BOMA Floor Standards Development Program

This document constitutes the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International’s accredited procedures for developing evidence of consensus for the approval, reaffirmation, revision, or withdrawal of American National Standards.

BOMA International develops floor measurement standards measuring the floor area of office and industrial buildings as well as for all structures other than single-family dwellings. Before publishing any standard, BOMA International follows its internal procedures for developing consensus among its members and those interested members of the industry who participate in the development/revision of these standards. BOMA International’s Floor Measurement Standards Committee is the body that develops and maintains BOMA International Standards and is the secretariat for all floor measurement standards that BOMA International develops. BOMA International will not propose an American National Standard before it conducts a good faith effort to resolve potential conflicts between and among existing American National Standards and candidate American National Standards. A “good faith” effort shall require substantial, thorough, and comprehensive efforts to harmonize a candidate ANS with existing ANSs. Such efforts shall include, at minimum, compliance with all relevant sections of ANSI’s Essential Requirements (ER) as elaborated in the most current version’s Coordination and Harmonization Clauses – 1.4 and 2.4.

The BOMA International Standards Secretariat will develop a list of potential canvassees consisting of those organizations, companies, government agencies, standards developers, individuals, etc., known to be, or who have indicated that they are, directly and materially affected by the standard. The standards developer shall meet the requirements in ER1.21 regarding lack of dominance—no single interest category, individual or organization may dominate the canvass body.

Also, no individual shall represent more than one interest category, and only one individual may be a member of the canvass from the same company. The standards development process shall not be dominated by any single interest category, individual or organization. Dominance means a position or exercise of dominant authority, leadership, or influence by reason of superior leverage, strength, or representation to the exclusion of fair and equitable consideration of other viewpoints. BOMA International’s standards development process will have a balance of interests. Participants from diverse interest categories shall be sought with the objective of achieving balance. Historically the criteria for balance are that a) no single interest category constitutes more than one‑third of the membership of a consensus body dealing with safety-related standards or b) no single interest category constitutes a majority (more than half) of the membership of a consensus body dealing with other than safety-related standards.

The interest categories for BOMA International’s American National Standards include:

• Producer – The definition for this term encompasses those interests aligned with at-risk equity ownership of buildings and includes all producers and providers of space (building owners and managers) as well as agents, brokers, floor measurers, appraisers, architects and other designers who work on behalf of building owners and managers.
• User - The definition for this term encompasses those interests aligned with those who use space within an office building including tenants as well as brokers, agents, floor measurers, architects and interior designers and others who are in the contractual employ of tenants.
• General Interest – The definition for this term encompasses all firms and individuals that do not have a direct alignment in the business interests of producers or users. Such firms or individuals may include appraisers, architects and other design professionals, general contractors, design builders, construction managers, project estimators and government bodies who have a general interest in floor measurement standards for office buildings.
  In order to determine if potential canvassees are interested in participating, the standards developer shall conduct a pre-canvass interest survey, in which the standards developer informs the potential canvassees in writing about the use of these procedures for developing evidence of consensus, and, if the potential canvassees are interested in participating, obtains an appropriate interest category classification. The standards developer’s letter shall contain the title, designation, scope, description of the standard along with the history of its development, purpose and intended application of the standard, and an explanation of the function of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in the process. The time for response shall be at least 30 days from the date of the standards developer’s letter and shall be so noted in the letter. Once an interest survey has been completed for a standard, it need not be repeated for subsequent balloting of the document. In addition, the standards developer may conduct a single interest survey for a group or category of standards. A canvassee who has indicated a desire to be on the standards developer’s canvass list for a particular standard, a category, or categories of standards, shall receive the draft document(s), letter ballot(s), and all appropriate information pertaining to the ANS Canvass (See Clause 5).

Notification of standards activity shall be announced in suitable media as appropriate to demonstrate the opportunity for participation by all directly and materially affected persons. At the initiation of a project to develop or revise an American National Standard, notification shall be transmitted to ANSI using the Project Initiation Notification System (PINS) form, or its equivalent, for announcement in Standards Action. A statement shall be submitted and published as part of the PINS announcement that should include:

• (a) an explanation of the need for the project, including, if it is the case, a statement of intent to
  submit the standard for consideration as an ISO or ISO/IEC JTC-1 standard; and
• (b) identification of the stakeholders (e.g., building owners, managers, tenants, etc.) likely to be
  directly impacted by the standard.

Developers are encouraged to consult any relevant international or regional guides that may impact the proposed standard and shall advise the relevant ANSI-Accredited U.S. TAG(s) if the standard is intended to be submitted for consideration as an ISO or ISO/IEC JTC-1 standard. If the response to sub-section (b) changes substantively as the standard is developed, a revised PINS shall be submitted and published. A PINS form may be submitted, but is not required, at the initiation of a project to reaffirm or withdraw an American National Standard. Comments received in connection with a PINS announcement shall be handled in accordance with these procedures. A PINS is not required for revisions of an American National Standard that is maintained under continuous maintenance and (1) is registered as such on the ANSI website, (2) has a notice in the standard that the standard is always open for comment and how to submit comments, and (3) has information on the developer’s website that the standard is under continuous maintenance and
how to submit comments. If the BOMA International Secretariat receives written comments within 30 days from the publication date of a PINS announcement in Standards Action, and said comments assert that a proposed standard duplicates or conflicts with an existing American National Standard (ANS) or a candidate ANS that has been announced previously or concurrently in Standards Action, a mandatory deliberation of representatives from the relevant stakeholder groups shall be held within 90 days from the comment deadline. Such a deliberation shall be organized by the developer and the commenter and shall be concluded before the developer may submit a draft standard for public review. If the deliberation does not take place within the 90-day period and the developer can demonstrate that it has made a good faith effort to schedule and otherwise organize it, then the developer will be excused from compliance with this requirement. The purpose of the deliberation is to provide the relevant stakeholders with an opportunity to discuss whether there is a compelling need for the proposed standards project. The outcome of a PINS deliberation shall be conveyed in writing (the “Deliberation Report”) within 30 days after the conclusion of the deliberation by the BOMA International Secretariat to the commenter and to ANSI.

Upon submission of the Deliberation Report, BOMA International may continue with the submission of the proposed standard for public review. If additional deliberations take place, they should not delay the submission of the proposed standard for public review, and an updated Deliberation Report shall be conveyed within 30 days after each deliberation. Any actions agreed upon from the deliberations shall be carried out in a reasonably timely manner, but normally should not exceed 90 days following the deliberation. Subsequently, the BOMA International Secretariat shall include all the Deliberation Report(s) with the BSR-9 submittal to the ANSI Board of Standards Review (BSR) for consideration should BOMA International ultimately submit the subject standard to ANSI for approval. Stakeholders who were involved in the PINS deliberation process may also file separate Deliberation Report(s) with ANSI and the BOMA International Secretariat within 30 days after conclusion of any deliberation for consideration by the BSR, if the standard is submitted to ANSI for approval. While the outcome is not binding, unless binding provisions are agreed to by the developer, participants are encouraged to develop a consensus on whether and how the standards development project should proceed.

In addition, proposals for new American National Standards and proposals to revise, reaffirm, or withdraw approval of existing American National Standards shall be transmitted to ANSI using the BSR-8 form, or its equivalent, for listing in Standards Action in order to provide an opportunity for public comment. If it is the case, then a statement of intent to submit the standard for consideration as an ISO or ISO/IEC JTC-1 standard shall be included as part of the description of the scope summary that is published in Standards Action. The comment period shall be one of the following:

• A minimum of thirty days if the full text of the revision(s) can be published in Standards Action;
• A minimum of forty-five days if the document is available in an electronic format, deliverable within one day of a request, and the source (e.g., URL or an E-mail address) from which it can be obtained by the public is provided to ANSI for announcement in Standards Action; or
• A minimum of sixty days, if neither of the aforementioned options is applicable.2Such listing may be requested at any stage in the development of the proposal, at the option of the standards developer, and may be concurrent with final balloting. However, any substantive change subsequently made in a proposed American National Standard requires listing of the change in Standards Action.

If BOMA International elects to withdraw its approval of one or more of its American National Standards, it may do so without a vote of the relevant consensus body. In this event, BOMA International shall notify ANSI immediately and the standard shall be withdrawn as an ANS and announced in Standards Action.

The American National Standard canvass ballot period shall be thirty days. BOMA International may begin to conduct the canvass at any time, but canvassees subsequently added to the canvass list shall have the same amount of time to respond as do the other canvassees.

BOMA International shall transmit, at minimum, the following information to all canvassees unless it has previously supplied this information:

• a) the purpose and intended application of the standard;
• b)a brief history and explanation of how the standard was developed;
• c) an explanation of ANSI’s function and the use of the canvass process in the voluntary consensus standards system; Although a 60-day public comment period is not required in all instances, a number of provisions in the ANSI Essential Requirements, when read in combination, satisfy the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 60-day rule. Before adopting a standard, ANSI-Accredited Standards Developers shall allow a period of at least 60 days in total for submission of comments on the draft standard if requested by an interested party within the territory of a Member of the WTO. Exceptions outlined in the rule are permitted due to issues of safety, health or environment.
• d) a copy of the canvass list, consisting of the name, affiliation, and category of interest of each canvassee;
• e) a copy of the complete proposed American National Standard or the relevant portion under consideration when the canvassee has previously received the complete standard;
• f) official letter ballot(s) to all canvassees.

