New Products Evaluation and Research - What We Do

Product Evaluations
Vendors submit an initial application for review and approval of Products. (This site provides a copy of this form that can be downloaded.) This initial application is used to determine whether a product meets existing specifications or is a new product. New product applications are given a Product Evaluation Number and entered into the NPET System. The Department is surveyed to see if there is any interest in the product. If no interest is shown, the product is rejected.

If the Department has an interest in the new product, a supplemental application is given to the vendor. This supplemental application provides information necessary for the risk assessment of the product. The assessment determines if a product is a low or a high-risk item based on health and safety concerns, repair/replacement costs, and warranties. Whether other states or agencies approve this product also can be a factor. At this point the product can be rejected, considered for further investigation or provisionally approved based on a low risk assessment.


Research Projects
High-risk products that need further investigation are placed in construction projects. A work plan is prepared to outline the required monitoring, testing and documentation required during the evaluation period. The placement of the product is documented in a construction report. Long term performance and durability are monitored over an evaluation period and documented in a final report. The results of the research project are used as part of the product evaluation to determine approval or rejection of the product based on performance. Soon the reports will be available on the world-wide-web.


Specifications
When assessment and research show that the product should perform as expected and final approval is emanate, a provisional specification is drafted to cover the use of the product by the Department until a permanent specification is written and approved.