Business View Caribbean | August 2022

21 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 BUREAU OF STANDARDS JAMA I CA (BSJ ) During COVID, many Jamaican companies were just thinking about survival, let alone growth. According to Dr. Gooden, “Things like meeting the requirements of a quality management system were kind of on the back burner. However, now that companies are emerging out of the pandemic they want to grow again. So they recognize the need for food safety and quality management systems, in order to allow them to trade not only in Jamaica, but regionally, and in some cases internationally. As the provider of these types of services, we have been inviting them to partner with us to achieve their objectives.” There are currently about 180 persons on staff at the BSJ. As a specialized organization, employees develop in-depth subject knowledge. A metrologist for example is a very specialized area of science that’s not generally even taught in universities. So when they come to an institution like the BSJ, which is a national standards body aligned with ISO and ASTM and other international agencies, they learn been diligent in transforming their processes to be digitally orientated. For example, business can now be done with the Bureau through their ecommerce platform and they are now working with other government agencies and small businesses to help them in this transformation. “One of the primary ways we interact with companies that are involved in trading is the use of standards,” says Dr. Gooden. “Those can be procured on our ecommerce platform, where you can purchase and download those standards to become familiar with what is required to access a particular area of trade in the country. Our training services are also available online, as well as some of our products. You can also come directly into the Bureau of Standards and our customer service unit will sit with you, take your information, and channel you to where you can get that service. We even have a new software program with an app called the BSJME. You can register on that app and tell us what you want and we can direct you to the service you need.”