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Government Interface & Government Interface & Corporate OutreachCorporate Outreach

Anthony Quinn

Director, Public PolicyASTM International

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ASTM InternationalASTM International

About ASTM International

• Non-governmental, not-for-profit organization

• Develops voluntary, consensus standards

• Does not provide certification or accreditation services

ASTM’s objectives

• Promote public health and safety, and the overall quality of life

• Contribute to the reliability of materials, products, systems and services

• Facilitate national, regional, and international commerce

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Role of StandardsRole of Standards

Standards in the Public and Private Sector

• Impact global trade, innovation and competition

• Guide product design, development, market access

• Used by companies, research labs, government agencies

ASTM International Standards

• Voluntary consensus standards

• Regularly reviewed

• Meet World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for international standards

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1. Government Interface1. Government Interface

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ASTM in Washington, DCASTM in Washington, DC

Government Affairs

• Congress

• Federal government agencies

Stakeholder Outreach

• Companies

• Embassy officials based in Washington

• Industry associations

• International Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

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ASTM Washington Office RoleASTM Washington Office Role

• Connects ASTM’s work and builds awareness among policymakers.

• Represents ASTM before Congress, federal agencies, ANSI, other SDOs, and trade associations.

• Engages in legislative, regulatory, and trade matters.

• Strengthens relationships with ASTM stakeholders

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Advancing ASTM’s Mission & Business StrategiesAdvancing ASTM’s Mission & Business Strategies

• Remove barriers to the worldwide acceptance and use of ASTM standards.

• Ensure proper recognition of ASTM standards in laws and regulations.

• Address government policies that duplicate or conflict with the interests of ASTM.

• Identify opportunities for new ASTM activities

Government legislative, regulatory, and research initiatives create the need for new private sector standards.

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U.S. Standards SystemU.S. Standards System

Voluntary and led by the private sector

Requires cooperation among stakeholders• Standards organizations

• Industry, consumers, and users

• Government representatives

• Academia

Meets stakeholders’ needs• Protect safety, health, and environment

• Improve industry competitiveness

• Facilitate global trade and market access

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U.S. Legal and Policy FrameworkU.S. Legal and Policy Framework

National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (NTTAA)

• Requires federal government agencies to use standards developed by

voluntary consensus standards organization when possible

• Encourages federal government agencies to participate in standards

development organizations

OMB Circular No. A-119

• Reinforces goals of National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act

• Discourages federal agencies from using government-unique standards

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National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA)(NTTAA)

“…all Federal agencies and departments shall use technical standards that are developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies,

using such technical standards as a means to carry out policy objectives or activities determined by the agencies and departments….

and shall, when such participation is in the public interest…participate with such bodies in the development of technical standards.”

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Other U.S. Laws of InterestOther U.S. Laws of Interest

Consumer Product Safety Act

• 15,000 different types of consumer products

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act of 1997

• Food safety, drugs, and cosmetic products

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970

• Workplace safety and health

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Benefits to the U.S. Government

Eliminate/reduce costs of developing standards

Decrease costs of good purchased • Commercial off the shelf procurement

Promotes efficiency and economic competition

Relies on the private sector to meet needs• Access to industry experts and technology

• Process is faster and more dynamic

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U.S. Government use of U.S. Government use of Voluntary Consensus StandardsVoluntary Consensus Standards

Regulation that incorporates standard by reference

• An agency may adopt a voluntary standard (without changes) by incorporating the standard in a regulation by listing (or referencing) the standard by title.

• This approach eliminates the cost to the agency of creating a new standard

Regulation based on existing standard

• An agency reviews an existing standard and makes changes to match its goal or need.

• Agency conducts rulemaking process to solicit public opinion and stakeholder input

Public Notification and Comments

• An agency must publish a notice in the Federal Register when making a new rule or incorporating a standard by reference

• When creating a new rule based on an existing standard, an agency may change the proposed rule in response to public comments

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Federal Agencies & ASTM StandardsFederal Agencies & ASTM Standards

U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

• 6,500 voluntary consensus standards incorporated by reference in federal law

• About 3,000 ASTM standards listed in CFR for regulations and procurement

U.S. Federal Register• Public notification of standards adoptions

• Instructions for public comments

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Congress & ASTM Standards in LawCongress & ASTM Standards in Law

Congress may adopt consensus standards by reference into regulation

If law is approved, the standard then becomes a mandatory requirement

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Top 10 Regulatory SDOs in USTop 10 Regulatory SDOs in US

Standards Developing OrganizationStandards Developing Organization Standards Standards in US CFRin US CFR

1 ASTM International ASTM 2366

2 American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME 599

3 American National Standards Institute ANSI 576

4 Society of Automotive Engineers SAE 418

5 National Fire Protection Association NFPA 380

6 American Petroleum Institute API 270

7 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA 242

8 State of Illinois IL 206

9 Association of Official Analytical Chemists AOAC 199

10 Insulated Cable Engineers Association ICEA 192

Source: http://standards.gov

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U.S. Government Participation in ASTMU.S. Government Participation in ASTM

U.S. Government is a partner and key stakeholder

• Active U.S. Government participation in 93% of ASTM committees

• Broad range of federal agencies represented on ASTM committees

• 1000 units of U.S. Government participation in ASTM

• Government participants serve in leadership roles on ASTM Board of Directors

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U.S. Government Participation in ASTMU.S. Government Participation in ASTM

U.S. Federal Agency

ASTM Members

Agriculture 59

Commerce (incl. NIST) 194

CPSC 33

Defense 47

Energy 57

EPA 68

FAA 12

HHS (incl. FDA) 90

HUD 7

U.S. Federal Agency

ASTM Members

Interior 49

Justice 11

NASA 47

NRC 10

OSHA 13

Transportation 58

Treasury 45

VA 4

   

