1.2.1  A group having advisory functions in the sense of 1.1 g) may be established

1. by one of the technical management boards;

2. jointly by the two technical management boards.

   NOTE  In IEC certain such groups are designated as Advisory Committees.

1.2.2  A proposal to establish such a group shall include recommendations regarding its terms of reference and constitution, bearing in mind the requirement for sufficient representation of affected interests while at the same time limiting its size as far as possible in order to ensure its efficient operation. For example, it may be decided that its members be only the chairs and secretaries of the technical committees concerned. In every case, the TMB(s) shall decide the criteria to be applied and shall appoint the members.

Any changes proposed by the group to its terms of reference, composition or, where appropriate, working methods shall be submitted to the technical management boards for approval.

1.2.3  The tasks allocated to such a group may include the making of proposals relating to the drafting or harmonization of publications (in particular International Standards, Technical Specifications, Publicly Available Specifications and Technical Reports), but shall not include the preparation of such documents unless specifically authorized by the TMB(s).

1.2.4  Any document being prepared with a view to publication shall be developed in accordance with the procedural principles given in Annex A.

1.2.5  The results of such a group shall be presented in the form of recommendations to the TMB(s). The recommendations may include proposals for the establishment of a working group (see 1.12.6) or a joint working group (see 1.12) for the preparation of publications. Such working groups shall operate within the relevant technical committee, if any.

1.2.6  The internal documents of a group having advisory functions shall be distributed to its members only, with a copy to the office(s) of the CEO(s).

1.2.7  Such a group shall be disbanded once its specified tasks have been completed, or if it is subsequently decided that its work can be accomplished by normal liaison mechanisms (see 1.16).

1.3.1  Joint Technical Advisory Board (JTAB)

The JTAB has the task of avoiding or eliminating possible or actual overlapping in the technical work of ISO and IEC and acts when one of the two organizations feels a need for joint planning. The JTAB deals only with those cases that it has not been possible to resolve at lower levels by existing procedures. (See Annex B.) Such cases may cover questions of planning and procedures as well as technical work.

Decisions of the JTAB are communicated to both organizations for immediate implementation. They shall not be subject to appeal for at least 3 years.

1.3.2  Joint Technical Committees (JTC) and Joint Project Committees (JPC)

1.5.1  Technical committees are established and dissolved by the technical management board.

1.5.2  The technical management board may transform an existing subcommittee into a new technical committee, following consultation with the technical committee concerned.

1.5.3  A proposal for work in a new field of technical activity which appears to require the establishment of a new technical committee may be made in the respective organization by

• a National Body;

• a technical committee or subcommittee;

• a project committee;

• a policy level committee;

• the technical management board;

• the Chief Executive Officer;

• a body responsible for managing a certification system operating under the auspices of the organization;

• another international organization with National Body membership.

1.5.4  The proposal shall be made using the appropriate form (see Annex SJ in the Consolidated ISO Supplement to the ISO/IEC Directives and https://www.iec.ch/standardsdev/resources/docpreparation/forms_templates/), which covers

1. the proposer;

2. the subject proposed;

3. the scope of the work envisaged and the proposed initial programme of work;

4. a justification for the proposal;

5. if applicable, a survey of similar work undertaken in other bodies;

6. any liaisons deemed necessary with other bodies.

For additional informational details to be included in the proposals for new work, see Annex C. The form shall be submitted to the office of the CEO.

1.5.5  The office of the CEO shall ensure that the proposal is properly developed in accordance with ISO and IEC requirements (see Annex C) and provides sufficient information to support informed decision making by National Bodies. The office of the CEO shall also assess the relationship of the proposal to existing work, and may consult interested parties, including the technical management board or committees conducting related existing work. If necessary, an ad hoc group may be established to examine the proposal.

Following its review, the office of the CEO may decide to return the proposal to the proposer for further development before circulation for voting. In this case, the proposer shall make the changes suggested or provide justification for not making the changes. If the proposer does not make the changes and requests that its proposal be circulated for voting as originally presented, the technical management board will decide on appropriate action. This could include blocking the proposal until the changes are made or accepting that it be balloted as received.

In all cases, the office of the CEO may also include comments and recommendations to the proposal form.

For details relating to justification of the proposal, see Annex C.

Proposers are strongly encouraged to conduct informal consultations with other National Bodies in the preparation of proposals.

1.5.6  The proposal shall be circulated by the office of the CEO to all National Bodies of the respective organization (ISO or IEC), asking whether or not they

1. support the establishment of a new technical committee providing a statement justifying their decision (“justification statement”), and

2. intend to participate actively (see 1.7.1 in the work of the new technical committee.

The proposal shall also be submitted to the other organization (IEC or ISO) for comment and for agreement (see Annex B).

The replies to the proposal shall be made using the appropriate form within 12 weeks after circulation. Regarding a) above, if no such statement is provided, the positive or negative vote of a National Body will not be registered and considered.

1.5.7  The technical management board evaluates the replies and either

• decides the establishment of a new technical committee, provided that

  1. a 2/3 majority of the National Bodies voting are in favour of the proposal, and

  2. at least 5 National Bodies who voted in favour expressed their intention to participate actively,

and allocates the secretariat (see 1.9.1), or

• assigns the work to an existing technical committee, subject to the same criteria of acceptance.

1.5.8  Technical committees shall be numbered in sequence in the order in which they are established. If a technical committee is dissolved, its number shall not be allocated to another technical committee.

1.5.9  As soon as possible after the decision to establish a new technical committee, the necessary liaisons shall be arranged (see 1.15 to 1.17).

1.5.10  A new technical committee shall agree on its title and scope as soon as possible after its establishment, preferably by correspondence.

The scope is a statement precisely defining the limits of the work of a technical committee.

The definition of the scope of a technical committee shall begin with the words “Standardization of …​” or “Standardization in the field of …​” and shall be drafted as concisely as possible.

For recommendations on scopes, see Annex J.

The agreed title and scope shall be submitted by the Chief Executive Officer to the technical management board for approval.

1.5.11  The technical management board or a technical committee may propose a modification of the latter’s title and/or scope. The modified wording shall be established by the technical committee for approval by the technical management board.

1.5.12  “Stand-by” – a technical committee or subcommittee is said to be in a “stand-by” status when it has no tasks on its work programme but retains its title, scope and secretariat so that it can be reactivated should a new task be assigned to it.

The decision to put a committee on stand-by or to reactivate it is taken by the technical management board on a proposal from the committee in question.

1.6.1  Subcommittees are established and dissolved by a 2/3 majority decision of the P-members of the parent committee voting, subject to ratification by the technical management board. A subcommittee may be established only on condition that a National Body has expressed its readiness to undertake the secretariat.

1.6.2  At the time of its establishment, a subcommittee shall comprise at least 5 members of the parent technical committee having expressed their intention to participate actively (see 1.7.1) in the work of the subcommittee.

1.6.3  Subcommittees of a technical committee shall be designated in sequence in the order in which they are established. If a subcommittee is dissolved, its designation shall not be allocated to another subcommittee, unless the dissolution is part of a complete restructuring of the technical committee.

1.6.4  The title and scope of a subcommittee shall be defined by the parent technical committee and shall be within the defined scope of the parent technical committee.

1.6.5  The secretariat of the parent technical committee shall inform the office of the CEO of the decision to establish a subcommittee, using the appropriate form. The office of the CEO shall submit the form to the technical management board for ratification of the decision.

1.6.6  As soon as possible after ratification of the decision to establish a new subcommittee, any liaisons deemed necessary with other bodies shall be arranged (see 1.15 to 1.17).

1.7.1  All National Bodies have the right to participate in the work of technical committees and subcommittees.

In order to achieve maximum efficiency and the necessary discipline in the work, each National Body shall clearly indicate to the office of the CEO, with regard to each technical committee or subcommittee, if it intends

• to participate actively in the work, with an obligation to vote on all questions formally submitted for voting within the technical committee or subcommittee, on new work item proposals, enquiry drafts and final draft International Standards, and to contribute to meetings (P-members), or

• to follow the work as an observer, and therefore to receive committee documents and to have the right to submit comments and to attend meetings (O-members).

