CS3 (NCS (obsolete – désuet) Committee for Standardization NATO Committee for Standardization (obsolete))

CS3 is the abbreviation NATO's glossary of acronyms gave for the Committee for Standardization. The 2013 edition of that glossary lists CS3 as the preferred form and marks NCS and NCS3 as obsolete. The committee was the NATO body responsible for standardization policy and management throughout the Alliance. You can see the entry in the NATO glossary of acronyms and abbreviations (AAP-15, 2013).

The term is historical. NATO's own pages now use the shorter abbreviation CS for the same committee. A bid team will mostly meet CS3 in older NATO documents, glossaries and standardization references, not in current NATO web pages.

What CS3, NCS and NCS3 stand for

All three labels point to the same body. In the NATO glossary, CS3 is the preferred abbreviation for Committee for Standardization. NCS is flagged as obsolete, shown in the glossary's bilingual format as "désuet" in French. NCS3 is also flagged as obsolete, with CS3 given as the form to use. The glossary is a bilingual English and French reference, so the same entry carries both language versions.

What the Committee for Standardization does

NATO describes the Committee for Standardization as the senior NATO committee for Alliance standardization. It operates under the authority of the North Atlantic Council, and it is composed primarily of representatives from all NATO countries. It issues policy and guidance for NATO standardization activities. NATO states that this work supports interoperable, cost-effective military capabilities. NATO set out these points on its page for the Committee for Standardization.

NATO states that the committee was created in 2001. That date sets the earliest point at which the CS3 abbreviation could have applied to this body.

The 2014 reorganization and the NATO Standardization Office

In 2014, NATO reorganized its standardization structures. The NATO Standardization Organization and Agency were dissolved. The NATO Standardization Office became the staff element supporting standardization activities under the Committee for Standardization. According to NATO, the office initiates, coordinates, supports and administers standardization activities conducted under the committee's authority. Its role is described on the NATO Standardization Office page.

The committee therefore sets policy and guidance, and the office carries out the staff work behind it.

Why the label is marked obsolete

The glossary treats NCS and NCS3 as obsolete and gives CS3 as the preferred form. Current NATO pages generally go one step further and use CS. Anyone reading a current NATO page will see "Committee for Standardization (CS)". Anyone reading an older publication may see CS3, and an older glossary may show NCS or NCS3. All of these refer to the same committee.

What CS3 means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

CS3 is a NATO term, and its main use for a supplier is as a reading aid. If a solicitation or technical document refers to NATO standardization policy and uses CS3, NCS or NCS3, it means the Committee for Standardization. Treat the abbreviation as a pointer to NATO's standardization policy and guidance, which is set under the North Atlantic Council.

The Government of Canada publishes a glossary of NATO acronyms as Annex C: NATO acronyms. It supports Canada's guide to doing business with foreign defence markets. The acronym table displayed there does not list CS3, so a bid team should keep its own note that CS3 and CS both mean the Committee for Standardization. When you write a proposal, use the current form, CS, or spell out the full committee name.