This VGB-Standard for the prequalification of external/partner companies serves to ensure the quality expected or demanded by the client.

The market situation forces the contractors (manufacturers and fabricators) to offer their products and services at increasingly lower cost. Experience shows that the cost savings in production and implementation chiefly are obtained at the expense of quality. Possibly necessary prequalifications/qualifications are not renewed or partly  are not even requested/complied with. For this reason, the specification of quality assurance measures and thus also of production conditions, competencies and  equipment is indispensable. This standard provides a suitable basis for the potential  client and contractor to achieve a necessary and adequate standard for projects and  maintenance and repair measures. It is a compilation of experiences and recommendations  which cannot fully reflect the current state of the art in every case, but has een drawn up to the best of our knowledge. Its purpose is to summarise existing information and experience in regard to certain findings in this specific area in order  to facilitate the work of the user. This standard is intended to make a substantial contribution to the assurance of plant quality and thus also to the achievement of the extended intervals that are aimed at in many cases for in-service inspections.