Quality Assurance:

Our SeaPort-e Program Management Team will ensure that our Subcontractors deliver the same level of quality as our own employees produce. We will use both a flow down of quality-related requirements in our subcontracts as well as subcontractor oversight to ensure that all products and services provided under the Epsilon name meet the highest quality standards.

Epsilon believes that the key to every successful project is to establish and maintain clear lines of communication between the customer and us and internally among management, our personnel and our Subcontractors. This practice provides the customer with all the necessary information they need to keep informed on all aspects the job throughout the entire life of the project. This process starts early in the project with development of a comprehensive plan of action and milestones and project schedule that is communicated to the customer during initial planning meetings and scheduled follow-up meetings conducted periodically throughout the entire period of performance. This ensures adherence to schedule and provide opportunities to receive customer feedback, and ensures responsiveness to customer needs. Epsilon communicates with our lead personnel and Subcontractors on a regular basis to identify and resolve issues from the routine to the complex before they impact schedule and cost. Epsilon then provides the customer with well thought out options they can select for the most efficient and economical means of resolving the problem. Some of the past issues have involved the discovery of “as found” material problems outside the scope of the original work associated with equipment or systems requiring more work or material to affect repairs. These issues were addressed with additional labor support and when required, material to ensure adherence to the schedule and detailed cost analysis to provide the most economy to the Government.

Epsilon is proactive in the identification and resolution of potential issues at the lowest level possible, as early as possible, allowing those closest to the problem to address issues and implement corrective actions without unnecessary senior management intervention. Epsilon strives to create an environment where problems or issues that arise during projects are brought to the attention of the project manager early enough that they may be resolved with little to no impact on schedule and/or additional cost to the Government. As appropriate, problems that arise as a result of quality are immediately addressed to the customer with a plan to resolve the problem to their satisfaction. In most cases involving quality of work, Epsilon discovers the problem first through our own quality assurance practices and monitoring.

Our first line managers are responsible for regular interaction with customers. Through regular interaction with customers, Epsilon expects to identify issues and resolve problems before they become formal issues. During performance under he SeaPort-e contract and issuance of any task orders, Epsilon managers will meet with the customer at the onset of tasking to ensure expectations are understood, schedules set, and feedback methodology is in place. By carefully monitoring performance, we expect to be able to provide any mid-course corrections if needed without impacting the customer.

When task order solicitations of interest to the Epsilon Team are posted on the SeaPort-e web site, Epsilon will perform a work analysis to break the work down to its lowest task level and link the tasks in a logical flow of activities. Identifying all outputs from tasks and subtasks required of the contractor, Epsilon will then evaluate team members’ qualifications vs. the requirements of the task to ensure the most qualified team members are proposed. Prior to submission of the proposal, Epsilon will determine the optimum subcontract type and mix to ensure that the Navy receives the highest quality products and services at the most economical price.

Epsilon has a Total Company Commitment to Quality as Evidenced by Our Certifications and Awards
Epsilon fully understands the importance of Quality. Epsilon’s President, Mr. Bryan Min and several of our vice presidents have a track record of significant QA experience in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power Programs, U.S. Navy ship repair activities, commercial nuclear power plants, and Department of Energy nuclear facilities, all of which have strict process control requirements comparable to those required for this work.

Epsilon’s key personnel have experience with the strict quality control requirements necessitated by U.S. Navy maintenance and repair work. Epsilon has on staff a Level III Inspector who is qualified to certify Epsilon’s welders and welding procedures for use on U.S. Navy work. Epsilon has established a multi-tiered Quality System Manual that includes an overarching policy establishing our Quality Assurance Program, supplemented by more detailed, sub-tier implementing procedures (Work Instructions). Epsilon’s Quality Assurance Program is designed to ensure that workmanship and inspection requirements conform to the highest industry and Navy standards in the relevant profession, trade or field of endeavor. Workmanship and inspections are in accordance with the rules and requirements of the American Bureau of Shipping, the US Coast Guard and other professional engineering standards and best commercial marine practices, unless Navy specifications are identified.

In March of 2003, Epsilon’s Marine & Industrial Services Division Quality Assurance (QA) Program was approved by the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, USN, Portsmouth, VA and found it to be in total compliance with NAVSEA Standard Item 009-04 and ANSI/ASQC Q9002. As a result, Epsilon was added to the Navy’s Master List of Approved Alteration Installation Team Contractors.

Epsilon believes that a significant value-added feature of our QA system is its focus on continuous improvement. We believe that root cause analysis and identification and implementation of a well thought out corrective action plan as a result of lessons learned is a key element in the operation and improvement of any successful organization. We have incorporated that philosophy in our quality processes. We do not consider a project complete until we have captured the lessons learned, both positive and negative, that can be applied to improving future efforts. These assessments have formed the basis for numerous physical, procedural, operational, training and staffing improvements.

In addition to our Navy related quality programs, in December 2003 Epsilon received the State of New Mexico Quality Award (NMQA) Roadrunner Recognition, being recognized at the 2003 New Mexico Quality Awards for having demonstrated significant progress in Quality Management.