1. Which individuals or groups make up the VAT?
The VAT consists of AQA Area Managers anda Representative from GSS (Global Strategic Sourcing). The members involved in a particular meeting would ultimately depend onthegeographic operating territory of the vendor involved.
2. Is the approved Tier 1 vendor list available to all?
No. TheTier 1Approved Vendor List is an internal AT&T document used by AT&T Representatives and is not published external to AT&T. If an OTV or Tier 2 vendor needs contact information for another vendor, they can contact Jeff Reeves at .
3. Embedded documents, such as the framecount worksheets, do not seem to be downloadable from the EBiz presentation. Is there another way to obtain them?
The original version of the AQA TMO presentation that was posted to the InfoSWAP website was protected, so the imbedded documents couldn’t be downloaded. Anunprotected copy of the presentationwas postedon InfoSWAP on 11/24/08, so all documents within the presentation should now be available for download.
4. In a number of cases, we perform work using the SSMOP and not a Detailed Specification. Would AQA verify the SSMOP instead of the Detailed Specification?
AT&T expects a supplier to develop and useSPECS asrequired in ATT-TP-76300. AT&Texpects the supplier to retain the SPECS and provide them upon our request.For example,a provisioning type card and cable augmentTEO would not warrant preparation of SPECs. These are often 3-day jobs from order placed to complete. We would use the TEO and the SMOP for verification. Otherwise, at the physical site of installation, the TEO, SPECS, and MOP (SMOP) are required to match in a physical order review, withoutany contradictions. For example, if a bay is being installed, the vendor needs SPECS. If a shelf is being added to a bay, the vendor needs SPECS. A major cabling job (DSX to DSX or LGX to LGX, etc.), the vendor needs SPECS.
5. All Critical defects shall be corrected within 5 days of notification; Major and Minor defects shall be corrected within 30 days of notification. Are these business days or calendar days?
As of 12/1/08, the IRCN and ERCN that will be issued will state all Critical defects shall be corrected within 7 calendar days of notification. All other defects shall be corrected within 30 calendar days. This change was approved by the AQA Area Manager team on 12/1/08, and is a change from the AQA TMO presentations on 11/18/08 and 11/21/08. When issued, the IRCN and ERCNwill refer to calendar days.
6. Currently we are subject to different report cards from Classic-T and Classic-S. When will the 11 KPIs be used for all?
The elevenKPIs will go into effect on 1/1/09, which means vendors will receive their first scorecard in February, based on workcompleted in January with the eleven KPI metrics used for grading.
7. How is the Overall Performance Score calculated? Is it the sum of the KPIs?
Yes, the overall performance score is the sum of the KPI's. The sum of the KPI's is 100 points, with a 10 point bonus incentive (ZDI) for audits with zero defects, and the possibility to lose up to10 points for Vendor Caused Outages (VCO) based on theclassification of the outage.
8. Also, the presentation states arbitrations shall go to the arbitration panel (made up of 3 AQA personnel and possibly 1 Common Systems person). Have the individuals on this panel been decided? Will the panel be different depending on the CLLI? Will the Common Systems person be a SME? Why not a SME on every arbitration?
The arbitration panel will be made up of different people based on the CLLI or Operating Territory the arbitration occurs in and a different SME based on the type of defect. The SME will be someone from GES (Global Engineering Support). If the defectin question pertains to fiber,the SME will be Mike Yeilding. If the defect pertains to ironwork, the SME will be Larry Wong. A SME is not required during arbitration if theAQA representativesfeel they can resolve the issue without GES involvement.
9. TP training and Supplier Awareness training are currently scheduled for availability on 1/1/09. The affective date for OTV is also 1/1/09. Assuming we start seeing AT&T orders on 1/1/09, how are we expected to complete these orders if we are not permitted to perform this work prior to completing this training?
As stated in the TMO presentation, the AT&T Single Point Of Contact (SPOC) for these courses is Ray Coates - () or
(903-236-3834). Only OTV company Skill Level List SPOCs should contact Ray, not individual employees or their managers.
The TP training is not available online yet, so OTV companies should continue to train all of their employees locally. All of them should be TP trained by 1/1/09.
Although Supplier Awareness will be available online before 1/1/2009,and Ask Yourself is already available online, for several reasons we don’t want OTV companies training their employees online yet.