A National Body may choose to be neither P-member nor O-member of a given committee, in which case it will have neither the rights nor the obligations indicated above with regard to the work of that committee. Nevertheless, all National Bodies irrespective of their status within a technical committee or subcommittee have the right to vote on enquiry drafts (see 2.6) and on final draft International Standards (see 2.7).

National Bodies have the responsibility to organize their national input in an efficient and timely manner, taking account of all relevant interests at their national level.

1.7.2  Membership of a subcommittee is open to any National Body, regardless of their membership status in the parent technical committee.

Members of a technical committee shall be given the opportunity to notify their intention to become a P- or O-member of a subcommittee at the time of its establishment.

Membership of a technical committee does not imply automatic membership of a subcommittee; National Bodies shall notify their intended status in each subcommittee.

1.7.3  A National Body may, at any time, begin or end membership or change its membership status in any technical committee or subcommittee in IEC by informing the office of the CEO and the secretariat of the committee concerned, and in ISO by direct input via the Global Directory, subject to the requirements of clauses 1.7.4 and 1.7.5.

1.7.4  A technical committee or subcommittee secretariat shall notify the Chief Executive Officer if a P-member of that technical committee or subcommittee

• has been persistently inactive and has failed to contribute to 2 successive technical committee/subcommittee meetings, either by direct participation or by correspondence and has failed to appoint any experts to the technical work, or

• In IEC:
  Has failed to vote on questions formally submitted for voting within the technical committee or subcommittee (see 1.7.1).

• In ISO:
  has failed to vote on over 20 % (and at least 2) of the questions formally submitted for voting on the committee internal balloting (CIB) within the technical committee or subcommittee over one calendar year (see 1.7.1).

Upon receipt of such a notification, the Chief Executive Officer shall remind the National Body of its obligation to take an active part in the work of the technical committee or subcommittee. In the absence of a satisfactory response to this reminder, and upon persistent continuation of the above articulated shortcomings in required P-member behaviour, the National Body shall without exception automatically have its status changed to that of O-member. A National Body having its status so changed may, after a period of 12 months, indicate to the Chief Executive Officer that it wishes to regain P-membership of the committee, in which case this shall be granted.

1.7.5  If a P-member of a technical committee or subcommittee fails to vote on an enquiry draft or final draft International Standard prepared by the respective committee, or on a systematic review ballot for a deliverable under the responsibility of the committee, the Chief Executive Officer shall remind the National Body of its obligation to vote. In the absence of a satisfactory response to this reminder, the National Body shall automatically have its status changed to that of O-member. A National Body having its status so changed may, after a period of 12 months, indicate to the Chief Executive Officer that it wishes to regain P-membership of the committee, in which case this shall be granted.

1.8.1  Appointment

Chairs of technical committees shall be nominated by the secretariat of the technical committee and approved by the technical management board, for a maximum period of 6 years, or for such shorter period as may be appropriate. Extensions are allowed, up to a cumulative maximum of 9 years.

Chairs of subcommittees shall be nominated by the secretariat of the subcommittee and approved by the technical committee for a maximum period of 6 years, or for such shorter period as may be appropriate. Extensions are allowed, up to a cumulative maximum of 9 years. Approval criterion for both appointment and extension is a 2/3 majority vote of the P-members of the technical committee.

Secretariats of technical committees or subcommittees may submit nominations for new chairs up to one year before the end of the term of existing chairs. Chairs appointed one year before shall be designated as the “chair elect” of the committee in question. This is intended to provide the chair elect an opportunity to learn before taking over as chair of a committee.

1.8.2  Responsibilities

The chair of a technical committee is responsible for the overall management of that technical committee, including any subcommittees and working groups.

The chair of a technical committee or subcommittee shall

1. act in a purely international capacity, divesting him- or herself of a national position; thus s/he cannot serve concurrently as the delegate of a National Body in his or her own committee;

2. guide the secretary of that technical committee or subcommittee in carrying out his or her duty;

3. conduct meetings with a view to reaching agreement on committee drafts (see 2.5);

4. ensure at meetings that all points of view expressed are adequately summed up so that they are understood by all present;

5. ensure at meetings that all decisions are clearly formulated and made available in written form by the secretary for confirmation during the meeting;

6. take appropriate decisions at the enquiry stage (see 2.6);

7. advise the technical management board on important matters relating to that technical committee via the technical committee secretariat. For this purpose s/he shall receive reports from the chairs of any subcommittees via the subcommittee secretariats;

8. ensure that the policy and strategic decisions of the technical management board are implemented in the committee;

9. ensure the establishment and ongoing maintenance of a strategic business plan covering the activities of the technical committee and all groups reporting to the technical committee, including all subcommittees;

10. ensure the appropriate and consistent implementation and application of the committee’s strategic business plan to the activities of the technical committee’s or subcommittee’s work programme;

11. assist in the case of an appeal against a committee decision.

In case of unforeseen unavailability of the chair at a meeting, a session chair may be elected by the participants.

SC chairs shall attend meetings of the parent committee as required and may participate in the discussion, but do not have the right to vote. In exceptional circumstances, if a chair is prevented from attending, he or she shall delegate the secretary (or in ISO and IEC, another representative) to represent the subcommittee. In the case where no representative from the SC can attend, a written report shall be provided.

1.9.1  Allocation

The secretariat of a technical committee shall be allocated to a National Body by the technical management board.

The secretariat of a subcommittee shall be allocated to a National Body by the parent technical committee. However, if two or more National Bodies offer to undertake the secretariat of the same subcommittee, the technical management board shall decide on the allocation of the subcommittee secretariat.

For both technical committees and subcommittees, the secretariat shall be allocated to a National Body only if that National Body

1. has indicated its intention to participate actively in the work of that technical committee or subcommittee, and

2. has accepted that it will fulfil its responsibilities as secretariat and is in a position to ensure that adequate resources are available for secretariat work (see D.2).

Once the secretariat of a technical committee or subcommittee has been allocated to a National Body, the latter shall appoint a qualified individual as secretary (see D.1 and D.3).

1.9.2  Responsibilities

The National Body to which the secretariat has been allocated shall ensure the provision of technical and administrative services to its respective technical committee or subcommittee.

The secretariat is responsible for monitoring, reporting, and ensuring active progress of the work, and shall use its utmost endeavour to bring this work to an early and satisfactory conclusion. These tasks shall be carried out as far as possible by correspondence.

The secretariat is responsible for ensuring that the ISO/IEC Directives and the decisions of the technical management board are followed.

A secretariat shall act in a purely international capacity, divesting itself of a national point of view.

The secretariat is responsible for the following to be executed in a timely manner:

1. Working documents:

   1. Preparation of committee drafts, arranging for their distribution and the treatment of the comments received;

   2. Preparation of enquiry drafts and text for the circulation of the final draft International Standards or publication of International Standards;

   3. Ensuring the equivalence of the English and French texts, if necessary with the assistance of other National Bodies that are able and willing to take responsibility for the language versions concerned. (See also 1.11 and the respective Supplements to the ISO/IEC Directives);

2. Project management

   1. Assisting in the establishment of priorities and target dates for each project;

   2. Notifying the names, etc. of all working group and maintenance team convenors and project leaders to the office of the CEO;

   3. Proposing proactively the publication of alternative deliverables or cancellation of projects that are running significantly overtime, and/or which appear to lack sufficient support;

3. Meetings (see also Clause 4), including:

   1. Establishment of the agenda and arranging for its distribution;

   2. Arranging for the distribution of all documents on the agenda, including reports of working groups, and indicating all other documents which are necessary for discussion during the meeting (see E.5);

   3. Regarding the decisions (also referred to as resolutions) taken in a meeting:

      • ensuring that the decisions endorsing working groups recommendations contain the specific elements being endorsed;

      • making the decisions available in writing for confirmation during the meeting (see E.5); and

      • posting the decisions within 48 hours after the meeting in the committee’s electronic folder.

