Global Quality Infrastructure

Prepared by Andy Henson

BIPM
Updated (2023) and presented by Dr Wynand
Louw
NMISA RIID
CIPM
Outline

Quality Infrastructure
– What is it and how does it work?
– Who are the key players?
– How are we seen by the community?
Example of how it works
QI as a concept

2
Learning objectives

Understand:
– the global context of QI
– where metrology fits
– why it matters
Some of the interconnections
And later today…
– Importance of QI in practice (South Africa)

3
Quality infrastructure
Definition adopted in June 2017 (then DCMAS)
by InetQI Network (BIPM IAF, IEC, IIOC, IQNET Association, ILAC, ISO, ITC, ITU, OIML, UNECE and
UNIDO) + WBG (the World Bank Group).

“The system comprising the organizations (public and private) together with the policies, relevant legal and
regulatory framework, and practices needed to support and enhance the quality, safety and environmental
soundness of goods, services and processes.

The quality infrastructure is required for the effective operation of domestic markets, and its international
recognition is important to enable access to foreign markets. It is a critical element in promoting and
sustaining economic development, as well as environmental and social wellbeing.

• metrology
• standardisation
It relies on • accreditation
• conformity assessment, and
• market surveillance” (in regulated areas)
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Global “Quality Infrastructure”
National National Metrology
Standards Body definition of units Institute
(as required in standards)
accreditation body standards
calibration
• Enhanced product quality and
certificate
required for
compatibility
National Accreditation Body laboratory
accreditation • Enhanced safety and health
certification
body
inspection
body
testing
laboratory
calibration
laboratory
• Decreased environmental
standards standards standards standards impact
certification inspection testing calibration • Increased trade opportunities
bodies bodies laboratories laboratories
standards • Facilitating innovations to the
required for inspection calibration
certification certification certificate test report certificate market place
ENTERPRISES

BENEFITS

AUTHORITIES, CONSUMERS, AND GENERAL PUBLIC

Source: World Bank

www.bipm.org 5
 QI target group

S&M
Business Agriculture Fisheries Forestry Producer Trade Regulation Science Health Transport Innovation Food safety
enterprises

www.bipm.org 6
 Key players at international, regional and national level

Metrology Standardisation Accreditation

International
organizations BIPM/OIML ISO/IEC ILAC/IAF

Regional Regional Regional

Regional metrology standards accreditation
organization organizations organization associations

National National
National
National
metrology accreditation
organizations standards body
institute body

Calibration
Service providers Testing laboratories Certification bodies Inspection bodies
laboratories

Industry, regulators, researchers, trade partners, and so on;

Source: The World bank
Users who need reliable testing, calibration, certification, and inspection

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Key QI players at international level (examples)

Bureau international des Poids et Measures (BIPM)

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

There are many, many other players!
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
….often sector or regionally focuses
International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)

International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML)

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QI links at regional level

Europe Americas Asia Pacific Euro-Asia Africa Gulf

METROLOGY

EURAMET SIM APMP COOMET AFRIMETS GULFMET

ACCREDITATION

EA IAAC APLAC - AFRAC GAC

STANDARDS
CEN/
CENELEC/ COPANT PASC EASC ARSO GCC-GSO
ETSI
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National Quality Infrastructure

“The NQI are the national institutions that provide the framework and
services to advance the quality and safety of products and services
offered in local and foreign markets.”

IAAC at the WTO

And internationally the QI is the sum of
the NQI + the transnational institutions
and systems that effectively link them
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 National Quality Infrastructure in practice
Government Market
Technical
Competition
regulation

Standardization Standardization
Provides standards WTO (TBT, SPS) Provides standards
Safety, ISO
Trade agreements Product and
Environment, IEC
CODEX service
Health and DIN
OIML Quality
consumer ASTM
requirements ….
protection
requirements Technical file
Metrology Contract Metrology
Calibration, Calibration &
verification & measurement services
measurement services

Confirmation of Customer
regulatory satisfaction
compliance

Accreditation Accreditation
Surveillance
Certification & testing Certification & testing
services services
Customs Market

www.bipm.org FINE 11
Role of the government
Countries export goods with opportunities for quality
Yes upgrading
(advanced products &
services in the global
market) Countries export high-quality versions of any type of goods

