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| A Metric America:        "A Decision Whose Time Has Come" - For Real        (NISTIR 4858)June 1992
U.S. Department of Commerce         Technology Administration         National Institute of Standards and Technology         Metric Program         Technology Services         Gaithersburg, MD 20899         Gary P. Carver       

U.S. Department of Commerce         Barbara Hackman Franklin, Secretary         Technology Administration         Robert M. White, Under Secretary fur Technology 

National Institute of Standards and Technology         John W. Lyons, Director

 

Document Content- **Abstract**
- **Introduction**
- **A Rationale           and a Mandate**
- **A Special Year**
- **Growing Interagency           Cooperation**
- **What Needs to be           Done?**
- **The Implications           for Business**
- **Summary**

ABSTRACT        The Metric Conversion Act of 1975 (amended         in 1988) and a 1991 Presidential Executive Order provide both the rationale         and the mandate for a transition to the use of metric units. Federal agencies         are developing and implementing metric transition plans, cooperating on         mutual concerns, and working with industry and user groups to establish         realistic schedules for change.

KEYWORDS        Metric; metrication; metric system; metric transition

*Dr. Gary P. Carver is chief of the Metric Program         at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg,         MD. Prior to assuming responsibility for the Commerce Department's leading         role in federal agency metrication, Dr. Carver was a research physicist         in integrated circuit technology and a manager in the semiconductor and         manufacturing engineering areas at NIST His goal is to successfully eliminate         the need for his office.*

INTRODUCTION        Twenty-one years ago, a National Bureau of Standards1         report to Congress, *A *Metric America: A Decision Whose Time Has         Come,****described the United States as an island in a         metric world. The report's recommendations contributed to passage of the         1975 Metric Conversion Act. This Act raised the expectation of a 10-metric         system. However, the Act lacked a clearly stated objective and a timetable         for implementation. Possibly as a result, the voluntary metric transition         process eventually lost momentum.

In 1988, the growing influence of the metric system         of units as an international standard and the increasing competitive importance         of metric specifications for products in international commerce caused         Congress to respond by including "metric usage" provisions in         the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act. The Omnibus Trade Act amendments         strengthened the Metric Conversion Act of 1975. The amendments make each         federal agency responsible for implementing metric usage in grants, contracts         and other business-related activities, to the extent economically feasible,         by the end of fiscal year (FY) 1992. However, no statutory provision was         made for leadership and coordination of the overall effort.

On July 25, 1991, President Bush acted to fill the federal         metric transition leadership void by issuing Executive         Order 12770, "Metric Usage in Federal Government Programs."         It gives specific direction and new management authority to the Secretary         of Commerce to lead and coordinate implementation of the metric-usage         provisions of the Omnibus Trade Act. This responsibility was delegated         to the Under Secretary for Technology, with staff support to be provided         by the Office of Metric Programs at the Department of Commerce. The Department         of Commerce has long been concerned with the technical aspects of metric         usage through NIST's role as the nation's science and engineering laboratory         for measurement technology and research on standards. Since 1901, NIST         has played a major role in the evolution of a national measurement system         policy by providing the measurements, calibrations, data, and quality         assurance that are vital to U.S. commerce and industry. NIST also provides         technical support to the National Conference on Weights and Measures,         an organization of state, county, and city weights and measures enforcement         officials and associated business and consumer representatives.

A Rationale         and a Mandate        The amended Metric Conversion Act of 1975         and the 1991 Executive Order provide         both the rationale and the mandate for a transition to the use of metric         units. The rationale is the need to remove a trade impediment to U.S.         products, as well as to improve our efficiency and competitive edge, since         the modern metric system is now the international standard of measurement.         The metric system, for purposes of international trade, is more than just         the International System of Units (SI). It includes the product standards         and preferred sizes that are accepted by industries and governments throughout         the world. "World class products" must be built to metric specifications         to be competitive in the international marketplace.

The mandates in the law and Executive Order call for         the Federal Government to use the metric system in all of its business-related         activities, unless it is not economically feasible or is likely to cause         significant inefficiencies or loss of markets to U.S. firms. It is intended         that the Federal Government set an example and use its influence to catalyze         a transition to the metric system by U.S. industry. The Federal Government         uses measurements in many ways that influence business, including regulation,         data collection, publishing, and other services. The Federal Government         also is the largest customer of U.S. industry. By offering to buy metric         products and services, government can help industry make the transition         to the use of metric units of measurement.

