Product Review Program Details
The following information details the program that maintains the Approved Products List (APL), which is a register of which products are compatible with current operating systems and construction practices.
Product Review Request Application
To submit a product for review, a Product Review Request Form must be completed and submitted using the online form.
Submit one application package per product.
The submitted application will be received and forwarded to specific City Staff who have expertise in the product category. These individuals will identify if the request is of interest to be reviewed and will forward their interest to the MRC Chair to recommend a review be started.
The recommended application will then be managed by the MRC Chair and Staff Product Owner who identified interest in the product. A representative from the MRC will contact the applicant, this City Staff will be the product review representative for the remainder of the review and decision process.
If the applicant is not contacted there was no interest by City Staff in the product and the product will not be reviewed within the program.
Product Review Program
The recommended Product Review Request Application is then processed through the Product Review Program which is divided into two stages:
First Stage Product Review
After the submitted application is received and recommended for review it is decided in the First Stage how the product application will be reviewed with these two actions:
- decide if an independent consultant product review is utilized.
- create the Staff sub-committee.
At this stage it will be determined if the review should continue to Second Stage Product Review or be recommended to the MRC to either accept or decline at First Stage Product Review.
If the MRC accepts the recommendation to either accept or decline then the product review is closed and the applicant is notified of this decision. If it is determined that the review should continue, the product review proceeds to Second Stage Product Review.
Second Stage Product Review
At this stage it will be determined what additional steps are needed in order to provide recommendations to the MRC to either accept or decline the application. Within the second stage the following steps can occur:
- Additional Product Information Request
To supplement the information provided with the initial submission, additional information may be requested.
- Product Demonstration or Sample
The need for a product demonstration or sample of the product may be determined to gain a better understanding of the product.
All costs associated with the supply and delivery of the product will be incurred by the applicant. No reimbursement will be provided for a product demonstration or sample regardless of the outcome of the review.
Some products may require a field test to evaluate the performance of the product.
The duration of the field test is dependent on the product and will be determined by the MRC on a case-by-case basis.
At this point in the process it will be determined if the review should continue within Second Stage Product Review or be recommended to the MRC to either accept or decline.
If the MRC accepts the recommendation to either accept or decline then the product review is closed and the applicant is notified of this decision. If it is determined that the review should continue, the product review continues within Second Stage Product Review until a recommendation can be made to the MRC to either accept or decline.
If the applicant does not respond to requests for further information at any point within the program for a period of one year the review will be closed without notification.
MRC Decision – Notification Letter
Once the review recommendations are accepted by the MRC a letter outlining the product review program decision on behalf of the City of Nanaimo will be sent to the applicant. A copy of this letter will also be circulated to appropriate City Staff.
If the product has been accepted, it will be added to the current Approved Products List (APL) during the next APL revision. Once a product has been accepted, the supplier will be able to tender for the supply of the product on the next applicable tender.
The applicant or other interested parties may not always agree with the MRC’s decision regarding product approval. Any comments or concerns with the decision can be emailed to your MRC contact.
All concerns regarding the product, as outlined in the notification letter, must be addressed before another product review can enter First Stage Review.
Please note that all MRC decisions for the product review program are received and reviewed by the Director of Engineering & Public Works, the Senior Mangers of Engineering and the Senior Manager of Public Works.
Maintenance of the Approved Products List
Products on the Approved Products List (APL) will be reviewed periodically to ensure they continue to meet the City's requirements.
Approved products not continuing to meet the City's requirements will be reviewed by the Material Review Committee (MRC). After this review, the products may be removed from the APL and have their approval rescinded.
When a product is removed from the APL, an APL revision is posted on the City’s website. The revised APL comes into effect 60 days after the revision is posted. At that time, the product can no longer be identified as a general use product approved for the construction of City-owned civil engineering projects.
Regular updates to the APL will be made available twice per year (February and October) or as deemed necessary by the City. It is the responsibility of all APL users to ensure they have the most current version and all amendments.