   4. Preparation of the minutes of meetings to be circulated within 4 weeks after the meeting;

   5. Preparation of reports to the technical management board (TC secretariat), in the IEC within 4 weeks after the meeting, or to the parent committee (SC secretariat);

   6. In case of unforeseen unavailability of the secretary at a meeting (if the Secretariat is unable to provide a replacement), an acting secretary may be appointed by the committee for the meeting.

4. Decisions

   The committee secretariat shall ensure that all decisions taken by the committee, whether at a plenary meeting or by correspondence, are documented and traceable through committee resolutions or numbered documents reporting the results of a committee decision;

5. Advising

   Providing advice to the chair, project leaders, and convenors on procedures associated with the progression of projects.

In all circumstances, each secretariat shall work in close liaison with the chair of its technical committee or subcommittee.

The secretariat of a technical committee shall maintain close contact with the office of the CEO and with the members of the technical committee regarding its activities, including those of its subcommittees and working groups.

The secretariat of a subcommittee shall maintain close contact with the secretariat of the parent technical committee and as necessary with the office of the CEO. It shall also maintain contact with the members of the subcommittee regarding its activities, including those of its working groups.

The secretariat of a technical committee or subcommittee shall update in conjunction with the office of the CEO the record of the status of the membership of the committee.

1.9.3  Change of secretariat of a technical committee

If a National Body wishes to relinquish the secretariat of a technical committee, the National Body concerned shall immediately inform the Chief Executive Officer, giving a minimum of 12 months’ notice. The technical management board decides on the transfer of the secretariat to another National Body.

If the secretariat of a technical committee persistently fails to fulfil its responsibilities as set out in these procedures, the Chief Executive Officer or a National Body may have the matter placed before the technical management board, which may review the allocation of the secretariat with a view to its possible transfer to another National Body.

1.9.4  Change of secretariat of a subcommittee

If a National Body wishes to relinquish the secretariat of a subcommittee, the National Body concerned shall immediately inform the secretariat of the parent technical committee, giving a minimum of 12 months’ notice.

If the secretariat of a subcommittee persistently fails to fulfil its responsibilities as set out in these procedures, the Chief Executive Officer or a National Body may have the matter placed before the parent technical committee, which may decide, by majority vote of the P-members, that the secretariat of the subcommittee should be re-allocated.

In either of the above cases an enquiry shall be made by the secretariat of the technical committee to obtain offers from other P-members of the subcommittee for undertaking the secretariat.

If two or more National Bodies offer to undertake the secretariat of the same subcommittee or if, because of the structure of the technical committee, the re-allocation of the secretariat is linked with the re-allocation of the technical committee secretariat, the technical management board decides on the re-allocation of the subcommittee secretariat. If only one offer is received, the parent technical committee itself proceeds with the appointment.

1.12.1  Technical committees or subcommittees may establish, by decision of the committee, working groups for specific tasks (see 2.2, 2.4 and 2.6). A working group operates by consensus, reports and gives recommendations, if any, to its parent committee through a convenor appointed by the parent committee.

Working group convenors shall be appointed by the committee for up to three-year terms ending at the next plenary session of the parent committee following the term. Such appointments shall be confirmed by the National Body (or liaison organization). The convenor may be reappointed for additional terms of up to three-years. There is no limit to the number of terms.

Responsibility for any changes of convenors rests with the committee and not with the National Body (or liaison organization).

The convenor may be supported by a secretariat, as needed.

A working group comprises a restricted number of experts individually appointed by the P-members, A-liaisons of the parent committee and C-liaison organizations, brought together to deal with the specific task allocated to the working group. The experts act in a personal capacity and not as the official representative of the P-member or A-liaison organization (see 1.17) by which they have been appointed with the exception of those appointed by C-liaison organizations (see 1.17). However, it is recommended that they keep close contact with that P-member or organization in order to inform them about the progress of the work and of the various opinions in the working group at the earliest possible stage.

It is recommended that working groups be reasonably limited in size. The technical committee or subcommittee may therefore decide upon the maximum number of experts appointed by each P-member and liaison organizations.

Once the decision to set up a working group has been taken, P-members and A- and C-liaison organizations shall be officially informed in order to appoint expert(s).Working groups shall be numbered in sequence in the order in which they are established.

When a committee has decided to set up a working group, the convenor or acting convenor shall immediately be appointed and shall arrange for the first meeting of the working group to be held within 12 weeks. This information shall be communicated immediately after the committee’s decision to the P-members of the committee and A- and C-liaison organizations, with an invitation to appoint experts within 6 weeks. Additional projects may be assigned, where appropriate, to existing working groups.

1.12.2  The composition of the working group is defined in the ISO Global Directory (GD) or in the IEC Expert Management System (EMS) as appropriate. Experts not registered to a working group in the ISO GD or the IEC EMS respectively, shall not participate in its work. Convenors may invite a specific guest to participate in a single meeting and shall notify the guest’s National Body of the invitation.

1.12.3  Persistently inactive experts, meaning absence of contributions through attendance to working group meetings or by correspondence shall be removed, by the office of the CEO at the request of the technical committee or sub-committee secretary, from working groups after consultation with the P-member.

1.12.4  On completion of its task(s) — normally at the end of the enquiry stage (see 2.6) of its last project — the working group shall be disbanded by decision of the committee, the project leader remaining with consultant status until completion of the publication stage (see 2.8).

1.12.5  Distribution of the internal documents of a working group and of its reports shall be carried out in accordance with procedures described in the respective Supplements of the ISO/IEC Directives.

1.12.6  In special cases a joint working group (JWG) may be established to undertake a specific task in which more than one ISO and/or IEC technical committee or subcommittee is interested. Committees who receive requests to establish JWG shall reply to such requests in a timely manner.

The decision to establish a joint working group shall be accompanied by mutual agreement between the committees on:

• the committee/organization having the administrative responsibility for the project;

• the convenor of the joint working group, who shall be nominated by a P-member from one of the committees, with the option to appoint a co-convenor from the other committee;

• the membership of the joint working group (membership may be open to all P-members and category A- and C-liaisons that wish to participate which may be limited to an equal number of representatives from each committee, if agreed).

The committee/organization with the administrative responsibility for the project shall:

• record the project in their programme of work;

• be responsible for addressing comments (usually referred back to the JWG) and ensure that the comments and votes at all stages of the project are compiled and handled appropriately (see 2.5, 2.6 and 2.7) — all comments are made available to the leadership of the committees;

• prepare drafts for the committee, enquiry and approval stages according to procedures given in 2.5, 2.6 and 2.7;

• be responsible for maintenance of the publication.

Approval criteria are based on the Directives used by the committee with the administrative lead. If the lead committee is a JTC 1 committee, the Consolidated JTC 1 Supplement also applies.

For proposal stage (NP)

• It is possible to establish a JWG at a later stage, in which case its administrative lead will be confirmed by the TCs concerned.

• Once the joint work is agreed, the committee with the administrative lead informs ISO/CS or IEC/CO respectively, of its lead and of the committees participating in the work.

• The other TCs launch a call for experts for participation in the JWG.

For preparatory stage (WD)

• The JWG functions like any other WG: consensus is required to advance to CD.

For committee stage (CD)

• The CD is circulated for review and comment by each committee.

• The final CD requires consensus by all committees, as defined in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1.

For DIS and FDIS ballots

• National Bodies are requested to consult all national mirror committees involved to define one position. A statement is included on the cover page to draw attention of NSBs.

• For an ISO/IEC JWG, two DIS/FDIS votes are launched, i.e. one in each organization.

The Foreword identifies all committees involved in the development of the deliverable.

