Quality Management Systems: Your legal obligation
9 July 2025A key element of being eligible to obtain some approvals under the Road Vehicle Standards Act of 2018 (RVSA) will be your ability to prove you have either:
- Full control over all stages of the design, componentry and manufacturing process for the type of road vehicle or road vehicle component; or
- Access to information, including information about any changes, relating to the design, componentry and manufacture of the type of road vehicle or road vehicle component that may affect its compliance with the applicable national road vehicle standards.
If you indicate you have full control, you will need to have some form of Quality Management System (QMS) in place to demonstrate that you have effective control on Conformity of Production. To ensure every RV produced consistently conforms with these mandatory regulations, manufacturers and importers need to have an effective system in place to control and document all stages of the design and manufacturing process.
As an RVSA approval holder, you may be subjected to a federal regulator audit at any time. Failure to demonstrate you have effective control of your processes (or access to information, including information about any changes, relating to the design, componentry and manufacture of the type of road vehicle or road vehicle component) may result in your approval being suspended or cancelled – meaning you can no longer supply RVs to market.
Why is it important?
You will not be able to obtain some approvals (e.g. vehicle and component type approval) under the RVSA unless you can demonstrate that you have effective control on conformity of production. This means you have effective control (or access to information) over all stages of design, componentry, and manufacture of the recreational vehicle and component you are producing or supplying through some form of QMS.
In addition, there are many other benefits to implementing an effective QMS, such as improved efficiency, reduced re-work costs, lower warranty rates/claims and improved customer satisfaction – just to name a few.
Common issues identified in QMS audits
The RVMAP Team (all certified in Lead Auditing in QMS ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 19011:2018) has been visiting RVMAP-licensed businesses and assessing their QMS to make sure they meet the Federal Department’s QMS Checklist. During these assessments, consistent gaps in the internal audit and systems review requirements were identified – in many cases, these were not conducted at all. Each business’ QMS specified an internal audit and systems review were to be conducted on a regular schedule, but no records were available to show these activities were completed.
The Federal Department’s QMS requirements outline the procedure for conducting internal audits. Each audit is expected to include a matrix of the individual areas or processes within the business, as well as the scope of the audit to be carried out on each area. It should include an internal audit schedule in the process. This will ensure all areas or processes are audited regularly.
The systems review should cover the process for reviewing the systems contained in the QMS document. For example, reviewing the process for ordering components or materials and ensuring this is still relevant and current to the design and manufacturing process. The QMS should be regularly reviewed following this process, as considered necessary by the responsible person.
QMS Checklist
To assist RV businesses in implementing their QMS, the Federal Department has developed a QMS Checklist. The checklist is based on requirements outlined in Appendix 2 and 3 of the Guide to Vehicle Type Approval, or the Guide to Vehicle Type Approval for Low ATM Trailers.
Download the Federal Department’s QMS Checklist HERE.
RVMAP and QMS
RVMAP-licensed businesses must be able to demonstrate they implement and maintain their QMS.
To align with RVSA, the RVMAP Licence Agreement (which every licensed business must agree to) has been amended with a Conformity of Production/QMS requirement.
For questions or assistance, head to the Federal Department’s dedicated RVSA Contact Page
Alternatively, you can contact the RVMAP Team by emailing [email protected]
