Customer & Industry Requirements
PFAS substances prohibited under Ford RSMS
Declaration threshold for all substances in IMDS
Before Job 1—IMDS reporting and RSMS compliance deadline
Regulation Overview
International Material Data System (IMDS) and Global Material Approval (iPoint Approval)
Ford WSS-M99P9999-A1 is Ford Motor Company's Restricted Substance Management Standard (RSMS)—the primary OEM specification governing hazardous and declarable substance control across Ford's global supply chain. For compliance and supply chain teams, Ford WSS-M99P9999-A1 compliance is mandatory for every part, material, and chemical supplied to Ford, Lincoln, and all Ford joint ventures worldwide.
The standard aligns with and extends the Global Automotive Declarable Substance List (GADSL) while adding Ford-specific prohibitions—including over 500 PFAS compounds. Suppliers must declare all substances present at or above 0.1% by weight through IMDS, report prohibited substances at detection limits, and obtain annual RSMS certification. Ford WSS-M99P9999-A1 compliance is a prerequisite for PPAP approval, Q1 status, and continued supplier qualification.
The standard intersects directly with EU REACH, EU RoHS, TSCA, California Proposition 65, and China CAMDS requirements—meaning a single part may face substance obligations across multiple frameworks simultaneously.
Tier 1 suppliers providing parts, materials, or assemblies to Ford Motor Company globally
Tier 2 and sub-tier suppliers cascading RSMS requirements down the supply chain
Suppliers of non-dimensional materials (chemicals, adhesives, sealants, coatings) requiring Toxicology clearance
Ford joint venture partners including JMC, ChangAn, Ford Otosan, and Sollers
Suppliers of service parts and Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD) components
Suppliers of production tooling, equipment, and packaging materials
Key Thresholds
Ford releases the RSMS package every Q1 with updated prohibitions and declaration requirements. Newly listed substances require resubmission of previously approved parts. Your team must identify every affected part number, request updated declarations from suppliers across multiple tiers, resubmit IMDS datasheets, and certify by December 31. With hundreds of part numbers and dozens of suppliers, this annual cycle overwhelms manual substance tracking processes.
A new vehicle program launches. Full IMDS reporting must be complete 8 months before Job 1—with 100% material composition, correct CAS numbers, and all GADSL substances declared. Supplier 1 submits incomplete data. Supplier 2 reports a GADSL substance without the correct CAS number, which IMDS will not accept. Supplier 3 marks a declarable substance as confidential, violating Ford's reporting rules. Each rejection delays PPAP approval and risks program timing.
Ford WSS-M99P9999-A1 compliance requires parallel submissions across IMDS (for dimensional parts), iPoint Approval (for non-dimensional chemicals), CAMDS (for China-produced vehicles), and Conflict Minerals Reporting Templates. Each system has different formats, different timelines, and different validation rules. Without a centralized compliance data backbone, teams manage substance data in disconnected spreadsheets and email threads.
Ford requires every supplier to cascade RSMS requirements to the lowest tier. But Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers often lack IMDS access, submit data in proprietary formats, or are unaware of Ford-specific prohibitions beyond GADSL. A single non-compliant sub-tier material can trigger IMDS rejection, PPAP failure, and Q1 risk for the Tier 1 supplier—who bears full responsibility for the entire assembly.
Certivo In Action
Certivo in Action — Ford RSMS Workflow
Features Tabs
Automotive Manufacturing
Your Pain Point
Annual RSMS recertification across thousands of part numbers; IMDS reporting tied to PPAP approval
Electronics Manufacturing
Your Pain Point
Complex PCBAs with multiple GADSL substances; REC019 deactivation requires full component reporting
Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment
Your Pain Point
Legacy materials with Ford-specific prohibitions; multi-framework obligations across REACH, RoHS, and RSMS
Chemical Manufacturing
Your Pain Point
Non-dimensional materials requiring Toxicology clearance; PFAS prohibitions affecting formulations
Aerospace & Defense
Your Pain Point
Stringent documentation for dual-use automotive-aerospace components; sub-tier cascade requirements
Building Materials & Construction
Your Pain Point
Construction-grade materials entering automotive supply chain; diverse chemical inputs across suppliers
From Manual IMDS Data Entry to Exception Management
CORA extracts substance data automatically from any supplier format. Your team focuses on exceptions that need human judgment—not manual CAS-number lookups and IMDS data entry. AI-native compliance automation eliminates repetitive processing across your Ford supplier base.
RSMS Certification Acceleration
Generate complete, audit-ready RSMS certification evidence and PPAP material compliance packages in hours—not the 4–6 weeks of manual compilation across IMDS, iPoint, and internal systems.
Proactive Ford Compliance Management
When Ford releases the annual RSMS update, Certivo reassesses your entire portfolio instantly through continuous compliance monitoring and audit readiness. Know which parts are affected before certification deadlines—and before PPAP approvals are at risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What products and suppliers are subject to Ford WSS-M99P9999-A1 compliance obligations?
Every supplier providing parts, materials, chemicals, equipment, or packaging to Ford Motor Company worldwide must comply with the RSMS. This includes Tier 1 through sub-tier suppliers, and applies equally to production parts, service parts, and non-dimensional materials. The standard covers all Ford brands and joint ventures globally—JMC, ChangAn, Ford Otosan, Sollers, and Lincoln. Certivo's automated supplier data collection and CORA-powered campaigns help suppliers at every tier meet Ford RSMS obligations efficiently.
What happens if a supplier fails to meet Ford RSMS compliance requirements?
Non-compliance with Ford WSS-M99P9999-A1 directly impacts PPAP approval—the IMDS "PPAP Approve" column must show "YES" for every part number. RSMS non-compliance also affects Q1 supplier status and Manufacturing Site Assessment scores. Ford can reject part submissions, delay program launches, and restrict supplier qualifications. Certivo's continuous compliance monitoring ensures your RSMS certification and IMDS reporting remain current, preventing PPAP rejections and Q1 risk.
How does Certivo handle the annual Ford RSMS update cycle?
Certivo maintains alignment with each annual RSMS release, incorporating new substance prohibitions, updated RSL entries, and GADSL changes within days of Ford's Q1 publication. When new substances are added—such as expanded PFAS prohibitions—CORA reassesses your entire portfolio through regulatory intelligence and horizon scanning, identifies affected parts, and triggers supplier re-declaration workflows automatically.
What declaration formats does Certivo accept from Ford supply chain suppliers?
Certivo accepts any format through AI document parsing and certificate validation: PDF declarations, Excel spreadsheets, IMDS exports, IPC-1752, XML files, and freeform responses. CORA extracts substance data regardless of format or language, eliminating the need to standardize supplier inputs across a multi-tier automotive supply chain. This enables centralized substance reporting even from sub-tier suppliers without direct IMDS access.
Does Certivo support Ford RSMS alongside REACH, RoHS, TSCA, and other regulatory frameworks?
Yes. Certivo validates a single supplier submission against Ford's full RSL, GADSL, REACH SVHCs, RoHS restricted substances, TSCA requirements, California Prop 65, and PFAS regulations simultaneously. This multi-framework approach through BOM substance and threshold management eliminates duplicate declaration campaigns and ensures compliance across overlapping OEM and regulatory requirements from one centralized compliance data backbone.