1.13.1  A group having advisory functions may be established by a technical committee or subcommittee to assist the chair and secretariat in tasks concerning coordination, planning and steering of the committee’s work or other specific tasks of an advisory nature.

1.13.2  A proposal to establish such a group shall include recommendations regarding its constitution and terms of reference, including criteria for membership, bearing in mind the requirement for sufficient representation of affected interests while at the same time limiting its size as far as possible in order to ensure its efficient operation. Members of advisory groups shall be committee officers, individuals nominated by National Bodies and/or, as relevant, by A-liaison organizations. The parent committee shall approve the final constitution and the terms of reference prior to the establishment of and nominations to the advisory group.

For chair’s advisory groups, consideration shall be given to the provision of equitable participation.

1.13.3  The tasks allocated to such a group may include the making of proposals relating to the drafting or harmonization of publications (in particular International Standards, Technical Specifications, Publicly Available Specifications and Technical Reports), but shall not include the preparation of such documents.

1.13.4  The results of such a group shall be presented in the form of recommendations to the body that established the group. The recommendations may include proposals for the establishment of a working group (see 1.12) or a joint working group (see 1.12.6) for the preparation of publications.

1.13.5  The internal documents of a group having advisory functions shall be distributed to its members only, with a copy to the secretariat of the committee concerned and to the office of the CEO.

1.13.6  Such a group shall be disbanded once its specified tasks have been completed and agreed by the parent committee.

1.15.1  Within each organization, technical committees and/or subcommittees working in related fields shall establish and maintain liaison. Liaisons shall also be established, where appropriate, with technical committees responsible for basic aspects of standardization (e.g. terminology, graphical symbols). Liaison shall include the exchange of basic documents, including new work item proposals and working drafts.

Committees shall take an official decision on the establishment or removal of an internal liaison. Committees receiving requests for internal liaisons cannot refuse such requests and there is no need for the committee receiving the request to take an official decision confirming its acceptance.

1.15.2  The maintenance of such liaison is the responsibility of the respective technical committee secretariats, which may delegate the task to the secretariats of the subcommittees.

1.15.3  A technical committee or subcommittee may designate a Liaison Representative or Liaison Representatives, to follow the work of another technical committee with which a liaison has been established, or one or several of its subcommittees. The designation of such Liaison Representatives shall be notified to the secretariat of the committee concerned, which shall communicate all relevant documents to the Liaison Representative(s) and to the secretariat of that technical committee or subcommittee. The appointed Liaison Representative shall make progress reports to the secretariat by which s/he has been appointed.

1.15.4  Such Liaison Representatives shall have the right to participate in the meetings of the technical committee or subcommittee whose work they have been designated to follow but shall not have the right to vote. They may contribute to the discussion in meetings, including the submission of written comments, on matters within the competence of their own technical committee and based on feedback that they have collected from their own committee. They may also attend meetings of working groups of the technical committee or subcommittee, but only to contribute the viewpoint of their own technical committee on matters within its competence, and not to otherwise participate in working group activities.

1.16.1  Arrangements for adequate liaison between ISO and IEC technical committees and subcommittees are essential. The channel of correspondence for the establishment of liaison between ISO and IEC technical committees and subcommittees is through the offices of the CEOs. As far as the study of new subjects by either organization is concerned, the CEOs seek agreement between the two organizations whenever a new or revised programme of work is contemplated in the one organization which may be of interest to the other, so that the work will go forward without overlap or duplication of effort. (See also Annex B.)

1.16.2  Liaison Representatives designated by ISO or IEC shall have the right to participate in the discussions of the other organization’s technical committee or subcommittee whose work they have been designated to follow, and may submit written comments; they shall not have the right to vote.

1.17.1  General requirements applicable to all categories of liaisons

In order to be effective, liaison shall operate in both directions, with suitable reciprocal arrangements.

The desirability of liaison shall be taken into account at an early stage of the work.

The liaison organization shall accept the policy based on the ISO/IEC Directives concerning copyright (see 2.13), whether owned by the liaison organization or by other parties. The statement on copyright policy will be provided to the liaison organization with an invitation to make an explicit statement as to its acceptability. The liaison organization is not entitled to charge a fee for documents submitted.

A liaison organization shall be willing to make a contribution to the technical work of ISO or IEC as appropriate. A liaison organization shall have a sufficient degree of representativity within its defined area of competence within a sector or subsector of the relevant technical or industrial field.

A liaison organization shall agree to ISO/IEC procedures, including IPR (see 2.13).

Liaison organizations shall accept the requirements of 2.14 on patent rights.

Technical committees and subcommittees shall review all their liaison arrangements on a regular basis, at least every 2 years, or at every committee meeting.

1.17.2  Different categories of liaisons (Category A, B and C)

The categories of liaisons are:

• Category A: Organizations that make an effective contribution to the work of the technical committee or subcommittee for questions dealt with by this technical committee or subcommittee. Such organizations are given access to all relevant documentation and are invited to meetings. They may nominate experts to participate in a WG (see 1.12.1).

• Category B: Organizations that have indicated a wish to be kept informed of the work of the technical committee or subcommittee. Such organizations are given access to reports on the work of a technical committee or subcommittee.

  NOTE 1  Category B is reserved for inter-governmental organizations.

• Category C: Organizations that make a technical contribution to and participate actively in the work of a working group.

The procedure for the establishment of liaisons is:

• The organization wishing to create a liaison shall send an application liaison form to the office of the CEO with copies to the technical committee or subcommittee officers and IEC CO Technical Officer or ISO CS Technical Programme Manager.

  • ISO application liaison form is available here

  • IEC application liaison form is available here

  NOTE 2  Invariably the organization will have been in contact with the technical committee or subcommittee officers prior to submitting its application and in these cases the technical committee or subcommittee officers should ensure that the organization is aware of their obligations as given in clauses 1.17.1 i.e. copyright, agreeing to ISO/IEC procedures including IPR, and patent rights.

• The Office of the CEO will confirm that the eligibility criteria have been fulfilled and then consult with the National Body where the organization making the application has its headquarters;

• In case of objection from the National Body where the organization making the application has its headquarters, the matter will be referred to the technical management board for decision;

• If there is no objection from the National Body where the organization making the application has its headquarters, the application will be sent to the technical committee or subcommittee secretary with a request to circulate it for vote.

1.17.3  Acceptance (Category A, B and C liaisons)

Agreement to establish category A, B and C liaisons requires approval of the application by two-thirds of the P-members voting.

Committees are urged to seek out the participation of all parties at the beginning of the development of a work item. Where a request for category C liaison is submitted late in the development stage of a particular work item, the P-members will consider the value that can be added by the organization in question despite its late involvement in the working group.

1.17.4  Eligibility

1.17.5  Rights and obligations

1.17.6  Carrying over liaisons when a project committee is converted into a technical committee or a subcommittee

When a project committee is converted to a technical committee or a subcommittee, the new technical committee or subcommittee shall pass a resolution confirming which category A and B liaisons are carried over. Approval of the resolution requires a 2/3 majority of P-members voting.

Table 1 — Liaison categories

2.1.1  General

The primary duty of a technical committee or subcommittee is the development and maintenance of International Standards. However, committees are also strongly encouraged to consider publication of intermediate deliverables as described in Clause 3.

International Standards shall be developed on the basis of a project approach as described below.

2.1.2  Strategic business plan

Each technical committee shall prepare a strategic business plan for its own specific field of activity,

1. taking into account the business environment in which it is developing its work programme;

2. indicating those areas of the work programme which are expanding, those which have been completed, and those nearing completion or in steady progress, and those which have not progressed and should be cancelled (see also 2.1.9);

3. evaluating revision work needed (see also the respective Supplements to the ISO/IEC Directives);

4. giving a prospective view on emerging needs.

The strategic business plan shall be formally agreed upon by the technical committee and be included in its report for review and approval by the technical management board on a regular basis.

