Thirteenth Annual Report on Federal

Agency Use of Voluntary Consensus 

Standards and Conformity Assessment 

Mary F. Donaldson

Standards Coordination and Conformity Group

Standards Services Division

Technology Services

NISTIR 7718
NISTIR 7718

Thirteenth Annual Report on Federal

Agency Use of Voluntary Consensus 

Standards and Conformity Assessment

Mary F. Donaldson

Standards Coordination and Conformity Group

Standards Services Division

Technology Services

August 2010

U.S. Department of Commerce

Gary Locke, Secretary

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Patrick D. Gallagher, Director
1

Table of Contents

1.0 – Executive Summary................................................................................................. 2

2.0 – Overview and Scope................................................................................................. 3

3.0 – Federal Agency Use of Standards........................................................................... 3

3.1 – Government-Unique Standards Used in Lieu of Voluntary Consensus 

Standards....................................................................................................................... 4

3.2 – New Uses of Voluntary Consensus Standards (VCSs) By Federal Agencies.. 5

3.3 – Current Agency Reporting on Voluntary Consensus Standards Substituted 

for Government-Unique Standards............................................................................. 5

4.0 – Federal Participation in Private Sector Standards Activities.............................. 6

4.1 – Participation Data for FY 2009 .......................................................................... 6

5.0 – Federal Agency Conformity Assessment Activities.............................................. 7

6.0 – Evaluation of the Effectiveness of OMB Circular A-119 ..................................... 9

7.0 – The Interagency Committee on Standards Policy (ICSP).................................. 10

8.0 – Success Stories: Examples from Federal Agencies............................................ 10

9.0 – Summary and Conclusions ................................................................................... 12

Appendix A – FY 2009 List of Reporting Federal Agencies....................................... 13

Appendix B – FY 2009 Federal Agency Information on Participation/Adoption of 

Voluntary Standards Activities Required by OMB Circular A-119.......................... 14

Appendix C – FY 2009 Government-Unique Standards Used in Lieu of Voluntary

Consensus Standards...................................................................................................... 15
2

Summary Report on Federal Agency Use of Private-Sector Standards

and Conformity Assessment Activities for Fiscal Year 2009

1.0 – Executive Summary 

The U.S. Department of Commerce presents this summary report for the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with OMB Circular A-119 and Public 

Law 104-113, the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA). As 

required by Section 9 of the Circular, this report, prepared by the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST), describes activities related to the use of voluntary 

consensus standards (VCSs) by 25 Federal agencies during fiscal year (FY) 2009. 

In keeping with the requirements of the NTTAA, Federal agencies continue to look to 

voluntary consensus standards in support of their regulatory and procurement activities. 

NIST, through its Standards Incorporated by Reference database, independently tracks 

governmental use of private-sector standards. As of the date of this report, NIST has 

identified over 8400 citations of standards incorporated by reference in regulatory 

documents – more than 80 percent of these standards were developed by the private 

sector. Available online at http://standards.gov/sibr/query/index.cfm, this interactive 

database illustrates the extensive use of voluntary standards throughout the U.S. 

Government. 

For Fiscal Year 2009, only one agency, the Department of Labor, promulgated a 

government unique standard in lieu of a VCS, bringing the total number of such reported 

standards to 46. Although government-unique, the new standard actually uses nine 

voluntary consensus standards as a basis for the single rule. Furthermore, for FY 2009, 

Federal agencies reported 520 new uses of VCSs. The continued adoption of significant 

numbers of VCSs and the low rate of development of new government-unique standards 

in lieu of VCSs illustrates the NTTAA’s success in encouraging agencies to look first to 

voluntary consensus standards to meet their regulatory, procurement, and conformity 

assessment needs.

Agencies reported that 3316 personnel participated in a total of 528 standards-developing 

organizations during FY 2009. While not all time highs, these continued high levels of 

Federal engagement illustrate a sustained commitment of the U.S. Government to the 

activities of the voluntary consensus standards system.