Countries focus on how goods are produced and the

production tasks involved in addition to what goods are
How much does produced
export quality Somehow (assembled &
basic manufacturing)
matter?
Countries export diverse basket of goods
Source: The World bank

Low-skilled countries export goods requiring low skilled labour

Not too much
(commodity exports)
Export reflect countries’ comparative advantages

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Role of the government

The government (ideally) promotes and The government (should):

supports:

• Implementation of the relevant • Set the framework conditions through

international and regional agreements legislation for the QI organisations,
(WTO TBT & SPS Agreement etc.) • Set balanced technical regulation
• Participation of national QI regime and implementation
organisations in international and • Create transparency by facilitating the
regional elements of QI provision of information (e.g. standards
• The development of capacities of QI information and the WTO TBT & SPS
organisations National Enquiry Point), and by
involving industry and consumer
• Education and skills
associations in QI deliberation and
• Networking of public and private implementation activities
institutions in relevant QI forums

www.bipm.org Source: The World bank 13

Trade - WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)

Slide courtesy
L Locks WTO

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WTO TBT

Slide courtesy
L Locks WTO

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WTO TBT

Slide courtesy
L Locks WTO

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WTO TBT

The value of documentary

standards and accreditation
is directly recognised

The value of metrology is

indirectly recognised

Slide courtesy
L Locks WTO

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 The role of Quality in trade (domestic and international)
EU example
Onewayof lookingat qualityintrade - singlemarket

Quality
meetingexpectations

Unregulated Regulated

voluntarycodes ofpracticeinsomesectors Directives Regulations

(transposedintoM Slegislation) (directlyandimmediatelyapplicable)

performancestandards specifies whatandhow NewApproach

(inmanycases) essential requirementsonly Global approach (to
conformity
Mandatedstandards assessment)
(documentarystandards)
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 The role of Quality in trade (domestic and international)
EU example
One way of looking at quality in trade - single market

Quality
meeting expectations

Unregulated Regulated

voluntary codes of practice in some sectors Directives Regulations

(transposed into MS legislation) (directly and immediately applicable)

performance standards specifies what and how New Approach

(in many cases) essential requirements only
Global approach (to
conformity assessment)
Mandated standards
(documentary standards)
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 The role of Quality in trade (domestic and international)
EU example
Yes = access to the market
One way of looking at quality in trade - single market
Remember, compliance doesn’t No = exclusion from the market
mean anyone will buy!
Quality
2016/C 272/01 Commission
meeting expectations
Notice — The ‘Blue Guide’ on
the implementation of EU
products rules 2016
Unregulated Regulated

voluntary codes of practice in some sectors Directives Regulations

(transposed into MS legislation) (directly and immediately applicable)

An assessment of conformity is
performance standards specifies what and how New Approach required, this may be a
(in many cases) essential requirements only manufacturer’s declaration, or
more detailed
testing/certification by, typically
a notified body +
Help demonstrate added value and There may be additional Mandated standards
differentiate product performance standards for (documentary standards) Possible market surveillance
www.bipm.org the product 20
Do we all use the same definition of Quality Infrastructure?

• Until the common QI definition there were various definitions of quality

infrastructure (sometimes referred to as the technical infrastructure)
https://www.bipm.org/utils/common/pdf/QI-definition.pdf

• All link metrology, documentary (written) standards, and accreditation

• They often also explicitly include conformity assessment in some way

• At its simplest, "conformity assessment" means checking that products, materials, services, systems or
people measure up to the specifications of a relevant standard.
• So often that means testing, certification and inspection, which means measurement

So lets take a look at a selection of the descriptions…..

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QI - various models (1)
Measurement standards are provided through an internationally recognised framework through which
suppliers of products can demonstrate compliance with specification.

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QI - various models (2)

ISO/IEC 17025
ISO 17034 ISO/IEC 17011
NMI ILAC-CIPM document on NAB NSB JCGM:
accreditation of NMIS ISO standards -BIPM
-ILAC
ISO/IEC 17025
VIM -ISO
Accredited calibration
and testing ISO 17034 ISO standards GUM -IFCC
ILAC P10; P14 documents… -IUPAC
laboratories
ISO/IEC 17025 -IUPAP
Calibration and testing
ISO 9001, etc… ISO 14000 -OIML
laboratories ISO 22000 etc…
Sectors of economy
Measurement instruments

