What Prime Supplier Quality Clauses Require

Updated October 12, 2026

How Q clauses get onto a purchase order

A Q clause is usually a short reference on the PO that pulls in a longer supplier quality document. The PO line names the clause and the revision in effect, and the clause text says which manual or appendix applies. Read the documents the PO names, at the revision it names, not the version you used on the last job.

Each prime packages this differently. The table lists the published documents we read for this page and how each one reaches a supplier.

Order of precedence matters. Appendix QX says that when QX and one of its quality clauses conflict, the clause wins. The NGAS SQAR says the engineering specifications, the PO and documents it references take precedence over the SQAR itself. We describe the RTX documents only by title, revision and date, because we did not summarize their contents for this page.

Quality system certification: what each document requires

All three airframe primes we read require an IAQG-scheme certificate for most suppliers, and all three want access to the supplier's audit data, not just the certificate.

• Boeing D6-82479: Appendix A suppliers must be certified to 9100 by an accredited certification body listed in IAQG OASIS. Appendix D distributors must hold 9120. A seller that performs or outsources manufacturing, installation, servicing, additional inspection or test, re-identification, assembly or kitting must meet Appendix A, even if it calls itself a distributor. Appendix B is marked obsolete because Boeing does not recognize AS9003 for production approvals. On request, the supplier must give Boeing access to its tier two audit results in OASIS.
• Lockheed Martin Appendix QX Rev 10, paragraph 1.0: a third-party certified AS/EN9100 system for all products and services, with exceptions. Distributors need AS/EN9120. ISO 9001 third-party certification is the minimum for ground support equipment, manufacturing support equipment, COTS hardware and production parts other than F-35. Certified sellers must let the buyer see their OASIS tier 2 data and their Nadcap data.
• NGAS SQAR, section 2.1: Level 1, 2 and 3 suppliers must be certified to AS9100; Level 3 suppliers may hold AS9120 instead, and Level 1 OEMs may hold FAA Part 21 approval instead of AS9100. Only certificates from accredited bodies found through IAQG OASIS are accepted.
• NASA NPR 8735.2C, paragraph 5.2.2: projects include minimum quality system requirements for external suppliers. Third-party certification to AS9100D is preferred over compliance alone. Compliance or certification to ISO 9001 or AS9003A appears as an alternative, with a note that both are less stringent than AS9100D.

For the difference between AS9100, AS9120 and ISO 9001 suppliers, and how to check a certificate in OASIS, see AS9100 vs ISO 9001 suppliers.

First article inspection clauses

Every prime document we read invokes SAE AS9102 for first article inspection, then adds its own timing, triggers and submission rules.

Lockheed Martin quality clause Q2A, Rev 17 released August 25, 2025, is a good example of what a prime adds. It applies AS9102 and Q2A at the revisions in effect on the RFP date, flows to every sub-tier, and requires written notice to the buyer's SQE at least five business days before three events: procuring items or starting FAI planning, starting inspection of the first production run, and implementing any change that meets AS9102's criteria for a partial or re-accomplished FAI. It also requires a compliance matrix, or the seller's equivalent, to verify design characteristics embedded in Lockheed Martin material and process specifications, and it lists the minimum FAI package: approved Forms 1 to 3, the planning paperwork showing in-process verification, ballooned documents, inspection reports, CoCs and, where applicable, ATP results, casting and forging approvals and weld maps. FAI by similarity needs prior written approval and is never allowed for interchangeable-replaceable or critical items. An FAI done for another customer within the prior two years is accepted if it meets AS9102 and Q2A. Raw material, items returned for repair and tooling are excluded unless the PO says otherwise.

The NGAS SQAR, section 3.1, requires FAI to the AS9102 revision in effect when the PO was issued, completed before acceptance or shipment, and uploaded to the Net-Inspect repository. Net-Inspect does not apply where higher-level requirements prohibit open document storage, and non-U.S. suppliers submit to the assigned QFE instead. COTS hardware is not subject to FAI, and for modified COTS only the modification is.

The mechanics of the three AS9102 forms are covered on our AS9102 first article inspection page.

Right of access and source inspection

Q clauses give the prime, its customer and regulators the right to walk into the supplier and its sub-tiers, and they set how product is accepted before it ships.

Appendix QX paragraph 1.13 requires the seller to provide or obtain access to all facilities where work is performed, including subcontractors, for the buyer, the buyer's customers and regulatory agencies. The seller must write that access into its own sub-tier POs, provide suitable working space and high-speed internet for the buyer's SQE, and accept that product acceptance inspection may go up to 100 percent of characteristics. Paragraph 1.12 covers "buyer accept at source": the seller notifies the SQE no more than 5 business days after accepting the PO and allows at least 2 business days for the SQE to perform acceptance when no delegation exists. Delegated release follows AS9117.

NGAS SQAR section 2.3 grants the same access at supplier and sub-tier sites without additional charge and lists the inspection types a PO can call for:

NASA handles its own oversight separately. NPR 8735.2C paragraph 5.7.1 calls government mandatory inspection points an inherently governmental function, provided in addition to, not instead of, supplier responsibilities.

Counterfeit prevention clauses

Q clauses require a written counterfeit prevention plan, purchase from authorized sources, traceability to the original manufacturer and fast reporting.

Appendix QX paragraph 1.4 requires a Counterfeit Prevention and Control Plan per AS5553, ARP6328, AS6496, DFARS 252.246-7007, IDEA-STD-1010, DFARS 252.246-7008, AS6174, AS6081 and AS6171, as applicable. Parts and materials must come from the original manufacturer (including mills and foundries), an authorized aftermarket manufacturer or their authorized suppliers. Anything else needs the buyer's advance written approval through a notice to the buyer. On request the seller must show traceability naming every intermediary and its location. Delivered suspect counterfeit work must be reported within 24 hours of discovery under paragraph 1.14.

