Per DRDO's notification, SAMAR certification is mandatory w.e.f. 01 May 2027 for industry partners manufacturing for any DRDO lab or establishment.
SAMAR — System for Advance Manufacturing Assessment and Rating

Get SAMAR-Certified. With Software That's Already Inside DRDO.

SAMAR is DRDO and QCI's manufacturing maturity rating for defence industry partners — and it is now a condition of doing business with DRDO labs. FAST Technology helps you get there twice over: QMS software that generates the digital evidence assessors score, and quality consultants who take you from gap assessment to certification. Our software runs at ITR (Integrated Test Range) Chandipur, a DRDO establishment.

Deployed at ITR Chandipur (DRDO)
10 Disciplines · 5 Maturity Levels
Certificate Valid 2 Years
The Basics

What Is SAMAR?

SAMAR (System for Advance Manufacturing Assessment and Rating) is a maturity assessment and rating framework developed by DRDO with the Quality Council of India (QCI). It benchmarks the quality and reliability maturity of enterprises manufacturing components, subsystems and complete systems for DRDO-developed programmes — with separate assessment models for MSMEs and large enterprises, a fully online, geo-tagged assessment process, and a certificate valid for two years.

Why It Matters Now
DRDO has notified that SAMAR certification is mandatory from 01 May 2027 for all industry partners manufacturing for any DRDO lab or establishment. If DRDO programmes are part of your order book — or you want them to be — SAMAR readiness is no longer optional.
10
Disciplines
From leadership and quality management to safety, customer focus and finance
45
Parameters (Large)
40 parameters on the right-sized MSME model
5
Maturity Levels
From Ad Hoc Beginnings to Continuous Optimisation
80%
Micro-Enterprise Subsidy
DRDO subsidises certification fees — 80% micro, 50% small enterprises
The Rating Scale

Five Maturity Levels

Every parameter is scored against five defined maturity descriptions. Your rating reflects where your systems stand today — and gives you the roadmap for the next level.

1

Ad Hoc Beginnings

Processes exist but are largely unstructured and reactive

2

Early Standardisation

Systems are being put in place, adoption is inconsistent

3

Established Standards

Processes are clearly defined, documented and followed

4

Measured & Controlled

Systems are monitored with data to assure quality

5

Continuous Optimisation

Excellence through continual measurement and refinement

Assessment Scope

The 10 SAMAR Disciplines — and Where Software Carries the Load

Assessors score defined parameters in each discipline against the five maturity levels. The table shows the Large Enterprise model (45 parameters; MSMEs are assessed on 40) and the FAST Quality modules that generate the evidence for each.

#DisciplineCovers (examples)FAST Quality evidence engine
1Organisation & LeadershipQuality/reliability policy, values, leadership communication, risk managementQuality objectives & KPI dashboards; FMEA-based risk management
2Quality ManagementDefence quality standards, Q&R processes, configuration management, process control, capability measurement, product testing, in-process performance, field performanceQuality planning & inspection, SPC with Cp/Cpk, 8D complaint management, document control
3Human ResourcesEmployee development, involvement, knowledge managementCompetence quiz & assessment module (as deployed at ITR); training records
4Design CapabilityDesign capability, IP (copyright, trademark, patent)Design document control and revision management
5TechnologyTechnology selection, upgradation, defence technology developmentDocumented evaluation records and controlled documentation
6OperationsOrganised workplace, daily works management, testing facility, control of monitoring & measuring equipment, planned maintenance, OEE, storage, packagingT&M calibration control (as deployed at ITR), planned maintenance / CMMS, MSA
7Supplier & Material ManagementSupplier management, incoming inspection, material management, counterfeit prevention, traceabilitySupplier quality management, incoming inspection with full lot traceability
8Safety & SecurityPhysical/environmental/employee security, information asset management, safety managementSafety audit checklists and CAPA tracking via audit management
9Customer FocusPost-delivery support, customer service, warranty claims, feedback, timely deliveryComplaint management with response-time KPIs
10FinanceTurnover growth, gross profit marginFinancial records (outside QMS scope — covered in consulting gap review)
How Certification Works

The 6-Step SAMAR Process

The entire process runs through the official portal at samar.gov.in — end-to-end online, with digitized, geo-tagged and time-stamped assessment.

