Mr Lew Syn Pau, Chairman of the Singapore Accreditation Council and President of the Singapore Confederation of Industries

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am very pleased to join you at this year's Singapore Accreditation Council Award Presentation Ceremony, the first to be organised by SPRING Singapore since the SAC was transferred from the Singapore Confederation of Industries to SPRING Singapore in April.

As the national standards authority, SPRING Singapore has been leading the development and promotion of standards and standardisation in industry. These efforts contribute to improvements in productivity and, thereby, enhance our competitiveness. By adopting international standards, our products and services have become widely accepted in the global market. In our export-oriented economy, standards and standardisation have played key roles in helping to sustain economic growth.

The Singapore Accreditation Council was set up in 1996 to carry out independent accreditation of conformity assessment bodies and personnel. Over the past five years, the SAC has established itself as a well-regarded accreditation body locally and internationally. The SAC mark is held up as a mark of confidence and assurance. For Singapore to have a national accreditation body that can represent Singapore internationally, the SAC was transferred to SPRING Singapore. This is in line with international practice, where the national standards and accreditation bodies are generally under the same government agency.

With the transfer, the areas of standards, measurement and accreditation of conformity assessment are now under one agency. As the national agency for standards, SPRING Singapore administers the Singapore standardisation programme to develop and promote the use of standards in industry. As the national authority for accreditation of conformity assessment bodies, the SAC awards accreditation to competent management systems and product certification bodies, inspection bodies, and testing and calibration laboratories. It also administers the registration of competent quality management system auditors. As the national metrology body, SPRING Singapore develops and maintains the measurement infrastructure to meet the needs of industry and administer regulatory compliance.

The SAC’s achievements over the past five years are commendable. Through its schemes and mutual recognition agreements with overseas partners, the SAC has helped to facilitate trade and market access for Singapore based companies, especially the SMEs. The SAC is a signatory to the multi-lateral recognition agreements of the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, the European Cooperation for Accreditation, the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation and the International Accreditation Forum. In March this year, the SAC signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement with the International Auditor and Training Certification Association for its Auditor Registration Scheme. The SAC also plays an active role in negotiations on Free Trade Agreements between Singapore and several countries.

The SAC plans to develop and implement new schemes soon. These include the accreditation for Occupational & Health Safety Management System and Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point. The SAC will also seek entry into the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation mutual recognition agreement for its inspection bodies accreditation programme. In addition, it will strengthen its alliances with various stakeholders and evaluate its programmes to enhance their effectiveness.

Today, we witness the signing of a cooperation agreement between the SAC and the College of American Pathologists. This collaboration will enhance the credibility of the SAC’s Laboratory Accreditation Scheme in the field of medical testing.

I am confident that the SAC will keep abreast of changes and will continue to develop new accreditation schemes to meet the needs of industry and commerce. I am also optimistic that under SPRING Singapore, it will redouble its efforts to reach out to more certification bodies, laboratories, inspection bodies and auditors to help upgrade and expand their capabilities.

I am happy to present awards to a select group of organisations which have met the stringent standards set by the SAC. My heartiest congratulations to the recipients. I hope to see more organisations make the mark in future.

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