TAU-RET regains ISO 9001:2015 certification after hurdling 1st Surveillance Audit

The commitment of the Tarlac Agricultural University’s Research, Extension and Training (TAU-RET) Unit to conform to high quality standards and to provide utmost customer satisfaction paid off after it achieved re-certification of the ISO 9001:2015 during the recently conducted 1st Surveillance Audit by Russian Register on January 31, 2019.

The said audit started with an opening program attended in by the members of TAU- RET ISO Core Team, representatives from the different TAU support offices, and the University’s Administrative Council members.

During the said program, Dr. Tessie E. Navarro, TAU vice president for RET and the Quality Management Representative, shared the improvements in the TAU-RET processes and systems implementation within almost a year of being ISO certified.

“At first, we find difficulty to adjust just to conform with the standards as the ISO process is a new learning process for all of us,” she said.

“But now, I can say that little by little we are adopting ISO by heart. We can say that we are improving as a unit, and we are very much grateful to ISO because of that,” said the VP-RET.

Facilitated by Mr. Jovertlee C. Pudan of the Russian Register, the surveillance audit was conducted to validate the conformity of the TAU-RET to the requirements set by ISO through the effective implementation of the Quality Management System (QMS). It is the 1st follow up visit for the quality management system conformity evaluation of the Unit following its ISO 9001:2015 certification in February of last year.

Part of Mr. Pudan’s audit plan during the surveillance was to scrutinize the actual process flow of operations and processes of the Department of Extension and Training (DET) and Department of Research and Development (DRD) in terms of managing and providing services for technology generation and verification, training and technical assistance for the implementation of research and extension mandates of the University to its various stakeholders. The monitoring and evaluation of the various system protocols of DET and DRD with regards to the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 standards and their respective accomplishment rate as set forth in their Quality Objectives were also assessed.

At the closing program which followed just after the surveillance audit proper, Mr. Pudan presented some highlights and best practices of the TAU-RET in the ISO implementation, but three minor observations meant to enhance the performance of the Unit.  

Fortunately and most importantly for TAU-RET, the External Auditor did not find any major noncompliance in any of the various system processes of Unit, and thereby announced that the University, through the RET Unit, has established, maintained, and implemented a quality and effective system of operations, ensuring compliance with its policy and objectives, and adhering to other statutory provisions.

For his part, Dr. Max P. Guillermo, the University president, recognized and welcomed the minor nonconformities and assured that the University, as a whole, would consider these as opportunities for improvement.

 “I assure you, Mr. Pudan, that we will make sure to make use of these findings for our improvement as we gear up for the ISO certification of our University, maybe during the 1st quarter of next year,” Dr. Guillermo said.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Geraldin dela Cruz, Chief of the TAU-Internal Audit and Quality Assurance, declared that the ISO re-certification of TAU-RET does not mean conclusion of hard efforts, but the start of more work to be done.

 “This recent reward of all our efforts is not the end, but the beginning of something bigger. We must sustain our hard work and continue aiming for the best as we are now striving to attain University ISO certification,” he said.

 “With our concerted efforts, and the unceasing support of the administration, I know that this goal will never be elusive,” the IAQA chief concluded.

It can be recalled that the TAU administration opted to submit its RET Unit for the ISO certification instead of undergoing the rigid university wide assessment. TAU-RET was awarded  the ISO 9001:2015 certificate on February 9, 2018 and will be valid for three (3) years, subject to renewal after annual surveillance audits.  The next surveillance visit is due in October of this year.

-by Mr. Joji U. Cabatic

*Article was first published in DET Newsletter, June-March 2019 issue.

The TAU’s Human Resource Management Office (HRMO) successfully earned the PRIME-HRM Bronze Award from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) last May 14, 2019 as conferred by the Director of the CSC Regional Office III, Dir. Nelson G. Sarmiento, and the Director of the CSC Tarlac Field Office, Dir. Maria Cristina R. Gonzales, at the Bamboo Training Center, Tarlac Agricultural University.

As per CSC Resolution No. 1801443, promulgated December 4, 2018, with Maturity Level II Accreditation, the TAU-HRMO has met Prime-HRM level II maturity indicators of all the core HR systems, practices and management and has been continuously compliant with service law imposed by the CSC based on the evaluation conducted by Commission and as per the recommendation of CSC Region 3 to the CSC Central Office.

Consistently assessing TAU’s impact on the advancement of higher education and contribution to community development, the Board of Regents, per the Board Resolution Nos. 25 and 26, s. 2019, approved the streamlining of the University’s Organizational Structure as well as the revision of the Vision, Mission, and Breakthrough Goals statements after series of consultation and scrutiny of the stakeholders and the Board members during the series of strategic planning workshops initiated by the administration, headed by the University President, Dr. Max P. Guillermo.

TAU consciously determines the quality of services it provides as well as the rate of satisfaction of the clienteles from the Tarlac province and its neighboring provinces. And as TAU faces greater challenges after being declared as a SUC Level IV, the administration realized the need to strengthen the line-up of the workforce and services to incessantly address the increasing demand of a larger populace of stakeholders. By opening a new seat for the Vice President for Student Affairs & Services in the Administrative Council, the administration agreed to the re-alignment of the services of each college and department/unit as an intervention to fully determine the institution’s targets and priorities in fulfillment of the revised Vision, Mission, and Breakthrough Goals statements.

Tarlac Agricultural University President, Dr. Max P. Guillermo, secures his second term as approved by the Board of Regents (BOR), upon the recommendation of the Evaluation Committee for President (ECP), during its 1^st Quarter BOR meeting via Google Meet on July 1, 2020.

The ECP presented to the BOR members the results of their evaluation after they had identified the numerous milestones accomplished by the University through Dr. Guillermo’s leadership. The committee was organized last November 8, 2019 by the TAU BOR when the latter passed Resolution No. 66 s. 2019, creating the Evaluation Committee to assess President Guillermo's performance during his first term in office. The said BOR Resolution was pursued per CHED Memorandum Order No. 16 s. 2009, Rules and Regulations Governing the Search for President of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).