We have a customer asking for certification to GQAS, which was thought to be a Quality Standard called "General Quality & Approval Standard". I looked for this but the nearest thing I can find is a defence standard called "Government Quality Assurance at Source".
The customer is a Chinese cable manufacturer, so I guess a defence standard could apply.
Can anybody help identify which standard they mean?

We have a customer asking for certification to GQAS, which was thought to be a Quality Standard called "General Quality & Approval Standard". I looked for this but the nearest thing I can find is a defence standard called "Government Quality Assurance at Source".
The customer is a Chinese cable manufacturer, so I guess a defence standard could apply.
Can anybody help identify which standard they mean?Is "GQAS" listed as a requirement on a purchase order or on a request for quotation? It makes a difference in how you approach the "psychology" of dealing with the customer.

The easiest thing is to say to the customer or prospect:
"We are not familiar with the acronym "GQAS." What does it stand for? Do you have a source where we can obtain a copy for review?"

In a quotation, you can simply state, "Our price is _________, subject to revision upon review of an unknown Standard, "GQAS."

If this is a Purchase Order, part of Contract Review is to ensure you completely understand customer requirements. This means a phone call or email to the customer which says,
"We are not familiar with the acronym "GQAS." What does it stand for? Do you have a source where we can obtain a copy for review?"

:topic: the acronym "GQAS" is not listed at my favorite acronym finder site http://www.acronymfinder.com which at last count had over 300,000 definitions of acronyms and abbreviations.

I found this if it of any good
Government Quality Assurance Surveillance (GQAS) & Government Quality Assurance Representative (GQAR) Organizations

http://www.ams.mod.uk/ams/content/docs/quality/pages/gqas.htm

Thanks guys,
Our sales manager is trying to get more information from the customer about what precisely they mean. I'll keep you updated in case someone else gets a similar request!