Newly Published Edition of United States Standards Strategy Supports U.S. Competitiveness and International Trade

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system, is pleased to announce the release of the updated United States Standards Strategy (USSS) - Third Edition. The Strategy articulates the principles and tactics that guide how the United States develops standards and participates in the international standards-setting process.

"The U.S. voluntary standardization system is as vital and dynamic as our nation itself," said S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. "Embracing a strategic standards framework that is flexible and responsive to a diverse range of national and global priorities will further strengthen U.S. competitiveness."

Voluntary consensus standards are at the very foundation of the U.S. economy, and are the building blocks for innovation and competitiveness on the global stage. The U.S. Standards Strategy builds upon the traditional strengths of the U.S. system — such as consensus, openness, and transparency — while giving additional emphasis to speed, relevance, and meeting important national priorities.

ANSI's role in the development of the USSS has been that of facilitator and administrator, working closely with hundreds of representatives of industry; small, medium and large enterprise; standards developers and consortia; consumer groups; and federal and state government. The result represents the vision of a broad cross-section of standards stakeholders and that reflects the diversity of the U.S. standards system.

First approved in 2000, the Strategy underwent a substantial revision in December 2005 under an agreement that it be revisited on a regular basis to ensure relevancy. The third edition of the Strategy was unanimously approved by the ANSI Board of Directors at its year-end meeting on December 2, 2010.

In preparing this third edition of the document, reviewers determined that the Strategy remained highly relevant and responsive to current needs but identified certain key modifications to reflect:

• Greater reliance on cross-sector collaborations;
• Increased importance of public-private sector partnerships;
• Enhanced U.S. government efforts to coordinate agency standards activities and engagement; and
• U.S. government recognition of the integrity of the existing U.S. standards process through active participation in standards development and as a user of standards for regulation and procurement.

"I encourage every member of the U.S. standardization community to endorse the U.S. Standards Strategy and incorporate its core tactics into their own organization's business and strategic practices," continued Bhatia. "Additional support or endorsement of the Strategy by members of Congress, top-level government agency officials, and industry leaders will demonstrate the critical role that standards play in promoting U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace."

The Strategy and accompanying background information are available at www.ansi.org/usss or www.us-standards-strategy.org. A related document guiding the principles of U.S. conformity assessment activities, the National Conformity Assessment Principles for the United States, is available at www.ansi.org/ncap.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).