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QI - various models (3)
International
QI system
ISO Guide 62, 65, etc e.g. IAF ILAC
Accreditation PAC APLAC
ISO 9000
Agriculture
ISO 14000
HACCP, etc
Certification
• products
Product • process
Environment certification ISO 17025

National standards ISO, CODEX

Manufacturing International standards
Standards ACCSQ

Certificates

Trading
Comparison
Testing, analysis Testing Measurement
Inspections laboratories Proficiency test

Health
Metrology
Calibration Traceability • Calibration laboratories
Verification • Verification system
Reference materials • Metrology in chemistry

Innovation
Source: PTB

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QI - various models (4) –the Example of Africa

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QI - various models (5)

Metrology

Certification National Testing

Quality
System

Standardization Accreditation

CODEX
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 QI - various models (6)

UNIDO
Quality Infrastructure is generally understood
to be the totality of the institutional framework
(public and private) required to establish and
implement standardization, metrology
(scientific, industrial and legal), accreditation
and conformity assessment services
(inspection, testing and product- and system
certification) necessary to provide acceptable
evidence that products and services meet
defined requirements, be it demanded by
authorities or the market place.
https://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media_upgrade/What_we_do/Topics/Co
mpetitive_and_trade/5_QI_highres.pdf

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 QI - various models (7)
National
Government Measurement
The 'quality infrastructure' …comprises the physical System
facilities and the interrelated systems of
organisations, structures and people that help National
Standards
organisations to implement quality practices and
Body (BSI)
improve performance.
Regulatory UK Patent
UK Conformity
The principal parts of the infrastructure relate to: Bodies Office
Accreditation Assessment
• regulation - government, regulators Service Bodies
• standards - documentary, physical/ reference,
other codified intellectual property Trade
Associations
• conformity assessment and accreditation
• economic operators and their collective
UK Professional
representatives
Business Bodies
• consumers
Informal
Consultants Standards Customers
Developers
http://www.thecqi.org/Knowledge-Hub/Knowledge-portal/Concepts-of-
quality/Quality-infrastructure/

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 INetQI network (www.inetqi.net)
What we do
International Network on Quality Infrastructure
This initiative seeks to bring together all specialized organisations that operate at an international level and that are active in promoting and
implementing activities on metrology, accreditation, standardisation and conformity assessment as tools for sustainable economic
development.
Member Organisations
➢ BIPM: International Bureau of Weights and Measures
➢ IAF : International Accreditation Forum
➢ IEC : International Electrotechnical Commission
➢ IIOC : Independent International Organisation for Certification
➢ ILAC : International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation
➢ IQNET Association: The International Certification Network
➢ ISO : International Organisation for Standardisation
➢ ITC : International Trade Centre
➢ ITU : International Telecommunication Union
➢ OIML : Organisation Internationale de Métrologie Légale
➢ UNECE : United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
➢ UNIDO : United Nations International Development Organisation
➢ WBG : World Bank Group
➢ WBG : World Bank Group
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 UNIDO
Quality Policy Guiding Principles Document is
under development

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QI: Point to note!

…so many definitions and diagrams!

…IT DOES NOT MATTER!

Its fine to define QI in a way appropriate for the circumstance…

But the lesson to take away..

Metrology doesn’t and can’t work in a vacuum…!

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 Standardisation and Accreditation
bring measurements to industry
Metrology provides Knowledge Transfer Industry Needs

Measurement International standards Validate new ideas

a key exploitation and dissemination
technologies vehicle for best practice

Improve process efficiency

Generate, optimise and
Measurement assure confidence
methods in the technical data
Reduce waste/downtime
innovators need
(calibrations, CRMs, advice…)

Increase reliability
Nationally and Accreditation
internationally aligned an internationally recognised conformity
assessment mechanism that ensures
standards metrological traceability Meet standards/regulation
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Conclusions
The world economy, society and citizens depend on the international “quality infrastructure” –
metrology, standards and accreditation, particularly when underpinning conformity assessment
activities

The international and national quality infrastructure plays a major role in ensuring good
metrological practice is carried from the laboratory to the application

At national level the relationship between the QI players is important

The value of metrology isn’t easy for the everyday person to understand…..

The metrology community needs mechanisms that help embed its principles and practices such
that they are adopted (even if that adoption is often invisible)

Metrology is a major winner from the QI association

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Thank you

www.bipm.org