Brazilian Federal Government created the standard PBQP-H, aiming at organizing the construction sector around two main elements: habitat quality improvement and productive modernization. The standard provides alignment to the concepts of ISO 9001:2015. This study discusses the importance of meeting the standard requirements in construction work, the challenges and the associated critical risk factors in maintaining the certification to this standard. As a methodological approach an in-depth literature review and a case study were conducted to identify the critical risk factors. The case study was conducted in a specific company that adopted the standard. The performance of the construction company against the requirements of PBQP-H was evaluated by a third-party quality audit and based on its result and the information obtained from the literature review, the critical factors were identified and the respective actions developed. AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) was used to prioritize the risk factors. As a result, the critical factors and the respective actions were listed by priority. Maintaining the certification and compliance to a quality program is a challenge for construction companies all over the world. However, when the risk factors are known and properly responded and risk responses correctly implemented, it leads to waste /cost avoidance. This study is important for engineers, professionals and companies working in construction field.