Register for assessment

Applicant registers on the SAMAR portal (samar.gov.in).

DRDO approval

DRDO reviews and approves the application.

Fee payment

Certification fee paid — 80% subsidised for micro, 50% for small enterprises.

Choose assessment date

Applicant selects the onsite assessment date.

Onsite assessment

QCI-empanelled assessors evaluate your unit against the SAMAR parameters.

Rating & certificate

Maturity rating issued; certificate valid for two years.

How We Help — Software

The Evidence Assessors Score, Generated as You Work

Digital inspection records with full traceability — raw material to final product (Disciplines 2, 7)
Calibration control of monitoring, measuring and test equipment with due-date discipline (Discipline 6)
Process capability evidence — SPC charts, Cp/Cpk trends (Discipline 2)
Audit programs with NC tracking and closure evidence (Disciplines 2, 8)
Controlled documents, MOMs and task tracking — one source of truth (Discipline 2)
Employee competence assessments via the quiz module (Discipline 3)
How We Help — Consulting

From Gap Assessment to Assessment Day

1. Gap assessment — parameter-by-parameter scoring of your unit against the SAMAR maturity descriptions
2. Roadmap — prioritized actions to reach your target level, mapped to owners and timelines
3. Implementation — processes, documentation and software deployed together, not as separate projects
4. Mock assessment — a dry run against the standard before you book the real one
5. Assessment support — your evidence organized and retrievable on the day
Proof, Not Promises

Deployed at ITR Chandipur — a DRDO Establishment

FAST Technology's quality management software runs at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur — digitizing audit management, test & measurement calibration control, document management (documents, MOMs and tasks), test & evaluation workflows, and employee competence assessment. When your SAMAR assessor asks how your digital quality system works, you'll be showing them the same class of system a DRDO establishment uses.

What This Means For You
The distance between "we maintain registers" and "our records are digital, traceable and retrievable in seconds" is exactly the distance between SAMAR Level 2 and Level 4. We've built that bridge inside DRDO itself.
FAQ

SAMAR Certification: Frequently Asked Questions

SAMAR (System for Advance Manufacturing Assessment and Rating) is a manufacturing maturity assessment and rating framework developed by DRDO in collaboration with the Quality Council of India (QCI). It benchmarks the quality and reliability maturity of defence manufacturing enterprises — micro, small, medium and large — that produce components, subsystems or complete systems for DRDO labs and establishments.
Yes. Per DRDO's notification, SAMAR certification is mandatory with effect from 01 May 2027 for all industry partners involved in manufacturing components, subsystems and complete systems for any DRDO lab or establishment. Enterprises intending to work with DRDO are advised to pursue certification at the earliest.
SAMAR recognizes five maturity levels: Level 1 (Ad Hoc Beginnings), Level 2 (Early Standardisation), Level 3 (Established Standards), Level 4 (Measured & Controlled) and Level 5 (Continuous Optimisation). Assessment is conducted against defined parameters across ten disciplines, and the certificate is valid for two years.
The Large Enterprise model covers 45 parameters across 10 disciplines: Organisation & Leadership, Quality Management, Human Resources, Design Capability, Technology, Operations, Supplier & Material Management, Safety & Security, Customer Focus, and Finance. MSMEs are assessed on a separate, right-sized model of 40 parameters covering the same disciplines.
Yes. DRDO has subsidized certification costs for its vendors: micro enterprises receive an 80% subsidy and small enterprises a 50% subsidy on the certification fee (as per MSMED Act definitions).
Two ways. Our QMS software digitizes the evidence SAMAR assessors look for — inspection records, calibration control, audits, document control, traceability, supplier quality and maintenance. And our quality consultants run a gap assessment against the SAMAR parameters, build your improvement roadmap, and prepare your team for the onsite assessment. FAST quality software is deployed at ITR (Integrated Test Range) Chandipur, a DRDO establishment.
The Deadline Is Not Waiting

Know Your SAMAR Gap This Month

Book a gap assessment — we score your unit against the SAMAR parameters, hand you the roadmap, and tell you honestly how far you are from your target level.

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