When a product approval, certification, or evaluation requires additional testing, the testing cost itself is often manageable.

The real cost is the delay to market.

Additional testing can add weeks or months to a project schedule, delaying product launches, customer commitments, revenue opportunities, and competitive positioning.

What is often overlooked is that a viable technical path may already exist. Third-party evaluation agencies play an important role, but backlogs may prevent solutions from being vetted out.

Existing test data, engineering analysis, code provisions, acceptance criteria, previously approved designs, or historical precedents can sometimes provide a basis for approval without additional testing.

Before committing to a new testing program, it is worth taking a step back and evaluating the complete technical landscape.

PAC serves as an independent technical resource that understands how building codes, acceptance criteria, test standards, evaluation reports, engineering judgments, and certification requirements interact. Our role is to identify practical technical solutions and determine whether existing information can be leveraged before additional testing is pursued.

Recent Examples

Existing Approval Maintained

A manufacturer was informed that additional testing would be required to maintain a long-standing third-party evaluation report.

PAC reviewed the historical basis for the requirement, analyzed the applicable code provisions and acceptance criteria, and developed a technical justification demonstrating that additional testing was not necessary.

Result: Existing approval maintained without additional testing.

Project Accepted Using Existing Data

A manufacturer encountered project requirements that exceeded the applicable code provisions adopted for the project.

PAC reviewed the available test data and supporting documentation, evaluated the product against the adopted code requirements, and prepared a project-specific engineering judgment.

Result: Product accepted using existing data and documentation.

Before You Test, Verify That Testing Is Actually Required

Additional testing is sometimes necessary.

But not always.

Before investing time and resources into a new testing program, let PAC review the situation and determine whether a technical path already exists.

The Cost of Testing Is Rarely the Problem.

The Delay to Market Is.