The benefits of this engagement are reflected in the reports for FY 2009, which show that 

the Federal investment in voluntary standards development helps to provide sound 

technological underpinning to standards, speeds the standards development process, and 

enables the adoption of VCSs to support agency missions. Furthermore, adoption of 

VCSs for Federal agency use provides cost savings to Federal agencies, the Nation’s 

businesses, and the taxpayer through reduced injuries and deaths, increased transactional 

efficiencies, reduced administrative burdens, and lower costs of products and services. 
3

For their FY 2009 reporting, several agencies provided illustrations of benefits realized 

from the adoption of and participation in the development of voluntary consensus 

standards. The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Savannah River Site transitioned to 

national codes and standards from site specific standards, resulting in the retirement of 

over 700 site specific guides and standards. The DOE also achieved improved cost 

efficiencies from participation in the development of the American Glovebox Society 

Standard, “Standard for Practice for the Design and Fabrication of Nuclear Application 

Gloveboxes,” a standard which established common requirements for gloveboxes that are 

used not only in various DOE facilities but are found in pharmaceutical and biological 

laboratory facilities as well. 

Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Service’s Substance Abuse and 

Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) leveraged its staff resources by 

engaging in the development of voluntary consensus Electronic Health Records (EHR) 

standards within Health Level 7 and ANSI’s Health IT Standards Panel (HITSP). This 

participation allows SAMSHA to benefit from the wide range of expertise among 

standards development participants. The resulting EHR standards enhance uniformity 

across the public and private sectors, improve efficiency of data reporting and 

accountability, support improvements in clinical care and enable more effective 

coordination of care between heath care providers and participants. 

As a last example, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) worked with the 

American Nuclear Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to develop 

a joint standard on quality of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) for nuclear power 

plants. This achievement was a result of over 10 years of work during which the NRC 

staff contributed their knowledge to the consensus standard development effort. The 

result was a single standard providing consistent guidance throughout the industry. These 

few examples help to illustrate the various ways that the U.S. Government and the 

taxpayer derive benefits from the development, adoption, and use of voluntary consensus 

standards.

2.0 – Overview and Scope

NIST formulated this report based on input submitted to NIST by 25 Federal agencies in 

fulfillment of the requirements of OMB Circular A-119 and the reporting requirements of 

Section 12 (d)(3) of the NTTAA. The report describes Federal agency activities related 

to the use of private-sector standards in regulation, procurement, and conformity 

assessment during FY 2009. A list of reporting agencies is in Appendix A.

3.0 – Federal Agency Use of Standards

The OMB Circular requires that Federal agencies use voluntary consensus standards in 

lieu of government-unique standards in their regulatory and procurement activities. 

However, a Federal agency is given the discretion to decide whether to use existing 

voluntary consensus standards if the agency determines that use of such standards would 

either be inconsistent with applicable laws or otherwise impractical. The Circular also 
4

directs agencies to establish a process for continuing review of their use of standards for 

purposes of updating such use, including substitution of private-sector standards for 

government-unique standards wherever possible. 

3.1 – Government-Unique Standards Used in Lieu of Voluntary 

Consensus Standards

The OMB Circular requires that agencies report their use of standards on either a 

“categorical” or a “transactional” basis. Those agencies that report on a categorical basis 

are not required to list each instance that a government-unique standard is used in lieu of 

a private-sector standard in procurement actions. However, such agencies are required to 

have a system in place to ensure that government-unique standards are developed only 

when suitable private-sector standards are not available for use. At present, only the 

Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

consistently report on a categorical basis. For all agencies, in those cases when 

government-unique standards are required because private-sector standards do not exist, 

use of the government-unique standard is not subject to reporting. 

Table 3.1 illustrates the cumulative number of government-unique standards (that is, the 

total number broken down by year and by agency) used in lieu of private-sector standards 

since FY 1997, as well as the number of government-unique standards introduced and 

discontinued in each fiscal year. During FY 2009, one Federal agency, the Department 

of Labor, reported developing a standard for vertical tandem lifts used in longshoring and 

marine terminals. Although government-unique, this standard incorporates nine 

voluntary consensus standards into a single rule. 