In addition, by requesting metric products, the government         can demonstrate its commitment to the metric system of measurement

A Special         Year        The metric program is taking an evolutionary path to the statutory goals.         The federal agencies are developing and implementing transition plans,         cooperating on mutual concerns, and working with industry and user groups         to establish realistic schedules for change.

This year, 1992, is a special year in the implementation         of the mandate. The law requires that "each federal agency, by a         date certain and to the extent economically feasible by the end of FY         1992, use the metric system of measurement in its procurements, grants,         and other business-related activities..." The Executive Order requires         that agencies provide to the Secretary of Commerce, by June 30, 1992,         "an assessment of agency progress and problems, together with recommendations         for steps to assure successful implementation of the Metric Conversion         Act." The Executive Order also requires in 1992, as part of the annual         report to the President by the Secretary of Commerce, "recommendation         which the Secretary may have for additional measures, including proposed         legislation, needed to achieve the full economic benefits of metric usage."

This year is also special because more significant progress         is being made by federal agencies in metric usage than has been made in         any previous year. This will be viewed as a watershed year in the federal         metrication process. In 1990 a report on the federal metric program by         the Government Accounting Office was critical of the slow pace of progress.         Then, in 1991, a Congressional Research Service report documented a low         level of compliance with the metric usage mandate by the federal agencies.         A report on federal agency plans and the status of their execution that         will be issued this year by NIST, however, provides evidence that federal         agencies' metric transition progress is gaining great momentum.

Growing Interagency         Cooperation        Compliance with the spirit of the law and the Executive Order is significantly         improved over previous years. Many agencies have plans in place that describe         specific actions already underway and policies that promise complete transition         to using the metric system of units. But even more significantly, a growing         number of agencies are cooperating to address common issues and to deal         with shared problems. This is especially apparent among agencies whose         activities focus on procurement, regulatory, and small-business activities.

The interagency Metrication Operating Committee (MOC)         is composed of senior-level metric coordinators from the federal agencies.         The subcommittees of the MOC address specific topics of interest to several         different agencies. These areas include, for example, construction, education,         procurement, grants, standards, and federal employee training. Many agencies         participate in the activities of the subcommittees and benefit from the         combined efforts.

The Construction Subcommittee is one of the most active         and successful groups. It has attracted participants from private industry         and has published a metric-usage guide for commercial construction. The         subcommittee's work is funded by participating federal agencies, and its         members have visited Canada to explore the Canadian experience. Recently,         the National Institute of Building Sciences, which served as secretariat         for the subcommittee, created a Construction Metrication Council to build         on the work of the subcommittee and to enable even greater participation         by private industry. MOC agencies have accepted the Construction Subcommittee's         goal to design all new federal facilities in metric units by January 1,         1994.

Another example of the growing cooperation among federal         agencies to meet the mandate to use the metric system is the leadership         of the Government Printing Office and the Internal Revenue Service in         exploring a change to metric-sized paper, printed forms, and documents.         To examine and discuss the issues, they recently invited other agencies         to meet with the staff of the Joint Committee on Printing. They considered         the advantages and disadvantages of adopting standard metric sizes, compared         to continuing use of the current sizes described in metric units. The         approximately 60 representatives appointed an ad hoc committee to develop         surveys of industry and the federal agencies, as well as a timetable for         reporting the results. The possible impacts on the paper and printing         industries will be examined, including transition costs and long-term         benefits, document handling, storage, reproduction, information management,         and other related activities. The consensus of the participants was that         potential problems should be identified and a progressive policy and practical         timetable be developed, with industry's cooperation, to make the federal         government's transition to the use of metric-sized paper, forms, and documents.

What Needs to         be Done?        The progress that federal agencies are making to implement metric usage         will require some time to reach the point where metric units are used         routinely. For example, agencies that have implemented a policy to use         metric units on all new projects will not make predominant use of the         metric system until new metric usage becomes a significantly large part         of the agency's activity. Budgetary restraints that limit new project         initiatives, safety considerations, transition costs, and external factors         will all affect the pace of the change.