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ASTM Initiatives with U.S. Government

Ensure reference to current standards

• Regular review of the Code of Federal Regulations and

Congressional Record

• Communicate technical committee concerns to policymakers

Understand procurement and regulatory standards needs

• Review of Regulatory Plan and Agenda

• New Work Item Registration questions

• Encourage government liaison with and participation in

committee activities

Facts and ChallengesFacts and Challenges

Standards are not always a top priority

• Constant educational process

Agencies must use lengthy rulemaking process to update or revise references

Roles and attitudes vary across federal agencies

At the U.S. state-level, no NTTAA-like policy exists

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ASTM StrategyASTM Strategy

Understand agency needs, concerns and goals, and how ASTM fits into their agenda.

Communicate

Seek advice from agency reps and other committees

No one size-fits-all approach

• Be flexible to meet the needs of agencies

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2. Corporate Outreach2. Corporate Outreach

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ASTM Organizational ObjectiveASTM Organizational Objective

““Promote a greater corporate awareness Promote a greater corporate awareness regarding the importance of standards regarding the importance of standards and the value of ASTM.and the value of ASTM.””

• ASTM 2006 objectives approved by the Board.

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ASTM Engages Decision-makers ASTM Engages Decision-makers

Raise awareness of standards and ASTM

Identify opportunities for collaboration on policy (regulatory and trade) issues of mutual interest

Seek industry feedback on activities and challenges

• including the removal of global barriers to the acceptance and use of ASTM standards

Ensure ASTM is meeting industry needs

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ChallengesChallenges

Executives lack standards knowledge

• Casual knowledge of international standardization

• View it as technical issue instead of trade barrier

Preconceived notions and misinformation

• Confusion about what makes an ‘international standard’

Often make quick standards decisions

• Easiest or cheapest rather than strategic

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Benefits to Industry Are Clear

Minimize safety hazards

Manage liability while reducing risk

Satisfy regulations and laws

Facilitate global trade

Reap cost savings by procuring readily available equipment at lower costs

Reduce internal company specifications

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ASTM Standards Impact the Global EconomyASTM Standards Impact the Global Economy

Standards facilitate trade and boost GDP

• The U.S. Commerce Department estimates that standards-related issues impacted 80% of world commodity trade.

• In 2000, a German study found the direct economic benefit of standardization was 1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

ASTM standards impact the global economy

• 84 countries from every region of the world reference ASTM standards in laws or codes

• Over 400 ASTM standards references in European legislation since 2001

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Helping Industry Meet Global Challenges

ASTM’s MOUs with 60 developing countries

• MOUs embed ASTM standards directly into the national portfolios and technical regulations

• MOU partners in key emerging markets

ASTM standards open doors and open markets

• Easier to export products made and tested to ASTM standards.

• Technology transfer improves infrastructure for sourcing

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MOU Agreements by RegionMOU Agreements by Region

Asia Europe Latin America &

CaribbeanMiddle East & North Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa

AFGHANISTAN ALBANIA* BOLIVIA EGYPT BOTSWANA

CHINA BOSNIA CHILE GCC (Gulf States) CONGO

INDONESIA BULGARIA COLOMBIA IRAQ ETHIOPIA

KOREA CROATIA COSTA RICA ISRAEL GHANA

MALAYSIA ROMANIA* DOMINICA JORDAN KENYA

MONGOLIA RUSSIA ECUADOR MOROCCO MAURITIUS

PAKISTAN KAZAKHSTAN EL SALVADOR PALESTINE MOZAMBIQUE

PHILLIPINES   GRENADA TURKEY NIGERIA

SINGAPORE   GUATEMALA QATAR SOUTH AFRICA

SRI LANKA   HONDURAS SAUDI ARABIA UGANDA

TAIWAN   JAMAICA   ZAMBIA

VIETNAM   PANAMA   ZIMBABWE

    PERU    

    NICARAGUA    

    ST. LUCIA    

    ST. VINCENT & GRENADINES    

    TRINIDAD & TOBAGO    

    URUGUAY    

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ASTM Message to IndustryASTM Message to Industry

ASTM standards meet World Trade Organization (WTO) criteria for “international standards”

• No WTO list of international bodies

• WTO recognizes multiple approaches to international standardization

ASTM supports industry needs to choose the best standard, regardless of the source

ASTM makes it easy to participate in international standards development

• Technology drives efficiency

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WTO Principles for StandardsWTO Principles for Standards

ASTM International principles:

• Transparency

• Openness

• Impartiality and consensus

• Effectiveness and relevance

• Coherence

• Consideration of developing

nations’ views and concerns

WTO principles:

• Transparency

• Openness

• Impartiality and consensus

• Effectiveness and relevance

• Coherence

• Consideration of developing

nations’ views and concerns

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ASTM Corporate OutreachASTM Corporate Outreach

ASTM is connecting to the business and manufacturing community

Staff completed meetings with industry trade associations in 2008

• Washington, Stockholm, Moscow, Mexico City, Chicago, Brussels, Beijing

ASTM Board has commissioned two studies to illustrate standards impact on profitability

• Enables us to target broader audiences.

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III. Questions and DiscussionIII. Questions and Discussion

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Contact InformationContact Information

Anthony QuinnDirector, International Trade and Public Policy

ASTM International

1828 L Street NW, Suite 906

Washington, DC 20036 USA

Email: aquinn@astm.org

Tel.: +1 202 223-8484