Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has retained its ISO 9001:2015 certification for meeting international standards on quality assurance and services.
The certificate, awarded by TÜV Rheinland Philippines Inc. on February 17, covers the provision of conversion and development services, as well as real estate management and engineering of land and assets under the jurisdiction of the BCDA. It is valid until September 3, 2023.
“The recertification of BCDA’s quality management system under ISO 9001:2015 Standard is proof of the organization’s commitment to provide world-class service to its stakeholders, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This remarkable achievement ensures that our processes remain efficient, helping us meet our goal of contributing to economic growth, while strengthening national security,” BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Vince Dizon said.
Dizon said this feat was possible due to a management system “that proved to be robust enough to withstand the effects of a major global emergency, and the competence and grit of all the auditees composed of BCDA top executives, officers and staff.”
Due to the extraordinary circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the third-party auditor resorted to a virtual remote audit of BCDA’s systems, a first for the organization.
Dizon noted that BCDA’s operations and internal processes still ran smoothly despite the fact that a substantial portion of its workforce was under alternative working arrangements in compliance with safety protocols.
“The resilience of BCDA shined through once again — a key quality amid the pandemic given the very important development mandate of the agency, its key role in the government’s Build Build Build infrastructure program, and even its critical role in the national government’s COVID-19 efforts to test and isolate. The audit showed that the organization has been able to establish and maintain an effective management system that ensures compliance with its policies and objectives and, thus, the standard,” Dizon said.
ISO 9001:2015 is an internationally accepted standard for quality management. It attests that organizations consistently provide products and services that meet customer requirements and enhance client satisfaction.
For his part, BCDA Vice President for Human Resource Management Patrick Roehl Francisco said obtaining the recertification equips BCDA to achieve consistency in its core processes.
“The more consistent the internal processes are, the better we can cope with disruptive events and the better we can ensure the good quality of the services that BCDA offers to its stakeholders,” Francisco said.
Compliance with the ISO 9001 Standard is also part of the national government’s quality management program.
“The BCDA mandate outlines its important role in helping achieve economic goals while contributing to national security. Towards this end, the ISO certification also enhances efficiency in BCDA operations as the employees learn to work more systematically, with excellence, integrity and stewardship while constantly embracing continual improvement,” Francisco said.
Created under Republic Act 7227, BCDA is mandated to transform former military bases into premier investment hubs, generating economic opportunities for Filipinos.
The state-run corporation first established its Quality Management System in 2014 and was awarded a certification under ISO 9001: 2008 standards in the same year.
In 2018, TÜV Rheinland conferred to BCDA the ISO 9001:2015 certification.
Compliance to ISO 9001:2015 standards has helped improve BCDA’s customer service and responsiveness to its stakeholders, as reflected in the 95 percent rating given by business partners and lessees in the 2020 BCDA Stakeholders’ Satisfaction Study. The annual study is required by the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations (GCG) as one of the indicators under the Performance Evaluation System.
