American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

The American National Standards Institute was founded in 1918 with the mission to enhance the global competitiveness of American businesses and the American quality of life. ANSI goals are to promote and facilitate voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguard their integrity. ANSI empowers its members and constituents to strengthen the U.S. marketplace position in the global economy by overseeing the creation, promulgation, and use of norms and guidelines that impact businesses in nearly all sectors of the marketplace, according to the organization's website.

According to ANSI, “Conformity assessment is defined as a, 'demonstration that specified requirements relating to a product, process, system, person or body are fulfilled.'" Many conformity assessment activities are applied in today’s global marketplace such as accreditation, certification, inspection and registration. Accreditation is the one dimension of the conformity assessment process that concerns ANSI. The beneficial value of accreditation will ultimately be assessed by the marketplace and customers of conformity assessment services. Accredited third-party certification offers suppliers an independent evaluation of compliance. Suppliers’ procurement organizations “are increasingly specifying, and government agencies are recognizing, accredited third-party certification as an optional dimension of their systems for risk management,” states ANSI.

Standardization helps consumers in ways we usually take for granted. Every time we flip a light switch or stop at a red light we are taking advantage of standardization. Getting cash from an ATM machine is made easier by standards and standardization. According to ANSI, “A standard is a documented agreement, established by a consensus of subject matter experts and approved by a recognized body, that provides rules, guidelines or characteristics to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.” The government often adopts the voluntary ANSI standards as a part of the regulatory framework.

Consumers play an important role in raising awareness of issues concerning special needs consumers such as children, the disabled, or the elderly. Consumer involvement in standardization promotes safer, healthier, and environmentally sound products and services, and increases consumer confidence in the quality of products and services.

ANSI works to facilitate the growing trend of government agencies using voluntary consensus standards created in the private sector. ANSI bridges the gap between private and government legislative bodies to provide information affecting the standards community. Legislators often need a neutral information source regarding standards and how to gain access to appropriate developers. Government agencies use standards in their work in regulations and laws, procurement, and in internal operations. ANSI works to develop public policy positions on issues that concern the standards community through the work of the National Policy Committee (NPC). Today, ANSI is an advocate of increased use of voluntary consensus standards by government agencies and broader participation by agency personnel in standards development. As increased technology becomes available  it is important for private and government agencies to come together to make use of voluntary standards and standardization that simplify life for all consumers.