NADCAP accreditation management for special processes under control
Map every NADCAP requirement area to your quality management system. Operator qualifications, calibration tracking, process documentation, and audit-ready evidence, all in one platform built for aerospace special processes.
NADCAP-ready, audit by audit
Map every NADCAP requirement area to your quality management system. Operator qualifications, calibration tracking, process documentation, and audit-ready evidence, all in one platform built for aerospace special processes.
What is NADCAP?
NADCAP (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) is the global accreditation programme for special processes in the aerospace and defence industries. Managed by PRI (Performance Review Institute), NADCAP ensures that suppliers meet the rigorous quality requirements demanded by prime contractors such as Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Lockheed Martin. Unlike ISO standards with numbered clauses, NADCAP focuses on specific special process areas, welding, heat treating, non-destructive testing (NDT), chemical processing, coatings, composites, and electronics. Each process has its own detailed checklist, and audits are conducted by industry-appointed technical experts over 3-5 days on site. Accreditation demonstrates that your special processes consistently produce conforming product to the most demanding aerospace standards.
How Q-Hub maps to NADCAP requirements
| Feature | Area | Requirement | Q-Hub Coverage | Q-Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Control | Documented procedures for each special process | Document Hub with version control | ✓ | |
| Personnel | Operator qualification and certification records | Training Hub, competency matrices | ✓ | |
| Equipment | Calibration records, maintenance logs | Asset Hub, calibration scheduling | ✓ | |
| Materials | Traceability, lot control, shelf life | Register Hub, supplier management | ✓ | |
| Quality Records | Complete audit trail, test results | Audit Hub, Smart Forms | ✓ | |
| Non-Conformance | NCR process, disposition, corrective action | CAPA management, corrective action tracking | ✓ | |
| Internal Audit | Regular process audits against NADCAP checklist | Audit Hub, configurable checklists | ✓ |
Survive the most thorough audit in aerospace
NADCAP audits are notoriously thorough, 3-5 day on-site assessments conducted by industry-appointed technical experts who examine every detail of your special processes. Q-Hub ensures your evidence is always ready.
Automated audit scheduling
Schedule internal process audits aligned to your NADCAP accreditation cycle. Automatic reminders keep welding, NDT, heat treat and every special-process scope on track.
Evidence on demand
Calibration records, operator certifications and process logs are indexed and searchable, so when a PRI auditor asks you produce the evidence in seconds, not hours.
Operator qualification tracking
Every operator’s qualifications and re-certification dates are tracked with expiry alerts, so no one runs a special process on a lapsed qualification.
Calibration & traceability
Equipment calibration schedules and metrological traceability are managed in Asset Hub, with alerts before anything falls out of calibration.
Document control built for aerospace rigour
NADCAP demands complete traceability of process specifications, work instructions, and operator certifications. Q-Hub handles the full lifecycle: version-controlled process specs, multi-level approval workflows for engineering changes, automatic distribution to the shop floor, and digital signatures with full audit trail. Every document revision is linked to the personnel who approved it and the date it became effective.
- Process specs with full revision history
- Operator certification tracking with expiry alerts
- Work instruction distribution with read receipts
- Calibration records linked to equipment assets
Close the loop on NADCAP findings
NADCAP auditors expect a robust NCR and corrective action process. Q-Hub automates the entire cycle: finding raised, structured root cause analysis, corrective action assigned with due dates, effectiveness verification with evidence capture. When PRI issues a finding, your response is documented, tracked, and verifiable, giving you the best chance of closing findings before your next merit audit.
- Structured corrective action workflow
- Root cause analysis with structured investigation tools
- Effectiveness verification with evidence capture
- Trend analysis across special process scopes
NADCAP accreditation timeline with Q-Hub
We assess your current processes against NADCAP checklist requirements and configure Q-Hub for your special process scopes, welding, NDT, heat treat, or others. Process specs, work instructions, calibration schedules, and operator qualification records migrated into Q-Hub. Team trained on daily use. Your team uses Q-Hub for daily process management. Run internal audits against NADCAP checklists, close findings, and build your evidence base. PRI auditor arrives to a fully documented system. All evidence, calibration records, operator certs, process logs, readily available in Q-Hub.
Gap analysis & setup
Documentation & training
Implementation & internal audits
NADCAP audit
Ready to get your special processes NADCAP-ready?
See how Q-Hub maps to every NADCAP requirement area and gets you audit-ready for the most demanding accreditation in aerospace.
How ready are you for NADCAP?
Answer six quick questions to see where you stand and where Q-Hub can close the gaps.
- Do you have documented procedures for each special-process scope?
- Are operator qualifications and certifications tracked with expiry alerts?
- Are calibration and maintenance records complete and current?
- Do you have material traceability and lot control?
- Do you run internal audits against the NADCAP checklists?
- Is your NCR and corrective-action process robust and evidenced?
NADCAP FAQs
NADCAP (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) is a global cooperative accreditation programme for special processes in the aerospace and defence industries. Managed by PRI (Performance Review Institute), it provides a standardised approach to quality assurance for processes such as welding, heat treating, NDT, chemical processing, coatings, composites, and electronics. Major aerospace primes like Boeing, Airbus, and Rolls-Royce require their suppliers to hold NADCAP accreditation.
NADCAP covers seven main special process areas: welding, heat treating, non-destructive testing (NDT), chemical processing, coatings, composites, and electronics. Each process area has its own detailed audit checklist and technical requirements. Organisations can hold accreditation in one or multiple process scopes depending on their operations.
Q-Hub provides a single integrated platform covering all NADCAP requirement areas: document control for process specifications, training management for operator qualifications, asset management for calibration records, audit management with configurable NADCAP checklists, and CAPA management with structured root cause analysis. Everything is version-controlled with a complete audit trail, so you can present complete evidence to PRI auditors instantly.
NADCAP accreditation typically takes 16-24 weeks -- longer than ISO certification due to the depth of process-specific requirements. The timeline depends on your starting point, the number of special process scopes, and how well your existing documentation and processes align with NADCAP checklist requirements. Q-Hub supports this by providing pre-built templates and workflows aligned to NADCAP requirement areas.
Yes. Q-Hub's Training Hub includes competency matrices that track every operator's qualifications, certifications, and training history. You can set expiry dates on certifications with automatic renewal alerts, ensure only qualified operators are assigned to specific special processes, and generate reports showing qualification status across your entire workforce -- exactly what NADCAP auditors need to see.
Absolutely. Most aerospace suppliers need both NADCAP for special processes and AS9100 for their quality management system. Q-Hub supports both standards in a single integrated platform, along with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and other management system standards. You manage one system, not multiple silos -- reducing duplication and ensuring consistency across all your certifications.
Explore Q-Hub for NADCAP
The tools behind NADCAP compliance, plus related standards Q-Hub supports.