Standardisation
Effective standardisation fosters innovation, forceful competition and advances profitability, enabling a business to take a leading role in shaping the industry itself
Standardisation is a prime means of diffusing innovation through the whole economy, ensuring that the bulk of firms do not lag too far behind the early adopters of new ideas.
In modern trade, standardisation helps business along the supply chain, by providing better access to markets, and can also deliver measurable benefits when applied within the infrastructure of a company itself. Business costs and risks can be minimised, internal processes streamlined and communication improved. Standardisation promotes interoperability, providing a competitive edge in the market place necessary for the effective worldwide trading of products and services. In particular for SMEs, demonstrable compliance with an accepted standard can substitute for the power of a big brand.
What is standardisation?
Standardisation comprises the development of the standard as well as its usage - that end-users of the service or product have confidence in their purchase because the supplier has not only used an appropriate standard in producing that product or service but is shown to have so done through competent and independent assessment.
BIS' role in standardisation
BIS is standardisation's advocate in Whitehall . It is responsible for UK Government policy on all matters relating to standards-making, accreditation and conformity assessment. In Innovation Delivery we strive to strengthen the standards, accreditation and conformity assessment infrastructure so that it meets the needs of UK industry and to make the processes more relevant and business friendly. We sponsor and work closely with the British Standards Institution (BSI) as the UK National Standards Body (NSB) and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) as the National Accreditation Body (NAB).
Through the European Commission (EC) we contribute to the development of European standardisation policy, promoting the removal of barriers to trade. This includes the recent:
- EC Regulation on accreditation and market surveillance; and
- EC Decision on a common framework for the marketing of products.
We are also the central contact point for Directive 98/34/EC that requires Member States to notify the EC of proposed national technical regulations; and Mutual Recognition of Conformity Assessment; and Refusals of Mutual Recognition Decision 3052/95/EC.
In pursuing our standardisation role we work closely with our Technical Regulations colleagues and also a number of other government departments.
The MoD's DStan (UK Defence Standardization) works to develop, facilitate and communicate UK MoD standardisation policies, standards, procedures and guidance on standardisation issues both nationally and internationally. More information on Defence standardisation can be found at http://www.dstan.mod.uk