2.1.3  Project stages

2.1.4  Project description and acceptance

A project is any work intended to lead to the issue of a new, amended or revised International Standard. A project may subsequently be subdivided (see also 2.1.5.4).

A project shall be undertaken only if a proposal has been accepted in accordance with the relevant procedures (see 2.3 for proposals for new work items, and the respective Supplements to the ISO/IEC Directives for review and maintenance of existing International Standards).

2.1.5  Programme of work

2.1.6  Target dates

The technical committee or subcommittee shall establish, for each project on its programme of work, target dates for the completion of each of the following steps:

• completion of the first working draft (in the event that only an outline of a working document has been provided by the proposer of the new work item proposal — see 2.3);

• circulation of the first committee draft;

• circulation of the enquiry draft;

• circulation of the final draft International Standard (in agreement with the office of the CEO);

• publication of the International Standard (in agreement with the office of the CEO).

These target dates shall correspond to the shortest possible development times to produce International Standards rapidly and shall be reported to the office of the CEO, which distributes the information to all National Bodies. For establishment of target dates, see the respective Supplements to the ISO/IEC Directives.

In establishing target dates, the relationships between projects shall be taken into account. Priority shall be given to those projects intended to lead to International Standards upon which other International Standards will depend for their implementation. The highest priority shall be given to those projects having a significant effect on international trade and recognized as such by the technical management board.

The technical management board may also instruct the secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee concerned to submit the latest available draft to the office of the CEO for publication as a Technical Specification (see 3.1).

All target dates shall be kept under continuous review and amended as necessary, and shall be clearly indicated in the programme of work. Revised target dates shall be notified to the technical management board. The technical management board will cancel all work items which have been on the work programme for more than 5 years and have not reached the approval stage (see 2.7).

2.1.7  Project management

The secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee is responsible for the management of all projects in the programme of work of that technical committee or subcommittee, including monitoring of their progress against the agreed target dates.

If target dates (see 2.1.6) are not met and there is insufficient support for the work (that is, the acceptance requirements for new work given in 2.3.5 are no longer met), the committee responsible shall cancel the work item.

2.1.8  Project leader

For the development of each project, a project leader (the WG convenor, a designated expert or, if appropriate, the secretary) shall be appointed by the technical committee or subcommittee, taking into account the project leader nomination made by the proposer of the new work item proposal (see 2.3.4). It shall be ascertained that the project leader will have access to appropriate resources for carrying out the development work. The project leader shall act in a purely international capacity, divesting him- or herself of a national point of view. The project leader should be prepared to act as consultant, when required, regarding technical matters arising at the proposal stage through to the publication stage (see 2.5 to 2.8).

The secretariat shall communicate the name and address of the project leader, with identification of the project concerned, to the office of the CEO.

2.1.9  Progress control

Periodical progress reports to the technical committee shall be made by its subcommittees and working groups (see also ISO and IEC Supplements to the ISO/IEC Directives). Meetings between their secretariats will assist in controlling the progress.

The office of the CEO shall monitor the progress of all work and shall report periodically to the technical management board. For this purpose, the office of the CEO shall receive copies of documents as indicated in the ISO and IEC Supplements to the ISO/IEC Directives.

2.2.1  Technical committees or subcommittees may introduce into their work programmes, by a simple majority vote of their P-members, preliminary work items (for example, corresponding to subjects dealing with emerging technologies), which are not yet sufficiently mature for processing to further stages and for which no target dates can be established.

Such items may include, for example, those listed in the strategic business plan, particularly as given under 2.1.2 d) giving a prospective view on emerging needs.

2.2.2  All preliminary work items shall be registered into the programme of work.

2.2.3  All preliminary work items shall be subject to regular review by the committee. The committee shall evaluate the market relevance and resources required for all such items.

All preliminary work items that have not progressed to the proposal stage in the IEC by the expiration date given by the TC/SC and in ISO within 3 years will be automatically cancelled.

2.2.4  This stage can be used for the elaboration of a new work item proposal (see 2.3) and the development of an initial draft.

2.2.5  Before progressing to the preparatory stage, all such items shall be subject to approval in accordance with the procedures described in 2.3.

2.3.1  A new work item proposal (NP) is a proposal for:

• a new standard;

• a new part of an existing standard;

• a Technical Specification (see 3.1) or a Publicly Available Specification (see 3.2).

2.3.2  A new work item proposal within the scope of an existing technical committee or subcommittee may be made in the respective organization by

• a National Body;

• the secretariat of that technical committee or subcommittee;

• another technical committee or subcommittee;

• an organization in category A liaison;

• the technical management board or one of its advisory groups;

• the Chief Executive Officer.

2.3.3  Where both an ISO and an IEC technical committee are concerned, the Chief Executive Officers shall arrange for the necessary coordination. (See also Annex B.)

2.3.4  Each new work item proposal shall be presented using the appropriate form, and shall be fully justified and properly documented (see Annex C).

The proposers of the new work item proposal shall

• make every effort to provide a first working draft for discussion, or shall at least provide an outline of such a working draft;

• nominate a project leader.

The form shall be submitted to the office of the CEO or to the secretariat of the relevant committee for proposals within the scope of an existing committee.

The office of the CEO or the relevant committee chair and secretariat shall ensure that the proposal is properly developed in accordance with ISO and IEC requirements (see Annex C) and provides sufficient information to support informed decision making by National Bodies.

The office of the CEO or the relevant committee chair and secretariat shall also assess the relationship of the proposal to existing work, and may consult interested parties, including the technical management board or committees conducting related existing work. If necessary, an ad hoc group may be established to examine the proposal. Any review of proposals should not exceed 2 weeks.

In all cases, the office of the CEO or the relevant committee chair and secretariat may also add comments and recommendations to the proposal form.

See Annex K for new work item proposals for project committees.

Copies of the completed form shall be circulated to the members of the technical committee or subcommittee for P-member ballot and to the O-members and liaison members for information.

The proposed date of availability of the publication shall be indicated on the form.

A decision upon a new work item proposal shall be taken by correspondence.

Votes shall be returned within 12 weeks.

The committee may decide on a case-by-case basis by way of a resolution to shorten the voting period for new work item proposals to 8 weeks.

When completing the ballot form, National Bodies shall provide a statement justifying their decision for negative votes (“justification statement”). If no such statement is provided, the negative vote of a National Body will not be registered and considered.

2.3.5  Acceptance requires

1. approval of the work item by a 2/3 majority of the P-members of the technical committees or subcommittees voting — abstentions are excluded when the votes are counted; and

2. a commitment to participate actively in the development of the project, i.e. to make an effective contribution at the preparatory stage, by nominating technical experts and by commenting on working drafts, by at least 4 P-members in committees with 16 or fewer P-members, and at least 5 P-members in committees with 17 or more P-members; only P-members having also approved the inclusion of the work item in the programme of work [see a)] will be taken into account when making this tally. If experts are not nominated on the form accompanying an approval vote, then the National Body’s commitment to active participation will not be registered and considered when determining if the approval criteria have been met on this ballot.

Individual committees may increase this minimum requirement of nominated experts.

In cases, where it can be documented that the industry and/or technical knowledge exists only with a very small number of P-members, then the committee may request permission from the technical management board to proceed with fewer than 4 or 5 nominated technical experts.

2.3.6  Once a new work item proposal is accepted, it shall be registered in the programme of work of the relevant technical committee or subcommittee as a new project with the appropriate priority. The agreed target dates (see 2.1.6) shall be indicated on the appropriate form.

The voting results will be reported to the ISO Central Secretariat (using Form 6) or the IEC Central Office (using Form RVN) within 4 weeks after the close of the ballot.

2.3.7  The inclusion of the project in the programme of work concludes the proposal stage.

2.4.1  The preparatory stage covers the preparation of a working draft (WD) conforming to the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

2.4.2  When a new project is accepted the project leader shall work with the experts nominated by the P-members during the approval [see 2.3.5 a)].

