Promoting SME Competitiveness in the Caribbean through Technical Standards Project

The Promoting SME Competitiveness in the Caribbean through Technical Standards Project hereafter referred to as the CROSQ/IDB-MIF SME Project is being implemented by CROSQ over a period of 48 months and its intended beneficiaries are members of CARICOM. CROSQ along with the IDB are providing the financing. The objectives of the project are to strengthen the competitiveness of recipient SMEs by getting them involved in industry, country and region-wide standardization efforts to facilitate trade in goods and services and promote regional, hemispheric and global integration and to build on the existing infrastructure of regional standardization. The SME Project is intended to benefit over 500 business, government officials, and experts in private and public sector.
Activities of the project include awareness-raising for the private and public sectors in relation to the importance of standards, developing of 68 technical standards and 12 conformity assessment guidelines, providing technical training relating to standardisation programmes, to establish a national and regional information system and the training of country experts involved in standardisation work.
BBS circulated thirty-four (34) standards to relevant stakeholders for national feedback. Emphasis has been placed on the food and food related standards as these are considered to be of national importance. Eight workshops have been carried out in connection with the SME project.

Harmonised Regional Quality Infrastructure for Improving Market Access and Competition Project

As a member of CROSQ, Belize is a beneficiary of the Harmonised Regional Quality Infrastructure for Improving Market Access and Competition Project hereafter referred to as the RQI project. Funding for the project is being provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Multilateral Fund (MIF) and CROSQ. CROSQ is also managing the project which is to be executed over a period of 48 months. The RQI Project aims to prepare the Caribbean Community to face the increasing competition in their traditional export markets, by strengthening the existing regional metrology infrastructure, harmonizing the regional measurement, standards testing and quality Infrastructure (MSTQ) and gaining international recognition of the region’s MSTQ infrastructure. Five components have been identified to achieve the objectives of the project and these are follows:

 (i) Assuring traceability in metrology through regional cooperation;
 (ii) Development of regional calibration, testing and verification services;
(iii) Development of a regional accreditation structure;
(iv) Implementation of standards and technical regulations;
 (v)Coordination of a regional metrology infrastructure

Regional Building Standards (RBS) Project

The Bureau of Standards is the coordinating entity between the CROSQ Regional Technical Committee (RTC) for the Regional Building Standards Project and the National Technical Sub-committee (NTSC) C with the objective of establishing the Caribbean Application Documents (CADs). The establishment of the CADs MS will reduce risk against national disasters.  The development of seismic hazard maps and rainfall intensity duration curves will inform public policy on urban and rural development particularly as it relates to disaster prone areas.

The role of the Bureau is to act as the contact point and the official representative for this project therefore all communication with NTSCs in relation to this project should be executed through the Bureau. The NTSC-Belize is comprised of key members and departments involved in the building sector.