Overview of the National Quality Awards Programme
The National Quality Awards (NQA) Programme is Jamaica’s first quality systems based awards programme which recognizes local companies that demonstrate the application of standards and quality systems in both the production of goods and delivery of service.
The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) through the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, launched the NQA Programme in July 2004. It was envisioned as a national medium for business excellence, to highlight and promote the competitiveness of Jamaican products and services.
Awards are given for Manufacturing, Service, and the Small Business Sector. For this year, the Agricultural Sector which was introduced in 2016, awards will be given for two categories, i.e. Small farms (≤5 acres) and large farms (˃5 acres).
The National Quality Awards are presented to successful companies at a ceremony held biennially in October, during the week of World Standards Day. World Standards Day is October 14, each year.
World Standards Day is celebrated each year to pay tribute to the efforts of thousands of experts worldwide that collaborate within International Standards Setting Bodies to develop voluntary International Standards that facilitate trade, spread knowledge and disseminate technological advances.
Significance of the NQA Programme
Quality systems play a major role in the success and competitiveness of Jamaican companies/organisations in the global and regional trade. Quality systems enhance the capability of these companies/organisations. The National Quality Awards Programme will also play a major role in sensitizing local enterprises to the importance and merits of quality systems in an increasingly globalized economy. Organizations with such quality system(s), as well as a commitment to continuous improvement, are preparing themselves for the economy of the future.
Objectives of the NQA Programme
The NQA Programme, among other things, seeks to:
1. Facilitate business excellence
2. Promote self-assessment
3. Foster continuous management, organizational, quality, and process improvement
4. Recognize performance excellence and best practices
5. Improve product compliance to regulations and conformance to standards.
Sectors awarded in the National Quality Awards Programme
1. Manufacturing Sector
2. Service Sector (Financial, Hospitality, Real Estate and Professional Services)
3. Small Business (SME) Sector
4. Agricultural Sector
Assessment/ audit criteria
The NQA Programme criteria provide a framework which any organization can use to improve its overall performance. The following five categories make up the award criteria and areas to be assessed:
1. Organizational Focus
2. Customer Focus
3. Human Resource Focus
4. Process Management
5. Business Results
Benefits of participating in the National Quality Awards Programme
The benefits to participating in the NQA Programme includes but not limited to:
a) A free, comprehensive assessment of companies, using criteria designed to assist organizations in using an aligned approach to organizational performance management.
b) Recognition of Jamaican companies among peers and in the society
c) Improvement of overall organizational effectiveness and capabilities
National Quality Awards Ambassadorial programme
The National Quality Awards Ambassador Programme was introduced to the National Quality Awards (NQA) in 2016 to further promote the use of quality and standards for business excellence.
The Ambassadors were commissioned with a:
1. NQA Ambassador Pin
2. Citation of Expectations
Full interview:
