Product Brand Approval Scheme 2010

The product brand approval scheme 2010 was developed by erstwhile Standards and Quality Control Authority (SQCA) to carry out product brand approval to ensure the quality of construction materials. The Bhutan Standards Bureau (BSB) is mandated by the Bhutan Standards Act 2010 to implement product certification scheme and has been operating this Product Brand Approval scheme which covers both National and International products. The scheme requires the following information to be submitted to facilitate the approval:

1. Application form
2. Company profile
3. Product catalogue
4. Product specification
5. Product Prize Structure
6. Product samples
7. Valid test report from the company’s laboratory
8. Valid third party test report from recognized laboratories
9. Approval from the national standards body (eg. BIS, TISI, etc.)
10. International management certification (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, etc)
11. Registration fee of Nu. 1000/-  (USD 25) per product per brand

After the receipt of the application along with the above information, the dealing officer will scrutinize the application and inform the applicant of any missing information. However, if the applicant fails to provide any of the above information, the application will not be processed further. Further, if the product is categorized in the mandatory list, factory visit/inspection is compulsory prior to the approval. During the factory inspection, the team may draw samples at random and witness the in-house testing of products and internal quality control facilities. If all the information is complete, the Brand Approval Committee meeting will be arranged and the decision of the committee will be communicated. If the product is approved, the applicant will have to deposit the certification fee of Nu. 10,000/- (USD 165) after which the certificate will be issued that is valid for two years. For the renewal of the certificate, the renewal application must be submitted at least 4 weeks before the expiry date. The renewal certificate will be issued after the renewal fee of Nu. 7500/- is deposited.

The mandatory lists of products requiring BSB certification are:

1. Reinforcement Steel bars
2. Cement
3. Water supply pipes and fittings
4. CGI sheets
5. Water storage tanks
6. Red bricks, concrete and stabilized soil-cement blocks
7. Switchgears & control gears
8. Wires & Cables
9. Electrical switches and fittings
10. Water heaters

The mandatory list may undergo revision based on the request from the consumers and government directives.

The Brand Approval Scheme 2010 shall be upgraded to the Product Certification Scheme as per ISO-IEC 17065 in the near future.

For further inquiries, email us at the following addresses:

1. rinzin.namgyel@gmail.com
2. jigsel004@gmail.com

Revised on 31^st July, 2012