SD-9 Dod Guidance On Participating In The Development And Use Of Non-Government StandardsThe purpose of this document is to promote more effective DoD use of nongovernment standards NGSs and participation in their development.To achieve this purpose, this document describes the different types of NGSs and the organizations that develop them, provides general guidance and practices relative to DoD┬┐s involvement in developing or using NGSs, identifies criteria that should be considered regarding requirements and verification before developing an NGS or replacing an existing military or federal document with an NGS, clarifies the roles and responsibilities of DoD personnel when participating in NGS activities, and explains the meaning of DoD adoption of an NGS and its importance.

Pages 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40

Non-Government Standards Bodies

Types of Non-Government Standards Bodies

NGSBs are private-sector organizations that plan, develop, establish, or coordinate stan- dards.There are many kinds of organizations with a variety of different membership, voting, standards development, and funding models.These variations are often reflected in the manner in which these organizations produce standards. In general, NGSBs

come under one of four categories: trade association, professional society, standards developing organization, and consortia. Some NGSBs develop standards intended only for a very narrow application by their members, some organizations develop standards intended for application in specific geographical areas, and some NGSBs develop stan- dards intended for the global market.

Most NGSBs operate by some form of a consensus process, which typically requires a defined degree of openness, balance, due process, general agreement, participation of interested and affected parties, and a formal process for attempting to resolve differ- ences of opinion.The process of developing standards is usually governed by written procedures covering each step of the process. Consortia and trade associations typically are more restrictive with regard to openness, may not allow certain kinds of represen- tatives to participate, and may not allow all participants to vote. At the other extreme, some standards developers allow any interested party to participate without qualifica- tion, have strict rules concerning balance of different types of participants (users, pro- ducers, general interest), and may require a certain balance in the voting in order to approve a standard.

While the processes used by NGSBs may vary, the standards produced by each method have benefits, and most importantly, they meet the needs of their constituents. It has not been demonstrated one form of standard development produces an inher- ently superior standard.The Department uses standards that meet its needs, irrespective of the standards development process.

NGSBs provide the infrastructure for preparing standards. In the standards develop- ment process, Government personnel participate in NGSB activities along with repre- sentatives from industry, academia, other organizations, and individual consumers. NGSBs are private-sector organizations operating under their own rules; the U.S.

Government is simply one of several stakeholders and participants in their processes.

10   SD-9