Table 3.1 Government-unique Standards Used in Lieu of Private Sector Standards Statistics

Agency 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

USDA 1 1 1 1 1

HHS 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 4 4 1 1

HUD 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

DOL 1 2 4 5 5 6 8 8 9

DOT 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

EPA 3 28 29 40 45 50 50 50 50 23 23 23

GSA 3 2 2 3 2 2 3 3 3 3

NARA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

CPSC 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

GPO 4 4 4 4 4

ACCESS 1 1 1 1

New Uses 4 4 25 12 12 7 9 2 2 5 2 0 1

Discontinued 1 3 4 27 3

Total In Use 4 8 33 45 56 63 72 71 68 73 48 45 46
5

Appendix C lists the government-unique standard(s) used in lieu of voluntary consensus 

standards for FY 2009. For a complete listing of the government-unique standards used 

in lieu of voluntary consensus standards and the justifications from FY 1997 through FY 

2009, see NIST’s Standards website at http://standards.gov/NTTAA/agency/index.cfm. 

3.2 – New Uses of Voluntary Consensus Standards (VCSs) By Federal 

Agencies 

For FY 2009, Federal agencies reported the adoption of 363 new voluntary consensus

standards. Five agencies—the Environmental Protection Agency and the Departments of 

Energy, Defense, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services—accounted for 

97 percent of the reported new uses. 

3.3 – Current Agency Reporting on Voluntary Consensus Standards 

Substituted for Government-Unique Standards

Federal agencies also report annually on the number of voluntary consensus standards 

that they have substituted for government-unique standards during the year. Figure 3.3 

illustrates the substitutions for each year since FY 1998. In FY 2009, Federal agencies 

substituted 112 voluntary consensus standards for government-unique standards.1 All of 

these substitutions were within the Department of Defense. 

 1 Government-unique standards being substituted include the universe of government-unique standards, i.e., those in 

use prior to the implementation of NTTAA reporting, those that were not “in lieu of VCSs”; and those that were in lieu 

of VCSs. Since NIST began collecting data, there have been 3071 reported substitutions of VCSs for governmentunique standards across agencies. While we do not know the entire universe of government-unique standards, we 

know from published sources that the Department of Defense—the largest user of such standards—still uses over 

20,000 government-unique standards, counting military, Federal, and NATO specifications, and as of FY 2006 was 

using more than 9,200 private-sector standards. The Department of Defense adopted 7,400 private-sector standards 

before 1997.
6

4.0 – Federal Participation in Private-Sector Standards Activities

OMB Circular A-119 states that Federal agencies “must consult with voluntary consensus 

standards bodies, both domestic and international, and must participate with such bodies 

in the development of voluntary consensus standards when consultation and participation 

is in the public interest and is compatible with their missions, authorities, priorities, and 

budget resources.” The Circular goes on to declare that “agency support provided to a 

voluntary consensus standards activity must be limited to that which clearly furthers 

agency and departmental missions, authorities, priorities, and is consistent with budget 

resources.” 

4.1 – Participation Data for FY 2009

In FY 2009, agencies reported participation in 528 private-sector standards bodies 

compared to 534 in FY 2008, which was the all time high (see Figure 4.1a). The list of 

organizations includes voluntary consensus standards developers accredited by the 

American National Standards Institute (ANSI), other (non-ANSI-accredited) standards 

developers, industry and trade associations, international organizations, and consortia.

Federal agencies are also required by OMB to report the number of Federal employees 

who participate in private-sector standards body activities. This includes not only those 

who serve on technical standards development committees, subcommittees, or 

workgroups, but also those who participate in management activities, annual meetings, or 

seminars. In FY 2009, Federal agencies reported that 3,316 employees participated in 

private-sector standards body activities. Furthermore, this figure represents an increase 

from the previous year, with participation continuing to remain above the annual average 

of 2,785 for reporting agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services 

experienced the majority of this increase (+296) bringing to 1,150 the number of their 

employees participating in voluntary consensus standards body activities. Figure 4.1b 
7

illustrates total Federal employee participation in private-sector standards body activities 

since FY 1998. Data detailing FY 2009 participation for each agency is provided in 

Appendix B. 

A complete listing of the standards-developing organizations in which Federal agencies 

participated can be viewed in the extended appendices to this report, located at 

http://standards.gov/NTTAA/agency/index.cfm. 

* The upper series includes Department of Defense participation data prior to 2007, while the 

lower series excludes Department of Defense participation.