2.4.3  The secretariat may propose to the technical committee or subcommittee, either at a meeting or by correspondence, to create a working group the convenor of which will normally be the project leader.

Such a working group shall be set up by the technical committee or subcommittee, which shall define the task(s) and set the target date(s) for submission of draft(s) to the technical committee or subcommittee (see also 1.12). The working group convenor shall ensure that the work undertaken remains within the scope of the balloted work item.

2.4.4  In responding to the proposal to set up a working group those P-members having agreed to participate actively [see 2.3.5 a)] shall each confirm their technical expert(s). Other P-members or A- or C- liaison organizations may also nominate expert(s).

2.4.5  The project leader is responsible for the development of the project and will normally convene and chair any meetings of the working group. S/he may invite a member of the working group to act as its secretary.

2.4.6  Every possible effort shall be made to prepare both a French and an English version of the text in order to avoid delays in the later stages of the development of the project.

If a trilingual (English — French — Russian) standard is to be prepared, this provision should include the Russian version.

2.4.7  For time limits relating to this stage, see 2.1.6.

2.4.8  The preparatory stage ends when a working draft is available for circulation to the members of the technical committee or subcommittee as a first committee draft (CD) and is registered by the office of the CEO. The committee may also decide to publish the final working draft as a PAS (see 3.2) to respond particular market needs.

2.5.1  The committee stage is the principal stage at which comments from National Bodies are taken into consideration, with a view to reaching consensus on the technical content. National Bodies shall therefore carefully study the texts of committee drafts and submit all pertinent comments at this stage.

2.5.2  As soon as it is available, a committee draft shall be circulated to all P-members and O-members of the technical committee or subcommittee for consideration, with a clear indication of the latest date for submission of replies.

A period of 8, 12 or 16 weeks as agreed by the technical committee or subcommittee shall be available for National Bodies to comment.

Comments shall be sent for preparation of the compilation of comments, in accordance with the instructions given.

National Bodies shall fully brief their delegates on the national position before meetings.

2.5.3  No more than 4 weeks after the closing date for submission of replies, the secretariat shall prepare the compilation of comments and arrange for its circulation to all P-members and O-members of the technical committee or subcommittee. When preparing this compilation, the secretariat shall indicate its proposal, made in consultation with the chair of the technical committee or subcommittee and, if necessary, the project leader, for proceeding with the project, either

1. to discuss the committee draft and comments at the next meeting, or

2. to circulate a revised committee draft for consideration, or

3. to register the committee draft for the enquiry stage (see 2.6).

In the case of b) and c), the secretariat shall indicate in the compilation of comments the action taken on each of the comments received. This shall be made available to all P-members, if necessary by the circulation of a revised compilation of comments, no later than in parallel with the submission of a revised CD for consideration by the committee (case b) or simultaneously with the submission of the finalized version of the draft to the office of the CEO for registration for the enquiry stage (case c).

Committees are required to respond to all comments received.

If, within 8 weeks from the date of dispatch, 2 or more P-members disagree with proposal b) or c) of the secretariat, the committee draft shall be discussed at a meeting (see 4.2.1.3).

2.5.4  If a committee draft is considered at a meeting but agreement on it is not reached on that occasion, a further committee draft incorporating decisions taken at the meeting shall be distributed within 12 weeks for consideration. A period of 8, 12 or 16 weeks as agreed by the technical committee or subcommittee shall be available to National Bodies to comment on the draft and on any subsequent versions.

2.5.5  Consideration of successive drafts shall continue until consensus of the P-members of the technical committee or subcommittee has been obtained or a decision to abandon or defer the project has been made.

2.5.6  The decision to circulate an enquiry draft (see 2.6.1) shall be taken on the basis of the consensus principle.

It is the responsibility of the chair of the technical committee or subcommittee, in consultation with the secretary of his/her committee and, if necessary, the project leader, to judge whether there is sufficient support bearing in mind the definition of consensus given in ISO/IEC Guide 2:2004.

The following applies to the definition of consensus:

In the process of reaching consensus, many different points of views will be expressed and addressed as the document evolves. However, “sustained oppositions” are views expressed at minuted meetings of committee, working group (WG) or other groups (e.g. task forces, advisory groups, etc.) and which are maintained by an important part of the concerned interest and which are incompatible with the committee consensus. The notion of “concerned interest(s)” will vary depending on the dynamics of the committee and shall therefore be determined by the committee leadership on a case by case basis. The concept of sustained opposition is not applicable in the context of member body votes on CD, DIS or FDIS since these are subject to the applicable voting rules.

Those expressing sustained oppositions have a right to be heard and the following approach is recommended when a sustained opposition is declared:

• The leadership shall first assess whether the opposition can be considered a “sustained opposition”, i.e. whether it has been sustained by an important part of the concerned interest. If this is not the case, the leadership will register the opposition (i.e. in the minutes, records, etc.) and continue to lead the work on the document.

• If the leadership determines that there is a sustained opposition, it is required to try and resolve it in good faith. However, a sustained opposition is not akin to a right to veto. The obligation to address the sustained oppositions does not imply an obligation to successfully resolve them.

The responsibility for assessing whether or not consensus has been reached rests entirely with the leadership. This includes assessing whether there is sustained opposition or whether any sustained opposition can be resolved without compromising the existing level of consensus on the rest of the document. In such cases, the leadership will register the opposition and continue the work.

Those parties with sustained oppositions may avail themselves of appeals mechanisms as detailed in Clause 5.

In case of doubt concerning consensus, approval by a two-thirds majority of the P-members of the technical committee or subcommittee voting may be deemed to be sufficient for the committee draft to be accepted for registration as an enquiry draft; however every attempt shall be made to resolve negative votes.

The secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee responsible for the committee draft shall ensure that the enquiry draft fully embodies decisions taken either at meetings or by correspondence.

2.5.7  When consensus has been reached in a technical committee or subcommittee, its secretariat shall submit the finalized version of the draft in electronic form suitable for distribution to the national members for enquiry (2.6.1), to the office of the CEO (with a copy to the technical committee secretariat in the case of a subcommittee) within a maximum of 16 weeks.

2.5.8  For time limits relating to this stage, see 2.1.6.

2.5.9  The committee stage ends when all technical issues have been resolved and a committee draft is accepted for circulation as an enquiry draft and is registered by the office of the CEO. Texts that do not conform to the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 shall be returned to the secretariat with a request for correction before they are registered.

2.5.10  If the technical issues cannot all be resolved within the appropriate time limits, technical committees and subcommittees may wish to consider publishing an intermediate deliverable in the form of a Technical Specification (see 3.1) pending agreement on an International Standard.

2.6.1  At the enquiry stage, the enquiry draft (DIS in ISO, CDV in IEC) shall be circulated by the office of the CEO to all National Bodies for a 12-week vote.

For policy on the use of languages, see Annex E.

National Bodies shall be advised of the date by which completed ballots are to be received by the office of the CEO.

At the end of the voting period, the Chief Executive Officer shall send within 4 weeks to the chair and secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee the results of the voting together with any comments received, for further speedy action.

2.6.2  Votes submitted by National Bodies shall be explicit: positive, negative, or abstention.

A positive vote may be accompanied by editorial or technical comments, on the understanding that the secretary, in consultation with the chair of the technical committee or subcommittee and project leader, will decide how to deal with them.

If a National Body finds an enquiry draft unacceptable, it shall vote negatively and state the technical reasons. It may indicate that the acceptance of specified technical modifications will change its negative vote to one of approval, but it shall not cast an affirmative vote which is conditional on the acceptance of modifications.

2.6.3  An enquiry draft is approved if

1. a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the P-members of the technical committee or subcommittee are in favour, and

2. not more than one-quarter of the total number of votes cast are negative.

Abstentions are excluded when the votes are counted, as well as negative votes not accompanied by technical reasons.

Comments received after the normal voting period are submitted to the technical committee or subcommittee secretariat for consideration at the time of the next review of the International Standard.

