10 CFR 50 Appendix B Compliance for Inspection Service Providers
Directly, it binds NRC licensees and applicants. Practically it reaches every NDT service provider working on safety-related structures, systems and components, because the licensee flows the criteria down by contract and remains accountable. Personnel are qualified under employer-based certification, so a contracted Level III can sign the written practice and administer examinations for the firm.
Appendix B states the applicant may delegate the work of establishing and executing the QA program to contractors, agents or consultants but 'shall retain responsibility.' Covers design, manufacture, construction, operation, maintenance, repair, refuelling and modification. Appendix B sets eighteen quality assurance criteria for activities affecting the safety-related functions of nuclear structures, systems and components. For an inspection service provider two criteria bite hardest. Criterion IX, Control of Special Processes, requires measures assuring that special processes 'including welding, heat treating, and nondestructive testing, are controlled and accomplished by qualified personnel using qualified procedures in accordance with applicable codes, standards, specifications, criteria, and other special requirements.' Criterion X, Inspection, requires inspection by individuals other than those who performed the activity being inspected. Criterion XVII requires records identifying the inspector or data recorder, the type of observation, the results, the acceptability and the action taken on any deficiency. Criterion XVIII requires planned periodic audits by trained personnel without direct responsibility in the area audited.
Source: Appendix B to 10 CFR Part 50, 'Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants,' full text from the GPO govinfo CFR annual edition, Title 10 Volume 1, revised as of 1 January 2024 — Introduction and Criteria I through XVIII, quoting Criterion IX, X, XVII and XVIII verbatim. Cross-referenced against 10 CFR Part 21, 'Reporting of Defects and Noncompliance,' same edition, whose definition of 'basic component' at paragraph (4) expressly includes 'safety-related design, analysis, inspection, testing, fabrication, replacement of parts, or consulting services... whether these services are performed by the component supplier or others.' Accessed 21 Aug 2026.
| Item | What applies | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Authority | U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission | The body that issues, audits and can withdraw |
| Applies to | Directly, it binds NRC licensees and applicants. | Whether this binds your firm at all |
| Personnel certification | Employer-based — the firm certifies its own, under a qualified Level III | Decides whether an outsourced Level III can sign for you |
| Renewal | Appendix B sets no expiry — it is a standing regulatory requirement, not a certificate. What recurs is verification. Criterion XVIII requires a comprehensive system of planned and periodic audits, and Criterion VII requires the licensee to assess the effectiveness of a supplier's quality control 'at intervals consistent with the importance, complexity, and quantity of the product or services.' For NDT service suppliers this normally lands on the joint utility audit cycle — NUPIC runs most vendors on a 33-month schedule — supplemented by annual internal audits. | Diarise from the certificate date, not from memory |
| Methods in scope | UT, PAUT, RT, MT, PT, VT | Each method needs its own procedure and qualified personnel |
| Industries | Nuclear power generation, Nuclear component manufacturing and forging, Fuel cycle and fuel reprocessing facilities, Small modular and advanced reactor supply chain, Nuclear construction and modification contractors | Where this regime shows up in contracts |
Who does 10 CFR 50 Appendix B apply to?
Directly, it binds NRC licensees and applicants. Practically it reaches every NDT service provider working on safety-related structures, systems and components, because the licensee flows the criteria down by contract and remains accountable. Appendix B states the applicant may delegate the work of establishing and executing the QA program to contractors, agents or consultants but 'shall retain responsibility.' Covers design, manufacture, construction, operation, maintenance, repair, refuelling and modification.
Can an outsourced Level III sign for 10 CFR 50 Appendix B compliance?
Yes. 10 CFR 50 Appendix B accepts employer-based certification, which places the obligation on the employer and allows a contracted Level III to write and sign the written practice, approve procedures and administer examinations. The Level III must be qualified in each method they sign for, and the employer still owns the records.
What documents does a 10 CFR 50 Appendix B audit ask for?
Quality assurance program description covering all eighteen criteria, with the organisational chart and delegated authorities required by Criterion I, Documented instructions, procedures and drawings for activities affecting quality, with quantitative or qualitative acceptance criteria (Criterion V), Special process procedures for nondestructive testing, with evidence the procedures and the personnel are qualified (Criterion IX), Inspection program showing inspection is performed by individuals other than those who performed the work, and identifying any mandatory hold points (Criterion X), Procurement documents imposing the applicable regulatory, code and QA requirements on sub-tier suppliers (Criterion IV) and the supplier evaluation and assessment records required by Criterion VII. Auditors open records before they open manuals, because a manual describes intent while records show practice. The most common failure is a documented system that does not match what the technicians actually do.
How often is 10 CFR 50 Appendix B renewed?
Appendix B sets no expiry — it is a standing regulatory requirement, not a certificate. What recurs is verification. Criterion XVIII requires a comprehensive system of planned and periodic audits, and Criterion VII requires the licensee to assess the effectiveness of a supplier's quality control 'at intervals consistent with the importance, complexity, and quantity of the product or services.' For NDT service suppliers this normally lands on the joint utility audit cycle — NUPIC runs most vendors on a 33-month schedule — supplemented by annual internal audits. Firms that diarise renewal from the certificate date rather than from the last audit avoid the lapse that forces a full reapplication.
