The development of standards is carried out by consensus of all stakeholders that include representatives from industry, governments, academia and the public interest. These committees are organized and managed by the bureau and grouped under various technical committees. There are 8 Technical Committees set up by the bureau working towards the development of standards in various areas related to the Seychelles economy.
The basic process by which a Seychelles standard is developed is consistent among all standard development organizations, national and international. The following is a simplified breakdown of the process:
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Identification of the need for new standard;
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Preliminary study and preparation of a draft outline;
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Establishment of a committee (pre-existing or new);
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Committee meetings and consensus building on the draft;
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Vote on the draft standard put for public review;
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Approval of the final draft by the SBS board;
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Publication of the standard.
When a new standards project comes under consideration, there are often two possibilities: either to adopt without change an existing international or regional standard, or to develop a Seychelles Standard containing at least some different requirements. It is a policy of the bureau to adopt international, regional or standards declared by other national bodies, as Seychelles standards.
The advantage of direct adoption is that the resulting adopted standard is produced cheaply, quickly and easily, and that it is in line with the World Trade Organization/Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO/TBT) Agreement.
Where, the committee feels that the international standards are not addressing the needs of the local Seychelles market, a new Seychelles standard is developed from scratch. This standard is more focused to address the various factors related to the local market and consumers.
If you would like to propose a standard to be develop or adopted, complete the standard proposal form and submit it to our office on mcistid-sbs@email.sc / sbsorg@seychelles.net