Provides guidelines for improving the quality of mechanical equipment. It is intended to mutually benefit users, contractors, and suppliers and facilitate improved relationships between them by promoting trust, teamwork, and communication. A three-part approach for improving the quality of mechanical equipment is described in this recommended practice, consisting of (a) the traditional methods used to help assure quality; (b) techniques that can be used to identify those suppliers who have quality systems so effective that intense user involvement is unnecessary, and (c) suggestions on how users, contractors, and suppliers can work together to improve quality.