5.0 – Federal Agency Conformity Assessment Activities

The NTTAA requires NIST to coordinate Federal, State, and local government standards 

and conformity assessment activities with those of the private sector, with the goal of 

eliminating unnecessary duplication and complexity in the development and 

promulgation of conformity assessment requirements and measures. Federal conformity 

assessment activities are a means of providing assurance that the products and services 

regulated or procured by Federal agencies have the required characteristics and/or 

perform in a specified manner. Agency conformity assessment procedures may include 

sampling and testing; inspection; accreditation; certification; licensing; product listing; 

the submission to an agency of manufacturing, operational, and related data for review; 

manufacturer self-declaration of conformity to agency requirements; mandatory labeling 

and advertising requirements; establishment of national requirements, which are then 

adopted/enforced at the State and local government levels; issuance of regulatory 

guidelines; pre-marketing approval requirements; post-marketing monitoring 

requirements; and conducting environmental impact assessments. NIST publishes a 
8

number of directories and reports on conformity assessment-related issues and maintains 

a website at http://www.nist.gov/ts/ssd/index.cfm that provides a “one-stop shop” source 

for information on various conformity assessment issues.

Numerous federal agencies are engaged in conformity assessment activities. In addition, 

as part of its role mandated by the NTTAA, many agencies and federal programs utilize 

NIST support to help design and implement appropriate and effective conformity 

assessment programs. Some of the programs NIST supported during FY 2009 include: 

• Health IT – NIST advised Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the 

National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) on the

development of testing and certification programs for electronic health records 

technology. This consultative and collaborative engagement between ONC and 

NIST will continue during the implementation and operational phases of both 

temporary and permanent certification programs. In addition, NIST developed 

functional and conformance testing requirements, including methods and tools for 

the certification programs which will help to ensure compliance with technical 

requirements and the meaningful use of electronic health records technology. 

• Smart Grid – The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 assigned NIST 

“primary responsibility to coordinate development of a framework that includes 

protocols and model standards for information management to achieve 

interoperability of smart grid devices and systems..." To fulfill this responsibility, 

NIST is working with stakeholders including industry and government to develop 

a plan for a testing and certification framework for Smart Grid related devices, 

systems, and processes, which will ensure interoperability and security under 

realistic operating conditions.

• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Conformity Assessment Activities –

NIST continues its work with the Department of Homeland Security to develop 

the DHS Science and Technology standards and conformity assessment 

infrastructure as well as requirements, standards, testing protocols, and 

conformity assessment methods. For example, NIST’s Radiation Physics Division 

and NIST's Technology Services are assisting with the implementation of a 

conformity assessment program for radiation detectors for DHS’s Domestic 

Nuclear Detection Office including accreditation for testing laboratories whose 

testing will support the Graduated Rad/Nuc Detector Evaluation and Reporting 

(GRaDER) program. See 

http://www.dhs.gov/xres/programs/gc_1218637329931.shtm for additional 

information.

• National Toy Safety Initiative – NIST continues to provide technical assistance to 

the Consumer Product Safety Commission in their implementation of the 

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. CPSC successfully 

implemented their program to address toy safety issues by utilizing existing 

conformity assessment schemes. As a result, over 200 laboratories from 25 
9

countries were accredited by 17 different accreditation bodies during the fiscal 

year. 

• DoD Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (DoD ELAP) – NIST’s 

Technology Services staff provided assistance to the DoD Environmental Data 

Quality Workgroup (EDQW) to create a DoD-wide program to accredit 

laboratories that perform testing in support of DoD. This effort resulted in DOD 

EDQW implementing a program which utilizes internationally recognized 

accreditation bodies. http://www.navylabs.navy.mil/

• USGv6 – OMB Memorandum M-05-22 directed NIST to develop the technical 

infrastructure (standards and testing) necessary to support wide-scale adoption of 

IPv6 in the U.S. Government (USG). Upon detailed inspection of the state of the 

industry and the scope of IPv6 technology, NIST developed the USGv6 standard 

profile to assist agencies in the development of acquisition requirements for IPv6 

products, and the USGv6 Test Program to provide the means to assess product 

compliance with such requirements. NIST accomplished these by using test 

laboratories which are accredited by internationally recognized laboratory 

accreditation bodies and allowing suppliers to issue a Supplier’s Declaration of 

Conformity, based on the test reports, to assert their products' compliance. 

(http://w3.antd.nist.gov/usgv6/testing.html)

The full report of FY 2009 agency conformity assessment activities may be found in the 

Addendum to the Thirteenth Annual Report on Federal Use of Voluntary Consensus 

Standards and Conformity Assessment, available online at

http://standards.gov/NTTAA/agency/index.cfm. 

