Design for reliability
We’re here to assist with design for reliability auditing and certification services, which can support you with your Network Rail product acceptance applications.
What is design for reliability?
All products seeking Network Rail acceptance must comply with the Network Rail design for reliability standard NR/L2/RSE/0005.
The Network Rail design for reliability process integrates a series of tools and methodologies into a supplier’s existing design processes to create documented, traceable and controlled evidence of reliability, availability and maintainability.
The Network Rail design for reliability standard offers two options for
demonstrating compliance:
• You may provide a full design for reliability technical file on a product-by-product
basis with each product acceptance application.
• Alternatively, you can have your design processes independently audited for
compliance with the Network Rail design for reliability processes.
NCB has been appointed by Network Rail to carry out all design for reliability auditing at a supplier level on Network Rail’s behalf.
Why choose the auditing option?
Passing a design for reliability audit results in the award of a certificate which can be submitted as part of the product acceptance process in lieu of the design for reliability technical file. The benefits of this are:
- Less paperwork to collate and submit to Network Rail for each product acceptance application.
- Reduced risk of delay or rejection, by scrutinising your design processes before applying for product acceptance.
- Faster acceptance process, by having the design for reliability requirements assessed in advance.
- Ability to set the scope of the certificate to cover your full range of products and use it for an unlimited number of applications, within the duration of its validity.
How does the audit process work?
Our audit will seek to confirm that you have established design processes that align with the Network Rail design for reliability standard, and that these processes are always applied when designing products which are supplied to Network Rail. We will verify this by auditing your design procedures, tools and templates and by also sampling previous and current projects.
Having successfully passed the design for reliability audit, NCB will award a design for reliability certificate. When applying for Network Rail product acceptance, the certificate can be provided as evidence of compliance with the design for reliability standard in lieu of the full design for reliability technical file. The certificate will have a scope of use based on the scope of the audit and a duration, which is usually two years.