Disciplinary Action Criteria (DAC)

The Disciplinary Action Criteria (DAC) was born out of the Painting Contractor Certification Program (PCCP) Advisory Committee meeting on March 12, 1996. A task group was formed to draft new Disciplinary Action Criteria for certified contractors and procedures for administering disciplinary actions. The committee members felt that new and more stringent Disciplinary Action Criteria and administrative procedures were needed to supplement the annual and unannounced technical audits used prior to the DAC as the sole method for determining whether a contractor obtains or retains accreditation status.

The DAC and administrative procedures are intended to strengthen the reputation of the PCCP, making accreditation more valuable. Contractors who maintain accreditation standards will benefit from the increased recognition and opportunities that come with belonging to the PCCP.

The DAC and administrative procedures establish procedures and rules for issuing warnings to certified contractors, putting firms on probation, conducting special unannounced audits, suspending, revoking, or denying accreditation of contractors about whom critical faults in safety, environmental compliance, quality/service, or ethical practice have been reported and verified.

We are committed to a fair and transparent Complaints and Appeals process regarding our accreditations. If you would like to learn more about this process or to communicate an issue to our Accreditation Body please contact qpinfo@ampp.org and describe your issue and/or request a phone call back. We will respond within two business days to your email communication. You may also call us at +1 877-281-7772 to speak to someone about your issue.

Disciplinary actions

Four levels of action can be taken based on the severity of the contractor’s violation(s):

1. Warning

• The contractor is notified of confirmed critical faults/violations
• May be subjected to an unannounced audit(s) (1st audit is contractor paid)
• Warning status will remain for one year (it may be lifted if the unannounced audit is passed)
• Further action will be taken if additional critical faults/violations are verified

2. Probation

• The contractor is notified of multiple confirmed critical faults/violations
• Mandatory unannounced audit (fees are contractor paid)
• Probation is lifted with a successful unannounced audit(s)
• A failure to pass the unannounced audit leads to immediate suspension of accreditation
  NOTE:If the suspension lasts six months, procedures for suspension reinstatement must be followed

3. Suspension

• Critical faults/violations are verified
• The contractor is notified of suspension
• Minimum suspension of six (6) months
• Reinstatement requires maintenance application and passing an unannounced audit (fees are contractor paid)
• Contractor pays penalty that is equal to the initial application administration fee

4. Revocation

• Critical faults/violations are confirmed
• The contractor is notified that their accreditation is revoked
• Minimum of two (2) year loss of accreditation
• Reinstatement requires an initial application and passing an unannounced audit (contractor’s expense)
• An additional fee must be paid equal to the annual administration fee
• During the first year of renewed accreditation, the contractor must pass an additional unannounced audit (fee is contractor paid)

Did you know?

• Contractors in all QP accreditation programs are responsible for maintaining the program’s guidelines on all coatings projects. This applies even when the contract, or project specifications does not name QP accreditation as a requirement.
• All disciplinary actions are posted on the QP web page here
• Disciplinary actions can escalate with additional violations. Example: A warning will become probation, suspension, or revocation if the contractor has additional violations during the warning period.
• Contractors can have a disciplinary action brought against them for not filing their Job Notification forms. We advise all contractors to read the information on the form to determine when a job must be reported.
• All contractors notified of disciplinary action have the right to appeal the decision within 10 business days of official notification.