6.0 – Evaluation of the Effectiveness of OMB Circular A-119

During FY 2009, the majority of reporting agencies either had no comment on the 

effectiveness of OMB Circular A-119 or indicated that they found the Circular effective 

in helping them manage their standards development programs. However, several 

agencies did provide substantive comments concerning the Circular’s effectiveness 

including recommended changes to the Circular, and these are presented below.

2

• Department of Transportation (DOT) – DOT believes that Circular A-119 is 

working effectively. The use of voluntary standards provides efficiencies for 

regulatory agencies, and for regulated entities and industries. There continues to be 

a low volume of government-unique standards being used in lieu of voluntary 

consensus standards within DOT. However, DOT recommends that OMB Circular 

A-119 be revised to require NTTAA reporting only on instances of governmentunique standards being used in lieu of voluntary consensus standards, with the 

default position being that agencies are using voluntary consensus standards for 

regulatory work as much as possible. The Circular should continue the policy that 

there is no requirement to report on government-unique standards developed where 

 2 It is within OMB’s purview to consider and respond to these comments, as appropriate.
10

a voluntary consensus standard is unavailable, per sections 6g and 9a of the 

Circular. 

• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – HHS’s Center for Disease 

Control (CDC) works extensively with outside partner organizations for routine 

work. It would be very helpful if the Circular were extended towards building the

federal standards development/implementation infrastructure with outlined 

horizontal and vertical structures, including infrastructures within federal 

organizations. Also, it would be to helpful to add associated reporting tasks 

(building of infrastructure).

• The Department of Defense (DoD) continues to recommend that the National 

Institute of Standards and Technology highlight in the NTTAA annual report to 

Congress examples of how government agencies are participating in the 

development of voluntary consensus standards and using these documents to meet 

requirements. The resources government entities commit to voluntary consensus 

standards development should not go unrecognized by Congress. Continuing 

support for Circular A-119 mandated activities is ensured when Congress is aware 

of the government's commitment to the Circular's tenets, as exemplified in the 

report's discussion of voluntary consensus standards participation.

The full text of agency comments may be found in the Addendum to the Thirteenth

Annual Report on Federal Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and Conformity 

Assessment, online at http://standards.gov/NTTAA/agency/index.cfm.

7.0 – The Interagency Committee on Standards Policy (ICSP)

During FY 2009, 57 individuals served on the ICSP, including agency Standards 

Executives, their alternates, NIST support staff, and representatives from OMB and the 

Executive Office of the President. The ICSP met three times in FY 2009, all of which 

were joint meetings with the American National Standards Institute’s Government 

Member Forum. Information concerning the ICSP, including membership, charter, and 

meeting minutes, may be found online at http://standards.gov/icsp/query/index.cfm.

8.0 – Success Stories: Examples from Federal Agencies

Leveraging the private-sector standards development process for government purposes

has been demonstrated to provide substantial resource savings for agencies and 

stakeholders throughout the Federal Government. Additionally, benefits flow to the 

private sector through Federal involvement and support of the voluntary consensus 

standards development process. Reports for FY 2009 show that agencies and affected 

stakeholders continue to realize benefits from Federal participation in the development 

and adoption of VCSs to support agency missions. Some examples of successes from the 

Fiscal Year 2009 reports are:
11

Department of Energy (DOE) – DOE’s Savannah River Site has implemented the 

transition from site standards to national codes and standards in order to comply with 

Public Law 104-113 and OMB A-119. This transition resulted in the reduction of the 

over 700 site-specific standards and guides to the present-day use of national codes and 

standards, supplemented by 12 site standards and 64 site guides. Also, DOE’s Y-12 Site 

has several employees involved with the American Glovebox Society (AGS), writing and 

publishing documents related to gloveboxes. Y-12 has found that, by developing 

common requirements and expectations for gloveboxes and related equipment, vendors 

have been able to standardize their products so that features and components can be 

standardized for various customers. Gloveboxes used by the various DOE facilities, as 

well as industries such as pharmaceutical, biological, and other laboratories, all have 

unique requirements and are generally designed around a specific operation. However, by 

standardizing such features as glovebox windows and their attachment to gloveboxes, 

fabricators are able to standardize tooling and fabrication methods that reduce the cost for 

all customers. Another benefit to DOE is the use of proven, widely-applied standardized 

designs and practices. The Y-12 Site uses AGS standards to execute new designs. The Y12 Site also specifies AGS standards in procurement subcontracts for the glovebox 

fabricators to follow. One example of where this has been beneficial is in the 

standardization of requirements for welding related to glovebox fabrication. Before using 

