Following on from the suspension of all face-to face assessments due to the Coronavirus pandemic on 18 March, QMS in conjunction with Lloyds Register, has developed a remote assessment model to enable a full assessment to be conducted which is recognised by United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

A remote assessment is a desktop top review of documents and a telephone interview or livestream video. A combination of both elements will allow for a full surveillance assessment to be conducted remotely. Members that are due their annual assessment will be contacted by a Lloyd’s Register assessor to conduct a remote assessment in the coming weeks.

The remote assessment will be a 2-stage process:

• Submission of documents by member to a portal or direct to assessor for review

• Livestream assessment of the physical standards using LR Remote or similar platform

The team of assessors are currently being trained on each element of the remote assessing programme and the first remote assessments will take place the week commencing 13th April 2020.

Of course, not every member will have the ability to complete both elements of the assessment, therefore when face-to-face assessments resume these members can be assessed as a priority to ensure continued compliance.

For more information, please visit the QMS website to view a Frequently Asked Questions document.