Standards Council of Canada (SCC)

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is a federal Crown corporation and Canada's national coordinating body for voluntary standardization. Parliament created it in 1970 under the Standards Council of Canada Act, which was revised in 2006. Its mandate is to promote efficient and effective standardization in Canada where standardization is not expressly provided for by law.

That mandate supports the economy, sustainable development, public and worker health and safety, consumer protection, trade, and international cooperation. The SCC is described as a Crown corporation in its own business model review request for proposals on CanadaBuys. For suppliers, the SCC matters because standards and accreditation credentials sometimes appear as requirements in federal solicitations.

What the SCC does in Canada's standards system

The SCC coordinates and oversees Canada's national standardization network. It supports the development and use of national and international standards, and it offers accreditation services. It accredits standards-development organizations and conformity-assessment organizations. It also represents Canada in international and regional standardization forums.

A National Standard of Canada is a standard developed through an SCC-accredited standards-development process. The designation is tied to that process, not to the subject matter of the standard.

How the SCC differs from the Canadian General Standards Board

The SCC is separate from the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB). The CGSB sits within Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). It develops standards and provides conformity-assessment services. The SCC provides national oversight and accreditation functions across the wider system.

The two bodies are connected. CGSB standards-development work is subject to SCC requirements, so the SCC's rules apply to a standards body that operates inside the federal procurement department.

Public notification requirements for standards work

SCC criteria for accrediting standards-development organizations and for developing National Standards of Canada require public notification of standards work at three stages. PSPC publishes the notices for CGSB activities on its CGSB notification activities page. Anyone who follows standards that affect their products or services can use these notices to see when work begins and where it stands.

Where SCC accreditation shows up in federal procurement

The clearest example is a CanadaBuys notice from the National Research Council Canada. The advance contract award notice required the successful organization or company to be a standards-development organization accredited under the Standards Council of Canada. In that procurement, SCC accreditation was a qualification requirement for the supplier.

SCC approval also reaches procurement through accessibility standards. Accessibility Standards Canada states that its standards are developed through a consensus-based process approved by the SCC. It makes this statement in its guidance on planning accessible procurement.

What the SCC means for a supplier bidding on public contracts

• Check the mandatory criteria. Where a solicitation expressly requires SCC accreditation, such as accreditation as a standards-development organization, you must hold the specified accreditation and provide evidence of it.
• Match the wording. The requirement comes from the solicitation text, so confirm exactly which accreditation is named before you decide to bid.
• Watch the notices. If your work touches CGSB standards, the public notifications show when standards activity opens and progresses.