AGS standards, vendors had to evaluate carefully the potentially unique Y-12 Site 

requirements and specifications related to glovebox fabrication. However, the Y-12 Site 

now specifies that welding shall be in accordance with AGS-G006-2005, "Standard of 

Practice for the Design and Fabrication of Nuclear-Application Gloveboxes." Vendors 

know exactly what they must do to meet the requirements of this standard. 

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – HHS’s SAMHSA (Substance Abuse 

and Mental Health Services) participated in the development of voluntary consensus 

standards for electronic health records (EHRs). An innovation that can reduce costs and 

improve the efficiency of data reporting, accountability and improved outcomes, EHRs 

support improvements in clinical care and foster improved coordination of care between 

the mental health and substance use specialty treatment sectors and general health care. 

In order to assure the capability for health information exchange while maintaining the 

appropriate confidentiality of records, SAMHSA joined voluntary consensus standards 

organizations to create technical options for patient consent in an e-health environment. 

Membership and participation in Health Level 7 and the Healthcare Information 

Technology Standards Panel allows SAMHSA to utilize a far wider range of expertise 

than allowed for by limited agency staff. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) – One example of improved regulation achieved 

through standards participation is the extensive effort by two SDOs, the American 

Nuclear Society (ANS) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, (ASME), to 

develop a joint standard on quality of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). NRC staff 

participated in writing the standard, a process that took over ten years. Industry 

participants involved in development of the standard commended the NRC staff for their 

support, based on work that NRC had already done on this topic. NRC has pointed to this 

standards development effort as a success story, in which potentially competing standards 
12

were avoided and consistent guidance was distilled into a single VCS. In addition, work 

is underway with standards development organizations to update voluntary consensus 

standards that may be applied to license renewal or new nuclear plant construction, 

including advanced reactor technologies. For example, NRC is partnering with ASME 

Standards Technology, LLC, to develop a roadmap for ASME standards changes that will 

support advanced reactor design, construction, operation, and maintenance. Benefits of 

NRC staff participation in voluntary consensus standards development include cost 

savings, improved efficiency and transparency, and high technical quality of regulatory 

requirements. 

9.0 – Summary and Conclusions

As of FY 2009, 13 years since the start of the NTTAA reporting requirement, Federal 

agencies indicate that they use 46 government-unique standards in lieu of voluntary 

consensus standards. This small inventory reflects a real and continuing reliance on 

voluntary consensus standards. The NTTAA has successfully encouraged agencies to 

look first to voluntary consensus standards and to engage with the private sector 

standards system for solutions to government needs, rather than to develop governmentunique standards unnecessarily.

Guided by the NTTAA and OMB A-119, NIST continues to assist Federal agencies and 

their stakeholders with standards and conformity assessment information, program 

support, guidance and policy concerns. NIST hosts the portal http://standards.gov, which 

provides a “one-stop” e-government location for information related to Federal use of 

voluntary consensus standards and federal engagement in the standards development 

process. This portal offers background, materials, useful links, and search tools for 

locating information about the use of standards in government, including the searchable 

Standards Incorporated by Reference database. The website enables NIST to provide 

ongoing, practical guidance, tools, and information needed by agencies to implement the 

NTTAA successfully as well as an electronic means to report standards activities as 

required by the NTTAA and OMB Circular A-119. In addition, NIST is working with 

agency standards executives and OMB to integrate standards participation and use more 

directly into the missions, decision-making processes, operating procedures, and strategic 

goals of Federal agencies. This report fulfills the annual reporting requirements of both 

the NTTAA and OMB Circular. 
13

Appendix A -- FY 2009 List of Reporting Federal Agencies

Agency Acronym Standards Program Website

Department of Agriculture USDA *

Department of Commerce DOC http://ts.nist.gov/commerce/

Department of Defense DoD http://www.dsp.dla.mil

Department of Energy DOE http://www.hss.energy.gov/nuclearsafety/ns/techstds/ 

Department of Education ED *

Department of Health and 

Human Services

HHS FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health: 

http://www.cdrh.fda.gov/science/standards/constand.htm

Department of Homeland 

Security

DHS http://www.dhs.gov/xfrstresp/standards/

Department of Housing and 

Urban Development

HUD http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/mps/mpshome.cfm

Department of the Interior DOI *

Department of Justice DOJ http://www.ojp.gov/nij/topics/technology/standardsdevelopment.htm

