Product Approval Administrator (Ted Berman and Associates - TB&A)

Performance for the May/June 2013 meeting cycle:

1

1) Rating: Good

2) Comments: My experience with TB&A has always been a very good experience and Rana Radmanesh is extremely knowledgeable, is always willing to help and I would rate her as excellent.

2

1) Excellent

3

1) Fair

2) One would assume that the administrator for the program would be a good source of information to manufacturers as they attempt to get their products approved. However the consistent experience is that TBA does a good job of supporting and educating validators about the validation process, but doesn't do such a good job at educating manufacturers. I would suggest that more specific information be made available to help manufactures understand how to navigate through the process. The manufacturer should not have to spend frustrating hours and days, in some cases, investigating how to go about the approval process, only to get vague answers and then end up just trying it to see if whether or not it will work. For many manufacturers this process is so expensive and time consuming that it is in many cases not worth the sales it creates.

4

1) Good

2) No comments.

5

1) Choose a Rating: EXCELLENT ---GOOD ---FAIR ---POOR

2) I do have a suggestion...to reduce public confusion. Upon review of the online Product Approval Meetings and Agenda, the chronological order of Product Approval "steps" is very clear until the final approval by the Commission. The Commission Meeting for the final approval is listed ABOVE the previous steps as opposed to AFTER. For example, our product was being reviewed prior to the May 30 meeting. After it was reviewed on May 30, it appeared the final approval would not appear on the agenda until August 22 Commission Meeting...it was actually approved at the June 10 Commission Meeting. This online listing created a great deal of concern and discussion in our camp and it could have been easily averted by continuing to list the meetings in chronological order.

6

1) Good

7

1) Choose a Rating: EXCELLENT ---GOOD ---FAIR ---POOR

8

1) Choose a Rating: EXCELLENT

2) Add Your Comments: The group answered my questions with detailed information and instructions. They are very aware of Florida Building Code procedures, meeting schedules, and submittal information. They helped us tremendously.

9

1) Choose a Rating: EXCELLENT ---GOOD ---FAIR ---POOR

2) Add Your Comments: (Please add any comments you like here.)

Ted and his staff are professional and on the occasions we needed assistance the responses were always in a timely fashion.

10

1) Excellent

11

1) Comments: If most folks are like me, they are confused as to the role of TB&A. i.e. what is their function, why are they necessary and how do their actions impact the process.

12

1) I did not have any interaction with TB&A for the May-June meeting cycle. But they usually do a great job.