What are the most common 10 CFR 50 Appendix B findings?
QA manual written to the eighteen criteria in the abstract with no procedure translating Criterion IX into control of NDE special processes at the working level, Independence problem under Criterion X — the technician who performed the examination also signs the verifying inspection, Records failing Criterion XVII because the inspection record does not identify the inspector or data recorder, the type of observation, the acceptability, or the action taken on a deficiency, Sub-tier flowdown gaps under Criteria IV and VII — calibration houses, consumables suppliers or contract technicians procured without the applicable QA and 10 CFR Part 21 requirements imposed. These recur because they are records problems rather than capability problems — the work is being done correctly and the evidence is not being kept.
Which NDT methods does 10 CFR 50 Appendix B cover?
UT, PAUT, RT, MT, PT, VT, ET, Leak testing. Each method in scope needs its own approved procedure and personnel qualified in that specific method; a Level III qualified in ultrasonics cannot sign for radiography.
Personnel certification under 10 CFR 50 Appendix B
Appendix B is method-agnostic and names no certification scheme: Criterion IX simply requires qualified personnel and qualified procedures 'in accordance with applicable codes, standards, specifications.' The scheme therefore comes from whatever code the licensee imposes — in practice ASME Section XI with ASNT SNT-TC-1A or ANSI/ASNT CP-189, or NQA-1. That makes certification employer-based: the supplier writes and owns the written practice and signs the certificates. An outsourced Level III can author and approve the written practice and the NDE procedures and can administer examinations, but Criterion I requires that whoever performs quality assurance verification have organisational freedom and sufficient independence, and the supplier's own management retains the responsibility.
The audit sequence
- The licensee or its designee evaluates the supplier before award — Criterion VII requires source evaluation and selection, and control of purchased services proportionate to their importance.
- The supplier submits its QA program manual and procedures for the licensee's review against the eighteen criteria and against whatever code the contract invokes.
- On-site audit by the licensee, its designee, or a joint programme such as NUPIC, performed to written procedures or checklists by trained personnel not having direct responsibilities in the area audited (Criterion XVIII).
- Findings are documented and reviewed by management having responsibility in the area audited; the supplier responds with cause determination and corrective action to preclude repetition (Criterion XVI).
- Followup, including reaudit of deficient areas where indicated, then placement on the licensee's Approved Suppliers List for the specific scope of services.
- Criterion VII requires the effectiveness of the supplier's quality control to be reassessed at intervals consistent with the importance, complexity and quantity of the service — which is what drives the recurring audit cycle.
Documents an auditor asks for
- Quality assurance program description covering all eighteen criteria, with the organisational chart and delegated authorities required by Criterion I
- Documented instructions, procedures and drawings for activities affecting quality, with quantitative or qualitative acceptance criteria (Criterion V)
- Special process procedures for nondestructive testing, with evidence the procedures and the personnel are qualified (Criterion IX)
- Inspection program showing inspection is performed by individuals other than those who performed the work, and identifying any mandatory hold points (Criterion X)
- Procurement documents imposing the applicable regulatory, code and QA requirements on sub-tier suppliers (Criterion IV) and the supplier evaluation and assessment records required by Criterion VII
- Calibration and control records for measuring and test equipment (Criterion XII)
- Nonconformance and corrective action records, with the cause and the action to preclude repetition documented and reported to management for significant conditions adverse to quality (Criteria XV and XVI)
- Inspection and test records identifying the inspector or data recorder, the type of observation, the results, the acceptability and the action taken on deficiencies, plus qualifications of personnel, procedures and equipment (Criterion XVII)
- Internal audit plan, checklists, reports and reaudit records demonstrating a comprehensive system of planned and periodic audits (Criterion XVIII)
Findings firms get against 10 CFR 50 Appendix B
- QA manual written to the eighteen criteria in the abstract with no procedure translating Criterion IX into control of NDE special processes at the working level
- Independence problem under Criterion X — the technician who performed the examination also signs the verifying inspection
- Records failing Criterion XVII because the inspection record does not identify the inspector or data recorder, the type of observation, the acceptability, or the action taken on a deficiency
- Sub-tier flowdown gaps under Criteria IV and VII — calibration houses, consumables suppliers or contract technicians procured without the applicable QA and 10 CFR Part 21 requirements imposed
- Corrective action stopping at the immediate fix, with no documented determination of cause and action to preclude repetition as Criterion XVI requires
- Internal audits performed by someone with direct responsibility in the area audited, or with no checklist, contrary to Criterion XVIII
- Measuring and test equipment used out of calibration with no evaluation of the validity of previous results (Criterion XII)
- Commercial-grade items and services used in safety-related work without a dedication process, so the item never qualifies as a basic component
Related: the 10 CFR 50 Appendix B overview, outsourced ASNT Level III cover, written practice development, NDT procedure development, a programme gap assessment, interim Level III cover.