helps the continuous improvement and achievement of the strategic goals of the authority related to quality management and organisational excellence,” he said.
“In line with its Corporate Quality Policy Statement, Ashghal is committed to achieving and maintaining Quality Management System in compliance with ISO9001:2015 requirements and to comply with approved governmental legislations and policies and requirements as related to infrastructure building and construction management. This is in addition to Ashghal’s commitment to improving service levels, public safety, environment and customer satisfaction,” he added.
During the past three years, Ashghal developed and improved over 300 operational processes and 22 corporate policies in addition to elevating its measuring, monitoring and evaluation approaches that helped in providing factual evidence for internal quality performance. 
Ashghal places customer care and satisfaction among its top priorities and its interaction and communication with customers are closely monitored through real-time dashboards and performance indicators. It also implements regular online surveys in order to continuously improve customer satisfaction.
The upcoming milestones for Ashghal’s Corporate Excellence Programme include achieving the ISO 14001:2015 - Environmental Management System and ISO 45001:2018 - Occupational Health and Safety Management System Certifications for the entire organisation by the third quarter of 2020.