Canadian General Standards Board

March 5, 2009

Organization

The Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) is one of the largest standards development and conformity assessment organizations in Canada. In business since 1934, they are a charter participant in the National Standards System (NSS) of Canada and a component of the Government of Canada, Department of Public Works and Government Services.

Business

Accredited by the Standards Council of Canada, the CGSB offers programs and services in Standards Development, Registration, Certification and Qualification of products and services and Personnel Certification.

Standards Development

As an active participant in the National Standards System of Canada, the CGSB offers a wide range of standards development services, including development of National Standards of Canada (NSC), CGSB standards, specifications, Government of Canada (GC) forms, and support to the development of International (ISO) Standards.

Our standards development services are used to:

• facilitate the purchase of goods and services;
• harmonize diverse standards;
• provide a sound quality base for products and services;
• support the CGSB and other conformity assessment programs, and;
• help Canadians compete internationally.

Through a consensus process and with over 4,000 volunteers representing public and private sector stakeholders, academia, consumer groups and the general public, we maintain approximately 1,000 standards. Those voluntary standards and specifications are developed and maintained by committees of volunteers and experts in their fields, working according to the CGSB process and cover a wide range of areas, including:

• Building and construction
• Business (office) equipment and supplies
• Food
• Personnel qualifications & competencies
• Protective clothing
• Textiles
• Petroleum products
• Transportation of dangerous goods

Registration

The CGSB is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada to assess and register quality management systems for conformance to the ISO 9001:2000 standard, environmental management systems for conformance to the ISO 14001:2004 standard and Occupational health and safety standards (OHSAS 18001) as well as HACCP programs based on ISO 22000. CGSB's independent and impartial assessment provides a clear, recognized process to increase and demonstrate your organization's quality.

Certification and Qualification

Since 1979, the CGSB has delivered independent certification and qualification programs where products are assessed against performance and quality standards. Qualification and Certification programs are a voluntary and impartial mechanism by which suppliers can demonstrate to potential buyers the value of their goods.

Through facility audits and product testing conducted by CGSB, suppliers provide objective evidence that their products and services meet nationally recognized standards of quality and performance.

CGSB Certification and Qualification Programs cover the following products and services:

• Carpets and underlay
• Construction materials
• Medical products
• Office furniture
• Packaging
• Paints and coatings
• Protective clothing
• Security personnel
• Testing services (Laboratory Acceptance Program)
• Toner cartridges

Personnel Certification

The Certification Program for the Federal Government Procurement and Materiel Management Community is a component of the government-wide Professional Development and Certification (PDC) Program administered by the Treasury Board Secretariat.

For the first time, practitioners in procurement and materiel management can further their learning goals and acquire a professional designation through their own certification program managed by the CGSB. Certification provides the increased professional recognition for the Community and offers a professional designation to formally acknowledge a practitioner's level of achievement. Procurement specialists can acquire certification as a Certified Federal Specialist in Procurement (CFSP), and those in materiel management can acquire certification as a Certified Federal Specialist in Materiel Management (CFSMM).