The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) marked another milestone in its young existence as it recently received ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification for its quality management system, which now adheres to internationally-recognized standards of management, ISO 9001:2000.

As a highlight of its eighth anniversary celebration, PSALM received the validation for its Quality Management System (QMS) from the Certification International Philippines Inc., the Corporation’s third party certifying body, after successfully meeting all the requirements for ISO certification.

The QMS broadly consists of a formalized system that documents the structure, responsibilities, and procedures required to achieve effective quality management. These include the objectives and processes of a company designed to focus on quality and customer satisfaction.

The ISO certification puts PSALM at par with world-class corporations, having raised the caliber of its business processes to an internationally-recognized standard and having firmed up its commitment to assure the world’s investment community and its stakeholders of the integrity and transparency of the government’s power privatization program.

“The ISO certification is a legacy that PSALM leaves to its employees,” said PSALM President and Chief Executive Officer Jose C. Ibazeta. “It not only boosts our stock as world-class workers, it also signifies that we can relate and work with similarly certified organizations.”

Aside from boosting the confidence and trust of investors and stakeholders to do business with PSALM, the ISO certification will result in increased savings for the Corporation as business processes are systematized and improved thru time, according to Helen E. V. San Pedro, PSALM’s Quality Management representative  and manager of the Information Technology and Communication Department.

The impact of the ISO certification on PSALM’s operations would be in terms of reduced waste and fewer delays, increased employee and customer satisfaction, and continual improvement of the QMS, she said.

PSALM’s managers, for their part, will find it easier to run the Corporation as a system of interlinked processes where the employees will realize their relevance to the whole organization.

Management responsibility, Ms. San Pedro pointed out, is enshrined in the system with respect to the periodic review of the QMS. This will enable PSALM managers to regularly review the variances between the set business process and service delivery. Thus, they will be able to assess opportunities and address any need for change in meeting customer demands and requirements.

The QMS will also be able to show that corporate policies trickle down to the lowest employee level possible.

PSALM’s improvement efforts, however, does not end with the attainment of the ISO 9001:2000 certification. Two more surveillance audits will be conducted in the next two years that will involve upgrading of its Quality Management System based on the new version of the Standard, the ISO 9001:2008. This means that PSALM, during this period, will have to undertake and accomplish a number of activities to maintain its certificate current with the latest version of the ISO Standard.