A Manufacturing Survey Arrangement (MSA) is an agreement between DNV and a manufacturer, describing to what extent inspection and testing can be carried out by the manufacturer without the presence of DNV.

Using MPQA to establish or renew Manufacturer Survey Arrangements (MSA)
Certification is traditionally based on a two-stage process starting with DNV approval of the product, manufacturer or workshop, and followed up with a DNV surveyor attending to witness inspection and tests in accordance with the Society's rules. The manufacturer may have to carry out additional inspection and testing to satisfy the class surveyor.

When the procedures and processes of a building yards or a manufacturer's quality system meet the quality, safety and environmental standard of the rules, a Manufacturer Survey Arrangement may be established. As MPQA measures a manufacturer's ability to control product quality, the results act as a guide to establish the scope and content of the MSA as well as to highlight improvement potentials for the manufacturer.

MPQA ensures equal evaluation.
Using the same scope in auditing to establish MSAs for different manufacturers, an equal evaluation is secured and the MSA will thus have the same meaning regardless of the manufacturer's geographical or cultural origin.
The objective of the MPQA audit in relation to MSAs is to:

• Verify the manufacturer's ability to comply with the scope, requirements and criteria laid down in the Rules and MSA.
• Check that the documented production processes, work procedures, quality controls and document handling during production and testing are implemented as specified in the MSA.
• Ensure that the manufacturer has sufficient knowledge about and understanding of the Rule requirements for the actual products.
• Secure equal evaluation worldwide.

In planning the audit, the MSA and the Rules will help keep focus on the product-related issues by being specific on e.g. tests to be carried out, procedures and equipment to be used and acceptance criteria, for the specific products covered by the MSA. The DNV surveyor will focus on assessing the control routines applied by the manufacturer to ensure product compliance with the rules.