2.6.4  On receipt of the results of the voting and any comments, the chair of the technical committee or subcommittee, in cooperation with its secretariat and the project leader, and in consultation with the office of the CEO, shall take one of the following courses of action:

1. when the approval criteria of 2.6.3 are met and no technical changes are to be included, to proceed directly to publication (see 2.8);

2. when the approval criteria of 2.6.3 are met, but technical changes are to be included, to register the enquiry draft, as modified, as a final draft international standard;

3. when the approval criteria of 2.6.3 are not met:

   1. to circulate a revised enquiry draft for voting (see 2.6.1), or
      NOTE: A revised enquiry draft will be circulated for a voting period of 8 weeks, which may be extended up to 12 weeks at the request of one or more P-members of the committee concerned.

   2. to circulate a revised committee draft for comments, or

   3. to discuss the enquiry draft and comments at the next meeting.

2.6.5  Not later than 12 weeks after the end of the voting period, a full report shall be prepared by the secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee and circulated by the office of the CEO to the National Bodies. The report shall

1. show the result of the voting;

2. state the decision of the chair of the technical committee or subcommittee;

3. reproduce the text of the comments received; and

4. include the observations of the secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee on each of the comments submitted.

Every attempt shall be made to resolve negative votes.

If, within 8 weeks from the date of dispatch, two or more P-members disagree with decision 2.6.4 c) 1) or 2.6.4 c) 2) of the chair, the draft shall be discussed at a meeting (see 4.2.1.3).

Committees are required to respond to all comments received.

2.6.6  When the chair has taken the decision to proceed to the approval stage (see 2.7) or publication stage (see 2.8), the secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee shall prepare, within a maximum of 16 weeks after the end of the voting period and with the assistance of its editing committee, a final text and send it to the office of the CEO for preparation and circulation of the final draft International Standard.

The secretariat shall provide the office of the CEO with the text in a revisable electronic format and also in a format which permits validation of the revisable form.

Texts that do not conform to the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 shall be returned to the secretariat with a request for correction before they are registered.

2.6.7  For time limits relating to this stage, see 2.1.6.

2.6.8  The enquiry stage ends with the registration, by the office of the CEO, of the text for circulation as a final draft International Standard or publication as an International Standard, in the case of 2.6.4 a) and 2.6.4 b).

2.7.1  At the approval stage, the final draft International Standard (FDIS) shall be distributed by the office of the CEO within 12 weeks to all National Bodies for a 8-week vote (6 weeks in IEC).

National Bodies shall be advised of the date by which ballots are to be received by the office of the CEO.

2.7.2  Votes submitted by National Bodies shall be explicit: positive, negative, or abstention.

A National Body may submit comments on any FDIS vote.

If a National Body finds a final draft International Standard unacceptable, it shall vote negatively and state the technical reasons. It shall not cast an affirmative vote that is conditional on the acceptance of modifications.

2.7.3  A final draft International Standard having been circulated for voting is approved if

1. a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the P-members of the technical committee or subcommittee are in favour, and

2. not more than one-quarter of the total number of votes cast are negative.

Abstentions are excluded when the votes are counted, as well as negative votes not accompanied by technical reasons.

2.7.4  The secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee has the responsibility of bringing any errors that may have been introduced in the preparation of the draft to the attention of the office of the CEO by the end of the voting period; further editorial or technical amendments are not acceptable at this stage.

2.7.5  All comments received will be retained for the next review and will be recorded on the voting form as “noted for future consideration”. However, the Secretary along with the office of the CEO may seek to resolve obvious editorial errors. Technical changes to an approved FDIS are not allowed.

Within 2 weeks after the end of the voting period, the office of the CEO shall circulate to all National Bodies a report showing the result of voting and indicating either the formal approval by National Bodies to issue the International Standard or formal rejection of the final draft International Standard.

2.7.6  If the final draft International Standard has been approved in accordance with the conditions of 2.7.3, it shall proceed to the publication stage (see 2.8).

2.7.7  If the final draft International Standard is not approved in accordance with the conditions in 2.7.3, the document shall be referred back to the technical committee or subcommittee concerned for reconsideration in the light of the technical reasons submitted in support of the negative votes.

The committee may decide to:

• resubmit a modified draft as a committee draft, enquiry draft or, in ISO and JTC 1, final draft International Standard;

• publish a Technical Specification (see 3.1);

• cancel the project.

2.7.8  The approval stage ends with the circulation of the voting report (see 2.7.5) stating that the FDIS has been approved for publication as an International Standard, with the publication of a Technical Specification (see 3.1.1.2), or with the document being referred back to the committee.

2.8.1  Within 6 weeks, the office of the CEO shall correct any errors indicated and validated by the secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee, and publish and distribute the International Standard.

2.8.2  The publication stage ends with the publication of the International Standard.

2.10.1  General

A published International Standard may subsequently be modified by the publication of

• a technical corrigendum (in IEC only);

• a corrected version;

• an amendment; or

• a revision (as part of the maintenance procedure in 2.9).

  NOTE  In case of revision a new edition of the International Standard will be issued.

2.10.2  Corrections

A correction is only issued to correct an error or ambiguity, inadvertently introduced either in drafting or in publishing and which could lead to incorrect or unsafe application of the publication.

Corrections are not issued to update information that has become outdated since publication.

Suspected errors shall be brought to the attention of the secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee concerned. After confirmation by the secretariat and chair, if necessary in consultation with the project leader and P-members of the technical committee or subcommittee, the secretariat shall submit to the office of the CEO a proposal for correction, with an explanation of the need to do so.

The Chief Executive Officer shall decide, in consultation with the secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee, and bearing in mind both the financial consequences to the organization and the interests of users of the publication, whether to publish a technical corrigendum (in IEC only) and/or a corrected version of the existing edition of the publication (see also 2.10.4). The secretariat of the committee will then inform the members of the committee of the outcome.

The corrections are mentioned in the Foreword of the corrected version.

In general, a correction will not be issued for a publication that is older than 3 years.

2.10.3  Amendments

An amendment alters and/or adds to previously agreed technical provisions in an existing International Standard. An amendment is considered as a partial revision: the rest of the International Standard is not open for comments.

An amendment is normally published as a separate document, the edition of the International Standard affected remaining in use.

The procedure for developing and publishing an amendment shall be as described in 2.3 (ISO and JTC 1), or the review and maintenance procedures (see IEC Supplement) and 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 (draft amendment, DAM), 2.7 (final draft amendment, FDAM), and 2.8.

At the approval stage (2.7), the Chief Executive Officer shall decide, in consultation with the secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee, and bearing in mind both the financial consequences to the organization and the interests of users of the International Standard, whether to publish an amendment or a new edition of the International Standard, incorporating the amendment. (See also 2.10.4.)

2.10.4  Avoidance of proliferation of modifications

No more than 2 separate documents in the form of technical corrigenda (in IEC only) or amendments shall be published modifying a current International Standard. The development of a third such document shall result in publication of a new edition of the International Standard.

2.14.1  If, in exceptional situations, technical reasons justify such a step, there is no objection in principle to preparing an International Standard in terms which include the use of items covered by patent rights — defined as patents, utility models and other statutory rights based on inventions, including any published applications for any of the foregoing — even if the terms of the standard are such that there are no alternative means of compliance. The rules given below shall be applied.

2.14.2  If technical reasons justify the preparation of a document in terms which include the use of items covered by patent rights, the following procedures shall be complied with:

1. The proposer of a proposal for a document shall draw the attention of the committee to any patent rights of which the proposer is aware and considers to cover any item of the proposal. Any party involved in the preparation of a document shall draw the attention of the committee to any patent rights of which it becomes aware during any stage in the development of the document.

