Certification is confirmation by a ‘third party’ that requirements of standards and guidelines are met during business processes to deliver quality products or services. Usually, it is based on conformity assessment in which the fulfillment of the requirements is checked before a certificate is granted.
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) as a Certification Body recorded significant achievements in 2023. The Bureau certified thirty (30) new companies under its Permit to use the Made in Guyana Certification Mark Programme, Laboratory Certification, the Bed & Breakfast Certification, and the Product Certification Programmes.
The GNBS certification programmes were established to demonstrate that locally manufactured products and services can satisfy available standards and quality requirements thereby providing confidence to their users.
Of the companies certified in 2023, seventeen (17) businesses were granted permission to use the GNBS approved Made in Guyana Certification Mark on their products. These products include rice, software, beverages, plastic products, wood products, agro-processed products such as spices and sauces, and more. The absence of local testing facilities hindered quite a few businesses from attaining certification for their locally manufactured products under the Made in Guyana Programme. With the increased opening of laboratories across Guyana, it is anticipated that more product testing will become available.
There were nine (9) new laboratories certified under the Laboratory Certification Programme compared to two (2) in 2022. The total number of certified laboratories in Guyana is now at thirty-two (32). This addition provided a significant boost for our local health sector as eight of these certified laboratories were medical laboratories, with one testing laboratory. Certification benefits laboratories by allowing them to consistently operate in accordance with established procedures that are based on the national standard (GYS 170:2021) – General requirements for the operation of a laboratory. It provides them with a benchmark for maintaining the laboratory management system and for improving the services offered to clients.
Under the Product Certification Programme, two (2) manufacturers of concrete hollow blocks and one jewellery establishment achieved certification last year. The GNBS Product Certification programme ensures there is consistency in the manufacturing process through the monitoring and implementation of quality control procedures, thereby reducing the risk of producing substandard products. It provides Gold Jewellers, Block makers and other certified businesses with a competitive edge of proven quality, and ultimately, they benefit from increased revenue.
Finally, the Bed & Breakfast Certification Programme which commenced in 2023, attracted two certifications. The certified facilities demonstrate that they meet the requirements of the Guyana Standard GYS 514:2022 “Requirements for bed and breakfast facilities.” The standard outlines conditions to guarantee a comfortable experience for persons using the bed and breakfast facilities.
As a result of the new certifications, the GNBS now has a total of eighty-five (85) certified stakeholders.
In 2024, the Bureau anticipates that more businesses will become certified as it is set to roll out its new “GNBS 901 Certification” which provides the implementation of aQuality Management System for Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises. The formulation of this programme was informed by the GYS 231:2010 Standard – Good Management Practices for MSMEs, seamlessly blending it with key elements from the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems-Requirements.
The GNBS encourages businesses not to hesitate, but to quickly get onboard its various certification programmes which provide a wide variety of benefits for their growth and development, and customer satisfaction.
For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0065-66, Whatsapp 692-4627 or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgy.org.