A.If they do, they will have to repeat these courses again in 2009. Instead, we will have them wait until January and encourage them to take both courses then as January is traditionally a slow month order wise for most companies.
Those OTV employees who have not completed the online Supplier Awareness course and/or the online Ask Yourself course by 1/1/09 will be given a grace period to complete both of these courses. The grace period will be for at least the month of January. Further extensions may be granted on an individual basis by the AT&T SPOC, Ray Coates.
B.The list of OTV companies (and other companies) that can access the LSO web site for training is still under construction.
As stated during the TMO presentation, regardless of when an individual’s Supplier Awareness “Red Card” expires, everyone will have to take the online Supplier Awareness course in 2009.
The training requirements, and training availability information needed by the OTV companies, will be provided by 1/1/09.
10. What is the LSO website?
The LSO (Learning Solutions) website is a training website for external vendors and internal AT&T employees. It will be available to the OTV companies on 1/1/09 for the annual Ask Yourself course and the annual Supplier Awareness course. When the online TP course is finalized, it, too, will be available at the LSO website.
11. Currently the ASI target is 98%. Will it remain at 98% or will it be changed to agree with the Classic AT&T and SBC target of 95%? Also, will the defect weighting be the same for ASI? ASI currently uses their own audit form, and the defect weighting does not agree with those detailed in the current release of the TP76300.
The ASI target will be 95% going forward. ASI auditors will use the TP76300, and the defect weighting associated with the defect will be as listed in the inserts documents. The inserts document isincludedon page 36 ofthe TMO presentation.
12. Effective 1/1/09, variances are going to require approval from GES. The TMO presentation states that an IRCN is going to be issued for TP76300 requirements E-5.1.2 and E-5.1.3. Is the JIM form also going to be updated to include a field for a GES Representatives signature?
The waiver request submitted in GEOLink is in lieu of a JIM, or a variance issued in a TEO. Effective 1/1/09, Vendors and Engineers in all regions shall use GEOLink on the InfoSWAP website to request a variance from a TP requirement. The waiver request will have to be approved by an AT&T Engineer as well as a (GES) Global Engineering Support representative.
13. Also, along the same lines, how is AQA going to know that a variance written in a TEO from a MEI engineer has been approved by a GES Representative when the MEI issues the TEO?
Again, a waiver request is in lieu of writing any variance in a TEO. A standards variance written in a TEO is not allowed. The waiver request shall be submitted to an AT&T MEI and a GES representative at GEOLink on the InfoSWAP website.
14. When a critical defect has been found and assessed against a vendor, and the vendor agrees they caused the defect and the defects needs to be corrected, is there going to be an escalation process put in place to insure the vendor receives a signed JSA and MOP back within the seven calendar days, so they can proceed with the corrections?
At this point there is no escalation process in place. AQA Area Managers are going to look into getting LFO/GNFO buy-in to insure JSAs and MOPs are signed and returned to vendors as quickly as possible. The intent of this requirement is to insure a vendor does everything within their power to correct the defect within (7) calendar days.
15. In the TMO presentation, AT&T states the following: Per the TP76300/301 section A-1.4.11, the Installation Supplier shall correct all CRITICAL defects within 7 calendar days of notification, unless otherwise specified, and, the Installation Supplier shall correct all MAJOR and MINOR defects within 30 calendar days of notification, unless otherwise specified, and submit as “closed” into QAS. If there are Critical as well as Manor or Minor defects on a job, do we still have 30 calendar days to close out the audit?
If there are Critical defects as well as Major or Minor defects on an audit, the Critical defects shall be corrected within seven calendar days, but the vendor is allowed 30 calendar days to close out the audit in QAS. AT&T’s intent is to have the vendor close out the audit in QAS as soon as all the defects are corrected.
16. Are there still going to be cable hole audits that are separate from regular audits in the state of California?
No. Effective 1/1/09, cable holes in the West will be audited as part of a regular QAS installation audit. There will not be a separate cable hole audit.
17. Are vendors still going to be required to attend 107 audits in
Legacy T?
Yes, the current plan is that vendor Quality Consultants will still do assigned audits (107s) on TCORP (L-T) orders. AQA will co-audit a sampled set of these.
18. Is the L-T labeling supplement still going to be in effect after 1/1/09?
Yes, the L-T Labeling Supplement will still be in effect after 1/1/09.