National quality policy: Experience from three countries

The government has taken an initiative to formulate the Bangladesh National Quality Policy. A 20-member core group has been formed by the Ministry of Industries, with representatives from different ministries and divisions, to draft a policy paper.
Why do we need a national quality policy? We need to meet the demands of the time, to cope with the international standards and systems of trade in goods and services. As we mainly export to the European Union, the USA and Canada, we need to harmonise our standards system as per the demands and requirements of the importers and customers worldwide. Apart from this, we also need to fulfill the requirements of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
What are the elements of a national quality policy? They are: I) standardisation II) metrology III) conformity assessment. Testing, certification and accreditation are also vital parts of a national quality infrastructure.
PREPARING A DRAFT POLICY: The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) appointed a South African consultant Martin Kellermann to help formulate the policy. He made a presentation on a possible framework for the Bangladesh National Quality Policy (BNQP) before the core group members in September 2012. The core group members, led by Industries Minister Dilip Barua, went to Australia in March 2013 to acquire first-hand knowledge and experience on the Australian quality infrastructure.
Chief Executive Officer of the Standards Australia (SA) Colin Blair received the team members and briefed them about the history, scope and operations of the SA, including types of services provided, standards development process, engagement with industry, government entities and other stakeholders, intellectual property, publication activities and the role that the standards body plays in representing the country at regional and international levels.
CEO and Chief Metrologist Of National Measurement Institute of Australia (NMIA) Dr. Peter Fisk focused topics of metrology, legal and industrial, measurement, traceable measurements, delivery of calibration services and measurement inspection at local and national levels. The Bangladesh delegation members observed different facilities at the laboratory.
Bangladesh team reviewed the system of operation of the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), its customer base, organisational structure, business model, international participation and linkages. The local certification body and the Proficiency Testing of Australia were also presented to the team. Accreditation assessment process and role of assessors were also included in the presentation.
Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) Chief Executive Officer James Galloway explained the history, scope and operation of the JAS-ANZ, including the customer base, organisational structure, business model and international participation. The Australian Quality Infrastructure is very old and mature and it has undergone changes over the years according to the need of the times. They have a good number of experts in the system and society, business community and the government is aware of their systems.
A 14-member delegation, led by State Minister for Industries Omar Faruk Chowdhury, visited Vietnam in April 2013 to study their quality infrastructure system. The delegation member exchanged views with the senior officials of the Ministry of Industries and Trade and the Ministry of Science and Technology. They reviewed the quality infrastructure and quality policy for international cooperation departments and Technical Barriers to Trade enquiry office.
The Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (STAMEQ) is a government body under the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Standards Department of STAMEQ is responsible for development and publishing of the national standards. They have published around 6,000 national standards. It is a full member of ISO since 1977, associate member of the International Electro Technical Committee (IEC) since 2002 and full member of the CAC (Codex Alimentarius Committee) since 1989.
The Vietnam Metrology Institute (VMI) is the national body for metrology within the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (STAMEQ).There are 11 ISO/IEC 17025 accredited test laboratories and five calibration laboratories at VMI, whose capabilities are listed in the KCDB database of the BIPM. More than 100 qualified staffs are working in the VMI.
Testing services in Vietnam are undertaken by around 1,000 laboratories. Of them, 530 are accredited. The Quality Assurance and Testing Centres (QUATEST) under the STEMEQ in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City cover most of the testing services. The Bangladesh delegation members visited the QUATEST laboratory at Ho Chi Minh City.
Certification services are provided by both the public and private sectors. There are 37 certification entities registered for quality management system and product certification. The QUACERT, the national certification body under STAMEQ, has 60 auditors and 150 ISO technical experts to cover certification schemes. The QUACERT has certified more 4500 organisations in Vietnam under management system and product certification schemes.
The Bureau of Accreditation (BOA) was established in 1995 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Science and Technology. The BOA has accredited 492 testing and calibration laboratories, 23 medical laboratories, 17 inspection bodies, and 31 certification bodies.
A delegation, led by Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, along with Industries Secretary Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah, visited the Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing (UNMZ) of the Czech Republic in October 2013. UNMZ Director Dr. Miroslav Chloupek gave an overview of the quality infrastructure of the Czech Republic, followed by lively question-and-answer session. The UNMZ is subordinated to the Ministry of Industry and tasked to harmonise the Czech technical regulations and standards with the technical regulations of the European Community. The Czech system of market surveillance is carried out by different government organisations.
The same delegation, led by the Cabinet Secretary, visited the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in Paris, France. Director Dr. Martin Milton received the delegation and briefed it about the functions of his organisation. The delegation members were shown ionising radiation, chemistry, electricity and mass laboratories of the BIPM. This organisation was established in 1875 and the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has been its associate member since 2011.
The delegation members also visited the UNIDO headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Deputy Director General Taizo Nishikawa exchanged views with the delegation members and expressed the UNIDO's willingness to expand its activities in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh delegations sawadvanced and age-old system of quality regime in Australia, as well as an example of a developing economy like Vietnam. They further saw the quality infrastructure of the Czech Republic, which only recently joined the European Union. In the BIPM, they saw the highest level of measurement system.
At present, Bangladesh has all the elements of a national quality infrastructure. We have the Standards Division in the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institutions (BSTI) for determining and publishing national standards. The National Metrology Institute (NMI) is working in the BSTI. The testing facilities are also done by the BSTI and by some private and international organisations. We have the Bangladesh Accreditation Board to provide accreditation.
Drafting the national quality policy is in progress with the support from the relevant stakeholders. After getting feedback from members of the public, it will be placed to the government for consideration. Introducing international quality infrastructure will help flourish better business environment in Bangladesh.
The writer is Director General of the Bangladesh Accreditation Board. [email protected]