What is a PAS and why might your organization want to sponsor the creation of one?

What is a PAS?

The PAS provides a sponsored route to standardization, created to serve a market need. Potentially, any organization can commission a PAS. A PAS can provide product specifications, codes of practice, guidelines and vocabularies or be used as an assessment benchmark.

Why create a PAS?

It offers a quicker route to standardization, typically taking just nine months from launch to publication. Organizations can use a PAS to improve productivity, increase efficiency, reduce costs, maintain quality or speed up innovation. A PAS can help organizations to meet regulatory obligations, build trust with consumers or minimize complaints. Creating a PAS can enable you to establish standards in your sector, while providing a rapid, yet reliable standardization solution.

How is a PAS created?

Once the sponsor gives us the go ahead, we research related standards and other published information to ensure there will be no crossover. Together with the sponsor, we then formalize the document’s scope, form a steering group and work with technical experts to develop an initial draft of the PAS.

Who sits on the PAS steering group?

Typically, between eight and 12 stakeholder experts. With our help, they comment on the draft, resolve technical issues and contribute to the development of the next draft. It’s then sent to a review panel, which can include representatives from formal standards committees, government departments, trade and industry associations and consumer groups.

What about public consultation?

At the review panel stage, the draft is made available to the public, which means anyone can submit comments for the steering group to consider. Once all comments have been resolved to our satisfaction and that of the steering group, the PAS is published.

Find out more about what developing a PAS can do for you by contacting the Standards Solutions team.