2. If the proposal is accepted on technical grounds, the proposer shall ask any holder of such identified patent rights for a statement that the holder would be willing to negotiate worldwide licences under his/her rights with applicants throughout the world on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions. Such negotiations are left to the parties concerned and are performed outside ISO and/or IEC. A record of the right holder’s statement shall be placed in the registry of the ISO Central Secretariat or IEC Central Office as appropriate. If the right holder does not provide such a statement, the committee concerned shall not proceed with inclusion of an item covered by a patent right in the document without authorization from ISO Council or IEC Council Board as appropriate.

3. A document shall not be published until the statements of the holders of all identified patent rights have been received, unless the council board concerned gives authorization.

2.14.3  Should it be revealed after publication of a document that licences under patent rights, which appear to cover items included in the document, cannot be obtained under reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions, the document shall be referred back to the relevant committee for further consideration.

3.1.1  When the subject in question is still under development or where for any other reason there is the future but not immediate possibility of an agreement to publish an International Standard, the technical committee or subcommittee may decide, by following the procedure set out in 2.3, that the publication of a Technical Specification would be appropriate. The procedure for preparation of such a Technical Specification shall be as set out in 2.4 and 2.5. The decision to publish the resulting document as a Technical Specification shall require a two-thirds majority vote of the P-members voting of the technical committee or subcommittee. A Technical Specification is a normative document.

In ISO, when the required support cannot be obtained for a final draft International Standard to pass the approval stage (see 2.7), or in case of doubt concerning consensus, the technical committee or subcommittee may decide, by a two-thirds majority vote of P-members voting, that the document should be published in the form of a Technical Specification.

3.1.2  When the P-members of a technical committee or subcommittee have agreed upon the publication of a Technical Specification, the draft specification shall be submitted electronically by the secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee to the office of the CEO within 16 weeks for publication. Competing technical specifications offering different technical solutions are possible provided that they do not conflict with existing International Standards.

3.1.3  Technical Specifications shall be subject to review by the technical committee or subcommittee not later than 3 years after their publication. The aim of such review shall be to re-examine the situation which resulted in the publication of a Technical Specification and if possible to achieve the agreement necessary for the publication of an International Standard to replace the Technical Specification. In IEC, the date for this review is based on the stability date which shall be agreed in advance of the publication of the Technical Specification (review date).

3.2.1  A PAS may be an intermediate specification, published prior to the development of a full International Standard, or, in IEC may be a “dual logo” publication published in collaboration with an external organization. It is a document not fulfilling the requirements for a standard. A PAS is a normative document.

3.2.2  A proposal for submission of a PAS may be made by the Secretariat, an A-liaison or by any P-member of the committee. In IEC, a C-liaison may also submit a PAS (see 1.17).

3.2.3  The PAS is published after verification of the presentation and checking that there is no conflict with existing International Standards by the committee concerned and following simple majority approval of the P-members voting of the committee concerned. Competing PAS offering different technical solutions are possible provided that they do not conflict with existing International Standards.

3.2.4  A PAS shall remain valid for an initial maximum period of 3 years in ISO and 2 years in IEC. The validity may be extended for a single period up to a maximum of 3 years in ISO and 2 years in IEC, at the end of which it shall be transformed with or without change into another type of normative document, or shall be withdrawn.

3.3.1  When a technical committee or subcommittee has collected data of a different kind from that which is normally published as an International Standard (this may include, for example, data obtained from a survey carried out among the National Bodies, data on work in other international organizations or data on the “state of the art” in relation to standards of National Bodies on a particular subject), the technical committee or subcommittee may decide, by a simple majority vote of P-members voting, to request the Chief Executive Officer to publish such data in the form of a Technical Report. The document shall be entirely informative in nature and shall not contain matter implying that it is normative. It shall clearly explain its relationship to normative aspects of the subject which are, or will be, dealt with in International Standards related to the subject. The Chief Executive Officer, if necessary in consultation with the technical management board, shall decide whether to publish the document as a Technical Report.

3.3.2  When the P-members of a technical committee or subcommittee have agreed upon the publication of a Technical Report, the draft report shall be submitted electronically by the secretariat of the technical committee or subcommittee to the Chief Executive Officer within 16 weeks for publication.

3.3.3  It is recommended that Technical Reports are regularly reviewed by the committee responsible, to ensure that they remain valid. Withdrawal of a Technical Report is decided by the technical committee or subcommittee responsible.

Technical Reports are not subject to systematic revision.

4.1.1  Technical committees and subcommittees shall use current electronic means to carry out their work (for example, e-mail, groupware and teleconferencing) wherever possible. A meeting of a technical committee or subcommittee should be convened only when it is necessary to discuss committee drafts (CD) or other matters of substance which cannot be settled by other means.

4.1.2  The technical committee secretariat should look ahead with a view to drawing up, in consultation with the office of the CEO, a planned minimum 2-year programme of meetings of the technical committee and its subcommittees and, if possible, its working groups, taking account of the programme of work.

4.1.3  In planning meetings, account should be taken of the possible advantage of grouping meetings of technical committees and subcommittees dealing with related subjects, in order to improve communication and to limit the burden of attendance at meetings by delegates who participate in several technical committees or subcommittees.

4.1.4  In planning meetings, account should also be taken of the advantages for the speedy preparation of drafts of holding a meeting of the editing committee immediately after the meeting of the technical committee or subcommittee and at the same place.

4.2.1  Technical committee and subcommittee meetings

4.2.2  Working group meetings

5.1.1  National Bodies have the right of appeal

1. to the parent technical committee on a decision of a subcommittee;

2. to the technical management board on a decision of a technical committee;

3. to the council board on a decision of the technical management board,

within 12 weeks in ISO and 8 weeks in IEC of the decision in question.

The decision of the council board on any case of appeal is final.

5.1.2  A P-member of a technical committee or subcommittee may appeal against any action, or inaction, on the part of the technical committee or subcommittee, when the P-member considers that such action or inaction is

1. not in accordance with

   • the Statutes and Rules of Procedure;

   • the ISO/IEC Directives; or

2. not in the best interests of international trade and commerce, or such public factors as safety, health or environment.

5.1.3  Matters under appeal may be either technical or administrative in nature.

Appeals on decisions concerning new work item proposals, committee drafts, enquiry drafts and final draft International Standards are only eligible for consideration if

• questions of principle are involved, or

• the contents of a draft may be detrimental to the reputation of ISO or IEC.

5.1.4  All appeals shall be fully documented to support the P-member’s concern.

5.2.1  The documented appeal shall be submitted by the P-member to the secretariat of the parent technical committee, with a copy to the Chief Executive Officer.

5.2.2  Upon receipt, the secretariat of the parent technical committee shall advise all its P-members of the appeal and take immediate action, by correspondence or at a meeting, to consider and decide on the appeal, consulting the Chief Executive Officer in the process.

5.2.3  If the technical committee supports its subcommittee, then the P-member which initiated the appeal may either

• accept the technical committee decision, or

• appeal against it.

5.3.1  Appeals against a technical committee decision may be of 2 kinds:

• an appeal arising out of 5.2.3 above, or

• an appeal against an original decision of a technical committee.

5.3.2  The documented appeal shall, in all cases, be submitted to the Chief Executive Officer, with a copy to the chair and secretariat of the technical committee.

5.3.3  The Chief Executive Officer shall, following whatever consultations s/he deems appropriate, refer the appeal together with his/her comments to the technical management board within 4 weeks after receipt of the appeal.

5.3.4  The technical management board shall decide whether an appeal shall be further processed or not. If the decision is in favour of proceeding, the chair of the technical management board shall form a conciliation panel.

The conciliation panel shall hear the appeal within 12 weeks and attempt to resolve the difference of opinion as soon as practicable. The conciliation panel shall give a final report within 12 weeks. If the conciliation panel is unsuccessful in resolving the difference of opinion, this shall be reported to the Chief Executive Officer, together with recommendations on how the matter should be settled.

5.3.5  The Chief Executive Officer, on receipt of the report of the conciliation panel, shall inform the technical management board, which will make its decision.