(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is hosting a free public workshop on best practices in federal conformity-assessment activities Wed., April 11, 2012, at NIST’s Gaithersburg, Maryland, site. Conformity assessment determines whether a process, product, or service meets standards and requirements, and has important consequences. Federal conformity assessments affect the regulatory process, international trade, procurement, and federal assistance programs.

The Energy Star program that directs consumers to energy-efficient appliances is one familiar example of a voluntary conformity-assessment program supported by a federal agency. Other federal conformity assessment programs provide confidence in the safety of electrical equipment used in regulated workplaces in the United States.

The NIST workshop is being held to examine current approaches to conformity assessment at federal agencies and in the private sector. It will provide a forum for federal agencies, private industry, and other stakeholders to give feedback to NIST on conformity-assessment practices, the challenges encountered, and the ways these challenges are being addressed.

 …