For example, in construction, until a large fraction         of old, nonmetric facilities are replaced with new ones, or are renovated         extensively, almost all government facilities, as well as major equipment,         will remain non-metric. The use of metric units to describe existing items         may be an option, but in some situations this may not be desirable or         acceptable.

In addition to needing time for metric policies and         plans to be implemented in the federal government, visible top-management         commitment to the metric transition and leadership are needed. This also         is true for state and local governments and for the business community.         Leadership is especially needed in critical areas that involve long lead         times, such as in education, including work-force training.

As federal agencies evaluate their progress and identify         the problems they may encounter, recommendations for legislation and other         actions will be made to the Secretary of Commerce who, in turn, will send         them to the President. Clearly, the completion of federal metric efforts         will take time. To assure the most beneficial results will take the continuing         support of Congress and the cooperation and active participation of industry         and state and local governments.

A variety of reasons have been put forward to explain         why the metric transition has not made widespread progress in the U.S.         in the past. They include lack of national leadership, reluctance to embark         on such a change, and the failure of the voluntary effort that began in         1975. The many competing national priorities and the lack of immediate         and visible benefit to a transition clearly were factors. There are political,         economic, and social reasons to explain the apparent slow progress and         reluctance to make the transition.

None of these factors justify continued inaction. We         must continue along the path to joining the global community in the use         of metric measurement standards. The efforts of federal agencies are moving         us more rapidly in that direction.

The Implications         for Business        In his message to the 1992 National Metric Conference "Metrication         '92," President Bush associated the metric system of units with success         in the international marketplace, greater efficiency, production of goods         and services that fit the needs of other nations, enhanced competitive         edge, and new opportunities and jobs. A business making the transition         from using inch-pound units to using metric units is not only making an         investment in the economic well-being of the United States, but also investing         in its own economic survival.

Companies sometimes ask whether they must convert to         the metric system of measurement. The simple answer is no -- the law does         not require conversion and the government cannot force businesses to convert.         Competitors (especially overseas competitors) might even prefer that U.S.         companies not convert. Finally, some workers may be relieved to hear they         do not need to learn a new system, and companies may wish to postpone         transition expenses (although the competitive reality is that postponement         will be very temporary and subsequent costs may be higher).

A better answer is yes--yes to a conscious and strategic         decision convert. Companies that delay conversion will lose some of the         future economic benefits that will ultimately surpass any short-term costs.         Companies should convert if they make or sell any product or service that         they or anyone else might want to sell in foreign markets, if they want         to be assured of being able to sell to the government in the future, and         if they want to begin to enjoy a long-term return on their investment         in the transition. In short, companies should actively plan and manage         their transition, and not wait for circumstances that will force it. By         then, it may be too late for some firms to survive in the increasingly         competitive business climate.

Clearly, U.S. companies that do not produce products         or services to metric specifications will risk being increasingly noncompetitive         in world markets. Japan has identified the U.S. lack of metric usage as         a strategic impediment to access of U.S. products to the Japanese home         market. In addition, consolidation of the European market product standards         will make sales of non-metric products increasingly difficult and uncertain.         Most U.S. companies understand that using metric units is essential to         future economic success. Their hesitation may be due to uncertainty as         to when and how to convert.

Summary        Through their actions, federal agencies are demonstrating an increasing         determination to use the metric system of units in business-related activities.         The results are not yet very visible to the public, which is not a direct         target of current federal transition activities. Industry is the target,         and is becoming increasingly aware of and generally welcomes the government's         progress.

Industry acceptance of the wisdom of proceeding with         the metric transition is due partly to the realization that producing         to metric specifications and surviving in tomorrow's economic environment         are synonymous. Industry also understands that government agencies are         committed to working cooperatively with industry.

In addition, both government and industry recognize         the need make changes gradually and opportunistically to achieve the maximum         amount of benefit with the minimum amount of expense and disruption of         activity.
1 The National       Bureau of Standards is now the National Institute of Standards and Technology       (NIST).
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 For technical questions concerning         the Metric Program, contact us:

Laws & Metric Group, Weights         and Measures Division, NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2600, Gaithersburg,         MD 20899-2000        Phone: (301) 975-4004, Fax: (301) 926-0647, Email: TheSI@nist.gov

Date created: May 07, 2002        Date Last Modified: June 16, 2004

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