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QAPP stands for Quality Assurance Project Plan. In the EPA context it is the project-level document that states how environmental data will be planned, generated, checked and judged fit for their intended use. If you hold an EPA contract, grant or interagency agreement that involves collecting or using environmental data, this page explains which EPA document governs your plan, what a plan covers, and the order of work. Facts are as described on the official EPA pages and the EPA QA/R-5 document on 2026-11-07.
What does EPA QAPP stand for, and who runs it?
QAPP means Quality Assurance Project Plan (EPA also writes it “QA Project Plan”). It is part of the EPA Quality System, which EPA’s own tool diagram places in the planning phase alongside systematic planning, with standard operating procedures, technical assessments and data quality assessment following it. EPA’s Quality Staff publishes the governing documents on its Agency-Wide Quality Program Documents page.
The current requirements document is the EPA Quality Assurance Project Plan Standard, CIO 2105-S-02.1, dated April 3, 2024. EPA states that it defines the minimum requirements for QAPPs for EPA and non-EPA organizations, and that it replaces the older EPA Requirements for QA Project Plans (QA/R-5).
Which document applies to you: the Standard or QA/R-5?
This is the question most template pages skip. As described on the EPA page, the Standard applies to contracts issued on or after July 18, 2023 and to new or supplemental grant awards on or after August 31, 2023. Previously awarded grants continue to use QA/R-5 unless they are amended to add activities that need a QAPP. EPA also lists a one-page summary, FAQs, a crosswalk from the Standard to R-5 and a crosswalk to the Uniform Federal Policy QAPP format. EPA notes that its older guidance documents QA/G-5G, G-5S and G-5M do not crosswalk to the Standard.
| Document | What it is | When it governs |
|---|---|---|
| QAPP Standard, CIO 2105-S-02.1 (April 3, 2024) | Minimum requirements for QAPPs, for EPA and non-EPA organizations | Contracts issued on or after July 18, 2023; new or supplemental grant awards on or after August 31, 2023 |
| EPA QA/R-5 (EPA/240/B-01/003, March 2001; reissued 2006) | Requirements for organizations doing environmental data operations for EPA by contract, financial assistance or interagency agreement | Previously awarded grants, unless amended to add activities needing a QAPP |
| QAPP Guidance (PDF dated October 1, 2025) | Guidance for EPA staff and other organizations developing QAPPs that address the Standard | Supports the Standard; replaces the December 2002 guidance (EPA/240/R-02/009) |
Check your award terms or ask your EPA project officer which applies; the award date and any amendment decide it.
What is the purpose of a quality assurance program?
The aim is defensible data and decisions. EPA’s QA/R-5 frames the quality system as planning, implementation and assessment, with the QA Project Plan as the planning tool that ties a specific project to the organisation’s wider quality system. R-5 also applies a graded approach: quality expectations for a fundamental research programme differ from those for a regulatory compliance programme because the intended use of the data differs. A QAPP is therefore proportionate to the project, not a fixed-length form.
What does a QAPP cover?
EPA’s crosswalk maps the Standard’s section layout and naming to R-5. The legacy R-5 layout, still used for older grants and widely copied in templates, groups 24 elements into four sets:
| R-5 group | Elements |
|---|---|
| A. Project management | A1 Title and Approval Sheet; A2 Table of Contents; A3 Distribution List; A4 Project/Task Organization; A5 Problem Definition/Background; A6 Project/Task Description; A7 Quality Objectives and Criteria; A8 Special Training/Certification; A9 Documents and Records |
| B. Data generation and acquisition | B1 Sampling Process Design; B2 Sampling Methods; B3 Sample Handling and Custody; B4 Analytical Methods; B5 Quality Control; B6 Instrument/Equipment Testing, Inspection and Maintenance; B7 Instrument/Equipment Calibration and Frequency; B8 Inspection/Acceptance of Supplies and Consumables; B9 Non-direct Measurements; B10 Data Management |
| C. Assessment and oversight | C1 Assessments and Response Actions; C2 Reports to Management |
| D. Data validation and usability | D1 Data Review, Verification and Validation; D2 Verification and Validation Methods; D3 Reconciliation with User Requirements |
Several of these overlap with other practices covered on CASRAI: standard operating procedures are referenced for methods, chain of custody underlies sample handling, and calibration records support the instrument elements.
Typical sequence of work
- Plan. Define the problem, the quality objectives and the sampling and analytical design; R-5 points to EPA’s data quality objectives guidance (QA/G-4) for this.
- Write and submit. R-5 requires QA Project Plans prepared by non-EPA organizations to be approved by EPA before work starts.
- Approval and distribution. Under R-5 no environmental data are to be generated or acquired before the plan is approved and received by project personnel, apart from immediate-action situations; EPA may grant conditional approval while non-critical deficiencies are resolved.
- Implement. Staff must have access to the current approved version and follow it as approved.
- Revise when needed. Changes are documented and approved by the same authorities that approved the original. For projects using a generic plan, R-5 calls for EPA project manager review at least annually.
- Assess. Data are reviewed, verified and validated, then reconciled with the user requirements (groups C and D).
Common mistakes
- Starting sampling before approval. R-5 ties data generation to an approved, distributed plan.
- Using the wrong framework. Copying an R-5 template for a 2024 award, or the reverse, without checking the award-date rules above.
- Treating the plan as static. Changes made in the field without documented approval depart from “implemented as approved”.
- Confusing it with the Quality Management Plan. R-5 describes the Quality Management Plan as the organisation-level document that project-specific QA Project Plans support.
Related documents and terms
| Term | Meaning | Source |
|---|---|---|
| QMP | Quality Management Plan: organisation-level, supported by project QAPPs | EPA QA/R-5 |
| QA/G-4 | EPA guidance on the Data Quality Objectives process | EPA QA/R-5, section 1.6 |
| QA/G-6 | EPA guidance on preparing standard operating procedures | EPA QA/R-5, section 1.6 |
| QA/G-9 | EPA guidance on data quality assessment | EPA QA/R-5, section 1.6 |
| UFP QAPP crosswalk | EPA-published mapping of the Standard to the Uniform Federal Policy QAPP format | EPA Quality Program Documents page |
Grant recipients should also read the general financial and compliance rules in the 2 CFR 200 single audit guide; the QAPP is a technical-quality requirement, separate from them. For data record-keeping principles, see what is data integrity.
FAQ
What does EPA QAPP stand for?
Quality Assurance Project Plan: the document describing the quality assurance and quality control procedures for a project that collects or uses environmental data, as required by EPA for work it funds.
What is QAP, and what is a QAP plan?
“QAP” is not EPA’s term; EPA’s project-level document is the QA Project Plan (QAPP), and its organisation-level document is the Quality Management Plan. Where “QAP” or “QA plan” appears, check which kind of document the issuing organisation means. The QooApp mobile app that shares the abbreviation is unrelated.
Is there an official QAPP template, example or PDF?
EPA publishes the Standard, a one-page summary, FAQs and crosswalks on its Quality Program Documents page, and the QAPP Guidance PDF. Regional and state templates exist, but the Standard and your award terms control.
Does the Standard apply to non-EPA organisations?
Yes. EPA states it defines minimum QAPP requirements for EPA and non-EPA organizations.
Sources
- EPA, Agency-Wide Quality Program Documents (QAPP Standard CIO 2105-S-02.1), read 2026-11-07.
- EPA, Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) Guidance, read 2026-11-07.
- EPA, EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans (QA/R-5), EPA/240/B-01/003, archived copy read 2026-11-07.
