BY ERIKA WIDEN
Doha: The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), established in 1947, is the world’s largest developer of international standards. These standards ensure industries and businesses to be more efficient and effective, by harmonising technical specifications of products, services and specifying best practices. In addition standards also assure consumers that an organisation’s products are safe, efficient, and eco-friendly. In other words, this leads to increased business opportunities and growth in the international trade market.
“No business in the world runs without standards, procedures and guidelines to work. Even small businesses must have their own standards, in order to prosper, grow, control, and of course to expand within the business or geographically,” says Fadi Kheder, founder and CEO of Informatics Consultancy, a consulting house covering business sectors and ISO consultations based in Kuwait.
According to Linda Ross, general manager of Qatar Quality Plus, another ISO consultancy agency says, “By integrating an ISO standard into national regulation, governments can benefit from the opinion of experts without having to call on their services directly. International standards help to break down barriers to trade.”
Ross continues to explain how ISO has published more than 19,500 international standards covering almost all aspects of technology and manufacturing. Some of ISO’s most well-known standards are management system standards. “They provide a model to follow when planning and implementing a management system. These standards can be applied to any organisation, large or small, whatever its product or service and regardless of its sector of activity.”
However, he does mention that the UAE till today stands ahead of all the GCC because the governmental authorities do stress on the ISO requirements and implementation. For instance safety measures in the UAE are on top of their list. On the other hand in Qatar, there are currently no official requests from the government to enforce an ISO certification. Qatar did create a sustainability rating system, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East called the Qatar Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS). Barwa and Qatari Diar Research Institute (BQDRI) now renamed Gulf Organisation for Research and Development in collaboration with T C Chan Centre at the University of Pennsylvania, originally developed QSAS. The primary objective of QSAS is to create a sustainable built environment that minimises ecological impact while addressing specific regional needs.
Kheder believes QSAS is indeed very good and positive but feels that more commitment needs to be addressed and seen, especially in the construction industry.
Ross from Qatar Quality Plus agrees many Qatari firms may just look at achieving an ISO certification as a requirement for pre-qualification for tenders or as a prestige value. “However, implementation of ISO management standards like ISO 9001 can help in cost savings and improvement in process effectiveness and efficiency. A management system standard is a good tool used by top management to bring about continual improvement within the organisation.”
ISO is a non-governmental organisation and it has no power to enforce the implementation of the standards it develops. A number of ISO standards, mainly those concerned with health, safety or the environment, have been adopted in some countries as part of their regulatory framework, or are referred to in legislation for which they serve as the technical basis.
Referring back to Kheder from Informatics Consultancy, he believes the region’s first and most important issue in regards to standards is government commitment.
“Qatar is having a boom in infrastructure and construction, why we see less commitment in these companies that work in these sectors. The only commitment that we see is — if it is a requirement by a bigger company to have the standards. They are going to the minimum and putting only one thing in mind, which is the cost issue. They are not thinking of standards, safety and quality of work.”
The Peninsula
