According to a press release from ASIS International: “Private Security Service Providers including Private Security Companies (collectively “PSCs”) play an important role in protecting state and non-state clients engaged in relief, recovery, and reconstruction efforts; commercial business operations; diplomacy; and military activity.  Independent, external conformity assessment and certification of a Quality Assurance Management System is one means of providing assurance that a PSC has implemented a system for the management of quality of service consistent with respect for human rights, legal obligations, and good practices, as specified in the PSC.1 standard. Clients who use the services of PSCs have indicated they will use the ANSI/ASIS PSC.1-2012 in their contracting processes. The PSC.1 Standard serves as a differentiator for companies that can provide quality of service, manage risk and respect human rights.”

This ANSI/ASIS Conformity Assessment Standard is aimed to provide requirements and guidance for audit programs, conduct of internal or external audits of the management system and private security company operations, as well as on the competence and evaluation of auditors, the press release says.

The PSC.2 Standard:

1.       Is a sector specific based on the ISO/IEC 17021:2011 Conformity assessment -- Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems

2.       Provides requirements and guidance for independent Certification Bodies conducting conformity assessment of the standard ANSI/ASIS PSC.1-2012, Management System for Quality of Private Security Company Operations – Requirements with Guidance

a.       Builds on the existing ISO/IEC conformity assessment process to address the need for civil society organizations, local communities and clients to be assured that the assessment process is both thorough and credible

b.       Provides requirements and criteria for the competence and evaluation of auditors

c.       Provides confidence and information to internal and external stakeholders that the requirements of the ANSI/ASIS PSC.1-2012 are being met

d.       Provides a mechanism for civil society organizations, local communities and clients to address issues that might arise with regard to certification of a PSC

e.       Assures all PSCs are evaluated using a defined, repeatable, equal and transparent process without surprises

f.        Can also be used by PSCs to develop their internal auditing programs to evaluate their performance and drive continual improvement.

“The importance of standards and certification of private security functions is not limited to Department of Defense or U.S. Government contractors,” says Christopher Mayer, director, Armed Contingency Contractor Policies and Programs at the U.S. Department of Defense. “Other governments, humanitarian agencies, private corporations, and others operating in same region might all contract for private security services. Misconduct on the part of any private security provider adversely affects the ability of all private security providers to perform their duties, regardless of client. This affects the ability of organizations protected by these contractors to execute their missions of government support, relief, reconstruction, and the commercial activity necessary to restore stability to a region.”