TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)

CARICOM REGIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDS AND QUALITY 

CONSULTANCY TO UPDATE THE FIVE-YEAR

REGIONAL STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT PRIORITY PLAN (RSDPP)

1.0       BACKGROUND

The CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) was created as an Inter-Governmental Organisation by the signing of an agreement between the fifteen Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).  CROSQ was formally launched at its first General Assembly in St. Vincent in April 2002. The organisation's headquarters was established in Barbados in April 2003. The 15 National Bureau of Standards (NSBs) of CARICOM Member States are CROSQ’s principle shareholder group and beneficiary base of its services.

CROSQ is the regional centre for promoting efficiency and competitive production in goods and services, through the process of standardization and the verification of quality. CROSQ supports the CARICOM mandate in the expansion of intra-regional and extra-regional trade in goods and services as set out in Article 67 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (2001) and is directly mandated to represent the interests of the region in international quality infrastructure work, to promote the harmonization of standard and metrology systems and the mutual recognition of conformity assessment schemes, and to increase the pace of development and implementation of quality competitiveness actions for the sustainable production of goods and services in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), and the enhancement of social and economic development.

Organisation Objectives

The key objectives as outlined in the Intergovernmental Agreement establishing CROSQ are to:

1. Promote the development and harmonization of standards, metrology, technical regulations and the mutual recognition of conformity assessment procedures covering goods and services produced and provided in the Region with the aim of facilitating trade and supporting the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME);
2. Encourage the mutual recognition of accreditation and certification systems which are based on internationally accepted criteria;
3. Facilitate the achievement of international competitiveness of regional goods and services by fostering a culture of quality in regional enterprises;
4. Support standards infrastructure development at the national level;
5. Promote consumer welfare and safety;
6. Through its operations, contribute to the preservation of the environment and conservation of natural resources of the Region;
7. Provide guidance to regional organizations and bodies regarding matters within its competence, including dispute settlement;
8. Promote and protect the interests of State Parties and Associate Members in the regional and international standardization for a, including external negotiations; and
9. Promote awareness of standards and standards-related matters in governments, and industry and commerce.

Since 2002, CROSQ has developed its structures and competencies in relation to staffing at the CROSQ Secretariat toward an efficient and effective network. However, based on the growing demands to facilitate international trade and the increasing importance of high-level standards and technical regulations in developed markets, there is need for the CROSQ Secretariat, National Standards Bodies (NSBs), private sector and consumers to collaborate and enhance national and regional competitiveness and socio-economic development.

The issue of synchronising regional and national standardization strategies is highly important in setting the framework for the efficient and effective development and adoption and of regional standards by member states and realising harmonised conformity assessment regimes. Standardisation is generally a very costly activity and financially challenged National Standards Bureaux (NSBs) needs to be strategic in the use of the limited resources that they have for such activities, especially since regional standards development is actually executed at the national level by the NSBs.

With these things in mind, the CROSQ Secretariat developed a consensus driven Five-year Regional Standards Development Plan (RSDPP) as approved by CROSQ Council in 2017 and the Secretariat is now desirous of updating same, based on CARICOM’s and individual Member State future economic and social priorities.

2.0      SPECIFIC PURPOSE

The purpose of this consultancy is to update the RSDPP so as to guide the direction of the regional work over the next five years, beginning 2022, and so manage the expectations of member states and provide a basis for efficient and effective resource utilization and also, mobilization.

3.0       OBJECTIVE

The objective of the consultancy is to update the existing five - year Regional Standards Development Priority Plan for another five-year period, 2022 to 2027, based on balancing the standard development and implementation needs and priorities of member states with regional interests.