During the post-award phase, who holds the responsibility for quality?

In the post-award phase, the seller, often referred to as the contractor in this context, holds the primary responsibility for quality. This is because the seller is tasked with fulfilling the terms of the contract, which includes delivering products or services that meet the specified quality standards outlined in the contract documents.

Quality assurance is an integral part of project management, and it is the seller's duty to implement processes to ensure that the work performed meets the agreed-upon criteria. The seller must monitor, assess, and control the quality throughout the execution of the contract to avoid defects, rework, and potential contract disputes.

While the buyer has an interest in the quality of the deliverables and may conduct reviews and inspections to verify compliance, the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the quality meets the contract requirements lies with the seller. The contractor's project manager also plays a significant role in managing the quality of work, but the overarching responsibility rests with the seller as the party obligated to meet the contract's quality specifications. The contract auditor primarily focuses on compliance and financial aspects rather than quality management, making their role distinct and secondary in this context.