Excellence in Housing – NHQA
National Housing Quality Award (NHQA) is the "gold standard" for recognizing exceptional, results-driven performance of a home building operation, from strategic planning, financial reporting, and management to construction quality, trade relations, human resources and customer satisfaction.
Modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the NHQA application requires a commitment of time and resources to complete. But the benefits are well worth that effort! The application process alone is a very valuable tool for businesses. It offers a way to monitor performance and to implement the changes necessary for improvement.
But the real benefit of the program comes after a company submits an entry form. The applications are reviewed by a panel of judges, consisting of previous winners and quality management consultants, and finalists from among the entries receive a site visit from the judges. All entrants are given a report from the judges providing detailed feedback with recommendations for continued improvement.
This is the best and most honest consulting an [organization] can get to improve their company. The program will help to improve the performance of your business and dramatically impact your bottom-line. The process of applying for the NHQ Award, and gaining the detailed feedback report from industry experts, can provide fast-track opportunities for improvement and help to reduce costs, defects, cycle times and improve customer, employee, and trade partner satisfaction.
Serge Ogranovitch, NHQ Awards director, estimates that feedback from both an application review and site visit represent about $30,000 worth of consulting fees. And with the improvements that can come from following the recommendations, the ROI on applying is well worth the time and resources. Plus, a study of NHQA winners from 1993-2009 showed metrics such as:
- Gross profits of 12 to 20%
- Construction costs vs. budgets of +/- 1%
- Cycle time reductions of 15 to 50%
- 98% zero defects at closing
- Defect reductions of 11 to 75%
- 30% referral rates and trade satisfaction of 94%
Important Deadlines:
The Intent to Apply form (2020 NHQA application-Part 1) is due March 5, 2019.
The deadline for completed entries is April 19, 2019.
Resources:
The positive impact of applying for the NHQ Award on your business cannot be overstated! If you are interested in learning more about the award and how to apply, here are a list of resources:
Writing the NHQA application
Before and after the NHQA site visits
How to address and implement the NHQA Feedback Report Opportunities for Improvement
The real $$ value and impact of the NHQA Feedback Report
How to conduct self-assessment using the NHQA criteria
The NHQA Model, explaining how the criteria functions
How green building connects with the NHQA Model
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