SQF Implementation Plan: Management of Contract Service Providers and Contract Manufacturers

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If your organization uses contract services, you must ensure that they are defined in contracts with specified requirements and included in hazard analysis. They must comply with prerequisite program requirements and be monitored. Examples of contract services are: contract employees, maintenance contractors, transportation, pest control and cleaning contractors. Your facility may have additional types of contracted services or use contract manufacturers.

Review SQF Code:

You will find the requirements for this process in section 2.3 of the SQF Code.

Tools:

• Procedure: P-233 Contract Service Providers and Contract Manufacturers
• Forms: F-233-001 Contract Service Register
• Master Project Plan

Definitions:

Contract Services: contract services include pest control, sanitation services, storage and transport contractors. Your facility may have additional services that are done by contractors.

Contract Manufacturer: Facilities that are contracted by the SQF certified site to produce, process, pack and /or store part of or all of one or more products included in the site’s SQF scope of certification. Contract manufacturers must follow the requirements outlined in the SQF Food Safety Code.

Basic Requirements:

• Identify the contracted services used by your facility.
• Make sure that contracts are in place with specifications for services.
• Maintain a register of contract service providers.
• Identify responsibility for managing the contractor.
• Identify training requirements for the contract personnel, including GMPs and food safety and food hygiene as appropriate based on areas of the facility that they will access.
• Include the services in hazard analysis
• Identify how the contract services will be monitored and verified.
• Identify records that are needed of the activities conducted, and responsibility for maintaining records.
• Identify contract manufacturers and add them to the register.
• Identify how contract manufacturers will be approved, monitored and activities verified.
• Conduct annual audits of contract manufacturers to verify compliance for high risk processes

First Team Meeting Agenda:

• Review the requirements of the SQF Code, and the responsibilities listed in this plan.
• Review the example procedure and forms. The procedure describes a process that can be used to address the tasks on the Master Project Plan. You will use that as a starting point, and make changes to customize the process for your organization and method of doing things.
• Review the tasks on the Master Implementation Plan form for your team.
• Set up a team meeting schedule to assign and complete these tasks. Meeting weekly or every other week at the same time is an effective method.

Future Action Items:

• When the items have been addressed, or plans are in place to address them, work to revise the procedure to reflect your new, compliant process. Revise the forms as needed.
• When completed, submit your new documentation (Procedure, Related Forms, List of Records) and your completed plan to the SQF Practitioner for review and approval.

List any additional records (not listed in the procedure already) that should be retained for your process on the table below so they can be incorporated into the records table. Share this table with the Document Control and Records team.