Consensus Standards
All formal standards are developed with a period of public enquiry and full consultation. They incorporate the views and expertise of a very wide range of interests from consumers, academia, special interest groups, government, business and industry. As a result, standards represent a consensus on current best practice.
National standards (BS):
- British Standards (e.g. BS 5839-1, Fire detection and alarm systems for buildings)
- Published Documents (e.g. PD 5500, Specification for unfired fusion welded pressure vessels)
International standards (ISO):
- ISO standards (e.g. ISO 9001, Quality management systems)
- IEC standards (e.g. IEC 90003, Guidelines for the application of ISO 9001:2000 to computer software)
- Publicly Available Specification (ISO/PAS, IEC/PAS)
- Technical Specification (ISO/TS, IEC/TS)
- Technical Report (ISO/TR, IEC/TR).
European standards (EN):
- CEN
- CENELEC
- ETSI
- ECISS
- AECMA.
Commissioned standards
Publicly available specification (PAS)
PASs are developed using a similar process to that of British Standards and are commissioned by an external sponsor, subject to stakeholders consultation and do not require full consensus. These differences between a PAS and formal consensus British Standards enable PASs to be developed and published faster in order to satisfy short term business needs particularly in areas of technology, innovation or service industries. Some PASs may evolve into formal consensus standards (e.g. PAS 56 - Business Continuity, published in 2003 - was replaced by a British Standard (BS25999) in 2006), demonstrating BSIs pioneering involvement in business continuity ahead of any other standards maker.
ISO/PAS
An international publicly available specification.
Private standards
BSI can help you design and implement internal standards that ensure consistency, consensus and cost-savings throughout your organization.
Complementary publications
BSI also produces a range of products that are largely market-driven. These can be published in much shorter time scales than traditional formal standards.
Business Information Publications (BIPs)
BIPs are guides, Codes of Practice, compliance workbooks, CD-ROMs, text targets, surveys etc. They provide essential information and guidance on the use and implementation of existing standards, legislation and best practice. Subject experts write these publications in an informal, user-friendly style.