NGAS SQAR section 3.11 lists the required elements: training, obsolescence monitoring, authorized sourcing, traceability, detection testing, monitoring external reports, and quarantine and reporting. It adds a sequencing rule worth noting: the supplier submits a request for change or information for suspect counterfeit parts before testing them, and NGAS directs which tests to run. EEE parts need a detection process meeting AS5553, and suppliers eligible for GIDEP must be members and screen alerts. Our counterfeit parts avoidance page covers how to buy obsolete parts under these rules.

Sub-tier flow-down and special process approval

The supplier is responsible for its own suppliers, and Q clauses spell out what has to go onto every sub-tier PO.

Appendix QX paragraph 1.1 requires all applicable QX requirements to be imposed on external providers at all tiers. The NGAS SQAR, section 2.13, requires sub-tier quality systems compliant with ISO 9001, AS9100, AS9120 or AS9003 (third-party certification only when the PO says so), AS9102 FAI at sub-tiers when the commodity code invokes it, and a documented exception process if a non-compliant sub-tier must be used. Boeing D6-82479 section 3 requires sellers to evaluate distributors against 9120 and sub-tier manufacturers against 9100 requirements.

Special processes get the tightest control because they cannot be fully verified afterward.

• Lockheed Martin: for buyer-designed items, QCS-001 lists the special processes and sources that need buyer approval; Nadcap-accredited sources are authorized, but the buyer may disapprove any source. Sub-tier POs for controlled processes must carry the seller's vendor code, each QCS-001 specification with revision, buyer process codes and a statement invoking Appendix QJ. Sellers file a quarterly special process usage report within 15 calendar days after each quarter, even if no sources were used.
• NGAS: suppliers without design authority must confirm the processor is on the Approved Special Processors List for that specification, and check the list and its change history at each new PO and each new production lot. F/A-18 work uses Boeing D1-4426 approvals and F-35 work uses Lockheed Martin QCS-001.
• Design authority suppliers: both QX paragraph 2.2 and SQAR 3.3 let them approve their own process sources for their own specifications, but not for a prime's specifications.

Our heat treatment and surface finishing pages cover the process specifications themselves.

Notification clauses and their deadlines

Q clauses put clocks on bad news. The deadlines differ by prime and sometimes by program, so read them per PO.

Program clauses can shorten these. Lockheed Martin Q11R Rev 03, for C-130J and LM-100J work, changes the Appendix QX paragraph 1.2.A notice period from ten days to 24 hours. Quality escapes and product changes have their own clocks, covered in corrective action and SCAR and records, change control and FOD.

What to call out on your own PO to suppliers

If your customer flows Q clauses to you, your POs to sub-tier suppliers have to carry the matching requirements, by name and revision. A practical list:

• The customer quality document and revision, for example "Appendix QX Rev 10 applies" or "NGAS SQAR, SQAR code per line", plus any program clause.
• Required quality system (AS9100, AS9120 or ISO 9001) and permission to view OASIS tier 2 and Nadcap data.
• FAI to AS9102, full or partial, with the notification lead time and submission method your customer uses.
• Point of acceptance: source, destination or delegated, and who must witness.
• Right of access for you, your customer and regulators at all tiers.
• Approved special process sources, the process specification and revision, and the end customer named where the clause requires it.
• Counterfeit prevention plan, authorized sources only, and traceability on request.
• Notification deadlines that are at least as short as the ones you owe your customer.
• Nonconformance authority limits and record retention, which we cover in the linked quality pages.

A clause that reaches the sub-tier late or at the wrong revision is one of the most common causes of a finding. The aerospace RFQ checklist shows where these go in the request so suppliers price them in, and the quality library collects the related pages.

Send your Q clauses with the request

Attach the quality clauses and revisions from your contract when you request a quote. We flow them down to the supplier by number and revision, check the paperwork against them before delivery, and ship every order with a certificate of conformance plus the other certs your request requires. A person replies within 1 business day. If the drawings or clauses are export controlled, read confidentiality and controlled programs before sending anything.

Questions

Related

• How Primes Score Supplier Delivery and Quality
• Nonconformance, MRB Authority and Supplier Corrective Action
• Record Retention, Change Control and FOD Prevention at Suppliers
• Receiving Inspection: What Buyers Check and Why Parts Get Held

Sources

• Boeing D6-82479 Rev J (November 1, 2023), Boeing Quality Management System Requirements for Suppliers
• Boeing quality clause Q003 (effective 10/01/2011), incorporating D6-82479 Appendix A and Addendum 2
• Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Appendix QX, Supplier Quality Requirements, Rev 10 (released January 1, 2023, last reviewed October 23, 2025)
• Lockheed Martin Aeronautics quality clause Q2A, First Article Inspection, Rev 17 (released August 25, 2025)
• Lockheed Martin Aeronautics quality clause Q11R, C130J and LM100J programs, Rev 03 (released September 29, 2020, last reviewed October 4, 2023)
• Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems Supplier Quality Assurance Requirements (SQAR) manual, revision date May 15, 2026
• RTX: Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace supplier quality requirements documents (ASQR-01, COL-ASQR-PRO-0003, ASQR-09.2, ASQR-20.1)
• NASA NPR 8735.2C, Hardware Quality Assurance Program Requirements for Programs and Projects (effective March 12, 2021, updated with Change 2)
• NASA NPR 8735.2C Chapter 5, supplier quality requirements and GMIPs