ETQ Reliance
by Octave (formerly ETQ) · Healthcare & Life Sciences
Cloud QMS for document control, CAPA, audits, supplier and EHS compliance.
Updated August 2026 · By the ERP Research Editorial Team · Independent and vendor-neutral.
- Works with
SAP
Oracle- Deployment
- Cloud
- Pricing
- Quote-based
- Founded
- 1992
- Headquarters
- Farmingdale, New York, United States
Overview
ETQ Reliance is a cloud-based quality management system (QMS) originally built by ETQ, a Farmingdale, New York company that began operating on March 4, 1992. Hexagon AB acquired ETQ in 2022, and in 2025-2026 Hexagon spun ETQ off, together with Bricsys and its Asset Lifecycle Intelligence and Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial divisions, into a new independent public company, Octave. The product is now marketed as Octave Reliance, though the ETQ Reliance name remains in wide use and etq.com now redirects to Octave's site; Octave describes the change as a rebrand with the underlying software, support and roadmap unchanged.
Reliance packages more than 40 ready-to-use applications covering document control, quality events, CAPA and nonconformance management, audit management, training, supplier and supply-chain quality, change management, risk, environmental health and safety, and life-sciences-specific compliance such as complaint handling and electronic medical device reporting. A codeless application designer lets customers configure workflows without custom development, and the platform includes built-in analytics dashboards, electronic signatures and audit trails, running on AWS cloud infrastructure.
Reliance connects to ERP, PLM, MES and other enterprise systems through REST APIs and prebuilt connectors; Octave's own Life Sciences Compliance documentation names SAP and Oracle specifically as supported ERP integrations. The vendor targets regulated and quality-critical industries: life sciences and pharmaceuticals, medical devices, aerospace and defense, food and beverage, chemicals and petrochemicals, healthcare, electronics and general manufacturing, citing customers including General Motors, Lumileds, Celestica, Rheem, Owen Mumford, Illumina, Novo Nordisk and Huvepharma in its case studies.
Screenshots & demo
Demo video from the vendor's YouTube channel.
Features & capabilities
Document Control & Training
Centralised authoring, review and distribution of controlled documents, linked to training requirements.
- Document lifecycle management: create, import, distribute and archive
- Multi-phase approval routing (draft, review, approval, release) with automated reminders
- Native Google Docs and Microsoft Office integration for collaborative editing
- Role-based access control for document security
- Training linkage: define documents required for training and auto-notify pending training
- Unlimited configurable workflows with email notifications for overdue tasks
Quality Events, CAPA & Nonconformance
Captures and investigates deviations, complaints and nonconformances before committing to corrective action.
- Configurable library of quality event types: audit findings, complaints, nonconformances, out-of-spec/trend events, procedure deviations, lab investigations
- "Quality events first, CAPA second" workflow that separates capture from full investigation
- Root-cause analysis and investigation tracking
- Trend analysis across events to surface systemic issues
- Dedicated Nonconformance Management (NCM) application
- CAPA application with linked corrective/preventive action tracking
Audit Management
Plans, executes and reports internal, external, supplier and compliance audits.
- Configurable audit checklists and profiles by audit type
- Mobile app support for remote and offsite audits
- Launch investigations and CAPAs directly from audit findings
- Change requests raised directly from an audit record
- Built-in charting and audit reporting
- Works with the Document Control application to assemble audit documentation
Supplier & Supply Chain Quality
Tracks supplier performance and inbound quality alongside internal quality data.
- Supplier quality management application housing supplier and parts data
- Supply chain quality management for inbound inspection and sampling
- Links to the Audit Management application for supplier audits
- Supplier corrective action tracking
Life Sciences & Regulatory Compliance
Purpose-built application for pharmaceutical and medical-device complaint handling and regulatory submissions.
- Complaints management with tracking of all involved parties
- Electronic Medical Device Reporting (eMDR) form support
- HL7 Individual Case Safety Report option for eMDR
- 21 CFR Part 11 and EU Annex 11 electronic signatures and audit trails
- Self-validation packages or expert computer-system-validation consulting
- Integration with risk management and CAPA tools
Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS)
Extends the same workflow engine to environmental and workplace-safety management.
- Environmental management application
- Health and safety / EHS management application
- New product introduction application
- Risk register application
Common use cases
- Consolidating dozens of legacy or site-specific quality systems onto a single QMS after an acquisition or plant rollout
- Managing FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and EU Annex 11 electronic records/signatures for pharmaceutical and medical-device manufacturers
- Running ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 audit programs across multiple manufacturing sites
- Tracking supplier quality and inbound inspection data for automotive and aerospace supply chains
- Automating medical device complaint intake and eMDR regulatory reporting
- Linking document control training requirements to employee competency records
- Building custom quality workflows without a development team, using the codeless application designer
Strengths & considerations
Strengths
- 40+ ready-to-use, codeless-configurable applications spanning the full quality lifecycle rather than a single-purpose CAPA or audit tool
- Deep life-sciences/regulated-industry depth, with built-in eMDR, HL7 ICSR, and 21 CFR Part 11 / EU Annex 11 support
- Long operating history as ETQ (founded 1992) now backed by Octave, the 2026 public spin-off of Hexagon AB's software divisions
- REST API and prebuilt-connector integration layer that vendor documentation names against SAP and Oracle specifically
ERP integrations
Pricing
Octave does not publish list pricing for Reliance; cost is driven by the applications, users and sites selected, priced as an annual subscription. Buyers request pricing via Octave's sales contact form. Get an independent shortlist with pricing guidance below.
Technical & security
- Hosting
- SaaS, built on AWS cloud infrastructure with encryption in transit and at rest
- Compliance
- ISO 9001, ISO 27001, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11, IATF 16949
- Mobile app
- Yes
About the vendor
- Founded
- 1992
- Headquarters
- Farmingdale, New York, United States
- Ownership
- Public (Octave Intelligence plc; spun off from Hexagon AB, completed May 2026; Hexagon had owned ETQ since 2022)
- Notable customers
- General Motors, Lumileds, Celestica, Rheem, Owen Mumford, Illumina, Novo Nordisk, Huvepharma
Alternatives to ETQ Reliance in Healthcare & Life Sciences
ETQ Reliance — frequently asked questions
Is ETQ Reliance the same product as Octave Reliance?
Yes. Hexagon AB acquired ETQ in 2022, then spun ETQ off, along with Bricsys and other divisions, into the independent public company Octave in 2026. Reliance is the rebranded name of the same platform; Octave states the core functionality and roadmap are unchanged, and etq.com now redirects to Octave's site.
What ERP systems does ETQ Reliance integrate with?
Reliance connects to enterprise systems through REST APIs and prebuilt connectors. Octave's own product documentation names SAP and Oracle as supported ERP integrations, alongside PLM, MES and LIMS systems.
What industries is ETQ Reliance built for?
The vendor targets regulated and quality-critical industries, including life sciences and pharmaceuticals, medical devices, aerospace and defense, food and beverage, chemicals and petrochemicals, healthcare, electronics and general manufacturing.
How is ETQ Reliance priced?
Octave does not publish list pricing for Reliance. It is sold as an annual subscription with cost driven by the applications, users and sites selected; buyers request a quote through Octave's sales contact form.
What compliance standards does ETQ Reliance support?
The platform supports ISO 9001, ISO 27001, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11 and IATF 16949, and includes electronic signatures, audit trails and computer-system-validation support for regulated life-sciences customers.
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