ANSI Calls for Comments on Directory of U.S. Technical Requirements as Part of U.S.-India SCCP

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is seeking public comments on a database that will serve as a directory of technical requirements such as standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment used in the U.S. market for five industry sectors. Development of the directory is being completed by ANSI under the U.S.-India Standards and Conformance Cooperation Program (SCCP), a U.S. government – supported initiative that will facilitate market access for U.S. companies in India and other international markets.

Once complete, the directory will be used to promote these approaches internationally, helping to reduce duplicative and/or overly burdensome requirements for U.S. industry in foreign markets. The directory could also be expanded to include other sectors in the future.

The sectors to be included are IT, telecom, petroleum, water purification, and construction equipment. These were selected using recommendations from ANSI staff, as well as input from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA – the funding agency) and the grantee for the project, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The directory will serve to fill a market need for a central place to find information on the standards, regulations, and conformity assessment used by U.S. industry in the U.S. market. It will facilitate the adoption of these U.S. approaches in international markets, leading to reduced barriers to trade. U.S. stakeholders will be better able to advocate for the increased use of certain standards and conformance approaches across the globe. This may be particularly useful in putting forward U.S. input early in the process, when advocacy efforts are most effective. For example, India is currently working to modernize and overhaul its standards and regulatory systems, and it is expected that new requirements for a broad range of industry sectors will be introduced in the next 3 to 5 years. At this stage, the directory can be a useful tool to provide input to India on the approaches that are used in the U.S. market.

To view more information on the directory and included scopes, and to download the data collected in Excel format, click here. Comments should be sent electronically to [email protected] by Friday, October 8, 2010.

After analyzing comments received by the deadline, ANSI intends to make the directory publicly available online through www.StandardsPortal.org. Once the online version is available there will be future opportunities for stakeholders to provide comments or suggestions to make the directory as useful as possible.

To learn more about the SCCP, visit www.StandardsPortal.org/us-indiasccp. Questions can be directed to Leslie McDermott, ANSI program administrator for international development ([email protected]; 202-331-3626).

Additional information about the scopes covered in the directory

Below are the scopes to be covered in the directory. The scopes are defined by the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO's) International Classification for Standards (ICS) codes, which are used by ISO and to classify national standards in most countries. Using this system will ultimately facilitate the comparison of standards and other requirements between countries. Please see the ISO standard for further clarification on the ICS codes listed.

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).

SOURCE American National Standards Institute