Department of Labor DOL *

Department of State DOS *

Department of Transportation DOT Various – see DOT’s report, available via 

http://standards.gov/NTTAA/agency/index.cfm

Department of the Treasury TRES http://www.treas.gov/offices/international-affairs/standards/

Environmental Protection Agency EPA http://www.epa.gov/p2/pubs/programs/voluntary.htm 

(program specific) 

General Services Administration GSA from http://www.gsa.gov, click on “About GSA,” then 

“Reference,” then “Supply Standards”

National Archives and Records 

Administration

NARA *

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

NASA http://standards.nasa.gov

National Science Foundation NSF *

Consumer Product Safety 

Commission

CPSC http://www.cpsc.gov/volstd/standards.html

Federal Communications 

Commission

FCC *

Federal Trade Commission FTC *

Nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/standards-dev.html

Government Printing Office GPO http://www.gpo.gov/customers/vol11.htm

Access Board ACCESS http://www.access-board.gov/gs.htm

*Not available or not reported
14

Appendix B -- FY 2009 Federal Agency Information on Participation/Adoption of 

Voluntary Standards Activities Required by OMB Circular A-119

Agency

Governmentunique standards 

used in lieu of 

voluntary 

consensus 

standards

Voluntary 

consensus 

standards 

substituted for 

governmentunique standards

Voluntary 

consensus 

standards 

used this 

year 

(new uses)

Employee 

participation 

in voluntary 

consensus 

standards 

bodies

Voluntary 

consensus 

standards 

bodies with 

agency 

participation

USDA 1 0 0 123 38

DOC 0 0 0 494 109

DoD * 112 77 na 122

DOE 0 0 146 449 89

ED 0 0 0 24 4

HHS 1 0 18 1150 192

DHS 0 0 62 212 58

HUD 2 0 0 4 5

DOI 0 0 2 166 83

DOJ 0 0 0 1 0

DOL 9 0 0 38 19

DOS 0 0 0 9 1

DOT 3 0 4 162 56

TRES 0 0 1 0 0

EPA 23 0 49 65 ***

GSA 3 0 0 19 21

NARA 1 0 0 16 12

NASA * 0 0 124 18

NSF 0 0 0 10 5

CPSC 2 0 2 22 8

FCC 0 0 0 28 13

FTC 0 0 0 0 0

NRC 0 0 2 181 15

GPO 0 0 0 10 0

ACCESS 1 0 0 9 6

Totals 46 112 363 3316 **

*Agencies reporting on a categorical basis per OMB Circular A-119, Section 12.

** Total not provided. Total would result in multiple counting due to participation in standards bodies by 

two or more Federal agencies.

*** Data not submitted.
15

Appendix C -- FY 2009 Government-Unique Standards used in lieu of Voluntary 

Consensus Standards

1 Agency: Department of Labor (DOL)

Government-Unique 

Standard:

Longshoring and Marine Terminals; Vertical Tandem 

Lifts [Incorporated: 2009]

Voluntary Standard: ISO 668:1995 - Series 1 freight containers--Classification, 

dimensions and ratings. 

ISO 1161:1984 - Series 1 freight containers--Corner fittings--

Specification. 

ISO 1161:1984/Cor. 1:1990 - Technical corrigendum 1:1990 to 

ISO 1161:1984. 

ISO 1496-1:1990 - Series 1 freight containers--

Rationale: Several voluntary consensus standards were relied upon for 

the various provisions in the final rule, however, no single VCS 

is available to cover all the workplace applications that are 

addressed by OSHA. The Agency believes that it would be less 

burdensome for the regulated community to use one OSHA 

standard rather than purchase and use the nine individual 

consensus standards used in this rule.