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Independent Verification and Validation

Independent Verification and Validation
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What is Independent Verification and Validation?

Railways are increasingly complex. When constructing a new railway, it’s best practice to identify high-risk areas at the earliest possible opportunity.

IVV does this by systematically confirming whether railways comply with a client’s requirements for Safety, Functionality, RAM and Quality.

  • Verification activities assess whether the project team has built the railway correctly i.e. supporting the project owner to have the railway it’s specified
  • Validation activities track the overall project ensuring it is ultimately fit for purpose upon completion

This requires a combination of deep railway systems expertise and comprehensive understanding of operational best practices.

Our experience

Taoyuan Green Line Independent Verification and Validation

Taoyuan Green Line Independent Verification and Validation

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Taiwan High Speed - Independent Verification and Validation

Taiwan High Speed - Independent Verification and Validation

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How we help

Independent Verification and Validation relies on identifying and assessing key risk areas relating to the specific railway. It allows the project owner to take steps to mitigate risks at less costly stages of the project's lifecycle or begin making contingency allowances in advance.

The process involves audits and assessments that are used to gather evidence throughout the project lifecycle. These culminate, if successful, with the issue of formal certification.

Assessments follow a proven, structured process with a thoroughness that ensures all necessary checks are completed within the required timeframe.

Ricardo considers how the lifecycles described in the EN50126 standard should be applied to your specific project and determine the level of assessment activity by

  1. Consideration of Lifecycle Phase
  2. Consideration of Process Risks
  3. Consideration of Physical System Risks

Typical IVV activities

  • Verification and validation plan
  • Design reviews with technical expertise
  • Gate reviews
  • Progress monitoring
  • Design process assessment 
  • Assessment of Change Requests
  • Key Testing & Commissioning activity witnessing and validation
  • RAMS-LCC verification
  • RAM demonstration validation

Final certificate 

The final IVV certificate is evidence to stakeholders that your project has been delivered with due care and attention to factors such as safety and quality throughout its development.

Regular reporting offers objective, independent assessments of upcoming issues and provide improved visibility of the project's overall quality.

I believe independent assessment is key to the overall success of a project such as ours Ou Chin-der, Chairman and CEO, THSRC, 2012
I believe independent assessment is key to the overall success of a project such as ours

Benefits of an IVV assessment to your project

An IVV assessment sets out to:

  • Support the railways safe operation
  • Reduce risks to as low as reasonably as possible
  • Confirm that designs comply with specifications
  • Ensure the overall build quality is as expected
  • Enhance investor confidence

A bespoke approach for every project

Our IVV approach is tailored to suit the specific circumstances or concerns your may have. This may include ensuring the risk of unique environmental challenges - such as earthquakes or extreme weather incidents - are adequately addressed, or identifying where aspects of the railway fall short of the required safety or reliability performance expectations.

When building a railway, no news is sometimes good news. Effective IVV supports project owners by identifying project and technical risks, offering contractors the opportunity to mitigate while minimising the impact to the project timeline.

Taiwan High Speed Railway

Taiwan High Speed Railway

In 2012 Ricardo was appointed to provide Independent Validation and Verification services for an extension of Taiwan's high-speed network. Our remit was to assess the functionality, quality, maintainability and safety of the new section and confirm compliance with the specifications set out by the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation.

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Independent Verification and Validation Body Characteristics

Independence - An IVV Body must be free to operate independently from the Project Owner and the suppliers and contractors. They must have no financial or managerial interests in the project or its outcomes.

Competence - The assessment teams should possess sufficient interdisciplinary expertise to provide a system-wide understanding of risk, safety and operational best practices.

Standards - The IVV body must have in-depth understanding of relevant railway standards for safety, performance, and functionality and best-practice.

Contact us for more information about our IVV services

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