An introduction to “standards, conformity, assessment, and trade”

m In 1993, the National Academy of Sciences was asked by the U.S. Congress to perform an in-depth study of the relationships among standards, conformity assessment, and international trade, with an emphasis on U.S. economic competitiveness. The authors participated as part of, respectively, the Academy’s study committee and staff. The study led to the publication of Standards, Conformity Assessment, and Trade: Into the 21st Century (National Academy Press, 1995). he Academy study helped to bring about a sea change in the way the federal government interacts with national and international voluntary consensus standards systems. The Academy’s conclusions and principal recommendations (reprinted in the next section) were accepted by the Congress and made into law in the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA) of 1995 (P.L. 104–113). The law contains several key provisions affecting federal use of standards and participation in the voluntary standards system: