Council became the first local government authority in NSW to be quality assured to an internationally-recognised standard when its engineering services department was presented with ISO 9001:1994 certification in 1999.

Council's quality manager, Mr Wayne Lawler, said the organisation had now been certified to the new ISO 9001:2000 standard following a successful audit towards the end of last year.

One of the key requirements of the revised system would be the monitoring of customer satisfaction.

Mr Lawler said the QMS was an effective way for council to demonstrate to the community that it was able to consistently provide products and services that met community expectations as well as regulatory requirements.

It also enabled council staff to improve operational efficiencies and overall customer satisfaction.

Mr Lawler said the QMS concept was relatively simple but relied on the commitment of staff at all levels from senior management down.

The auditor who conducted the audit of council's QMS last year praised the positive attitude of all staff involved.

As part of the QMS, written processes and procedures have been prepared for all of the sections that make up council's engineering services department.

Staff are required to plan their work in accordance with the written processes and procedures, to do what was planned, to check things happened according to plan and to go back and identify ways to improve the processes and procedures.

Mr Lawler said regular internal as well as external audits were a key part of the system.

"At the end of the day it's all about focusing on the needs of the customer and making sure we deliver what we are actually supposed to deliver," he said.

Council's acting director of engineering services, Mr Doug Mein, praised the efforts of staff and their commitment to the QMS.

He said the external auditor had made a number of positive comments about engineering services staff and their willingness to embrace "continuous improvement".

He made particular mention of the auditor's observation that "it is obvious that all involved have a pride and dedication to their respective positions".

"Bega Valley Shire Council recognises the importance of customer satisfaction and of providing a quality product as much as anyone in the private sector," Mr Mein said.

"The QMS isn't about getting another piece of paper to hang on the wall.

"It's about continually striving to deliver a better product and a better service for the people of the Bega Valley Shire and I think staff are to be commended for their commitment to that process over a period of almost five years," he said.