  Upon request, BOMA International shall provide to the canvassee a reasonable number of copies of the document being considered, to allow for a speedy determination of position by the canvassee. Should the document contain material that is not to be considered for approval as an American National Standard, such as an introduction or annex, a clear statement shall be included indicating those portions of the standard that are to be considered for approval by ANSI.The ballot form shall provide opportunity for the canvassee to indicate its position i.e., approve, approve with comment, object (with reasons), or abstain (with or without reason) with the advice that, in order to receive consideration, objections must be accompanied by supporting written reasons and should include where possible, proposals for a solution to the problem raised. If substantive changes are made to the draft standard and a second consensus ballot is required, the recirculation ballot period is 30 days. BOMA International will send follow-up emails requesting the immediate return of the ballot to all members whose votes have not been received ten (10) days before the ballot closes. The canvass ballot may be closed at the ballot deadline, or sooner, if all canvassees have responded. An extension shall be granted upon written request from any canvassee giving a legitimate reason. Those not on the canvass list who have a direct and material interest in the standard have an opportunity to participate in the review of the standard during the public review process, announced in Standards Action. Approval of a new standard, revision or reaffirmation of an existing standard, or an addendum to part or all of an existing standard shall require approval by at least a majority of the canvass list (counting abstentions) and at least two-thirds of those voting, excluding abstentions. BOMA International’s preference is 100 percent resolution of all voter issues where possible.

Prompt consideration shall be given to the written views and objections of all participants, including those commenting on the PINS announcement or public comment listing in Standards Action. In connection with an objection articulated during a public comment period, or submitted with a vote, an effort to resolve all expressed objections accompanied by comments related to the proposal under consideration shall be made, and each such objector shall be advised in writing (including electronic communications) of the disposition of the objection and the reasons therefore. If resolution is not achieved, each such objector shall be informed in writing that an appeals process exists within BOMA’s written procedures. In addition, each objection resulting from public review or submitted by a member of the consensus body, and which is not resolved must be reported to the ANSI BSR. When this process is completed in accordance with BOMA International’s written procedures, BOMA International may consider any comments received subsequent to the closing of the publicreview and comment period or shall consider them in the same manner as a new proposal. Timely comments that are not related to the proposal under consideration shall be documented and considered in the same manner as submittal of a new proposal. The submitter of the comments shall be so notified. Each unresolved objection and attempt at resolution, and any substantive change made in a proposed American National Standard shall be reported to the consensus body in order to afford all members of the consensus body an opportunity to respond, reaffirm, or change their vote.

Evidence of consensus in accordance with these procedures and the accredited procedures of the standards developer shall be documented. Consensus is demonstrated, in part, by a vote of the consensus body. The BOMA International criteria for consensus are approval by at least a majority of the canvass list (counting abstentions) and at least two-thirds of those voting, excluding abstentions. BOMAInternational’s preference is 100 percent resolution of all voter issues where possible. The consensus body vote shall be conducted and reported in accordance with the rules set forth herein. Votes for the approval of a document or portion thereof as a candidate ANS may be obtained by letter, fax, or electronic means. All members of the consensus body shall have the opportunity to vote.

1. ANSI-Accredited Standards Developers (ASDs) shall not change a vote unless instructed to do so by the voter. If the change of vote was not submitted in writing by the voter, then written confirmation of such a vote change shall be provided to the voter by the developer. It is never appropriate for an ASD to inform voters that if they are not heard from, their negative vote will be considered withdrawn and their vote will be recorded as an abstention or an affirmative. All negative votes that are not changed at the request of the voter shall be recorded and reported to the BSR as outstanding negatives by any ASD that has not been granted the authority to designate its standards as American National Standards without approval by the BSR.
2. ASDs shall record and consider all negative votes accompanied by any comments that are related to the proposal under consideration. This includes negative votes accompanied by comments concerning potential conflict or duplication of the draft standard with an existing American National Standard and negative votes accompanied by comments of a procedural or philosophical nature. These types of comments shall not be dismissed due to the fact that they do not necessarily provide alternative language or a specific remedy to the negative vote.
3. ASDs are not required to consider negative votes accompanied by comments not related to the proposal under consideration, or negative votes without comments. The ASD shall indicate conspicuously on the letter ballot that negative votes must be accompanied by comments related to the proposal and that votes unaccompanied by such comments will be recorded as “negative without comments” without further notice to the voter. If comments not related to the proposal are submitted with a negative vote, the comments shall be documented and considered in the same manner as submittal of a new proposal. If clear instruction is provided on the ballot, and a negative vote unaccompanied by comments related to the proposal is received notwithstanding, the vote may be counted as a “negative without comment” for the purposes of establishing a quorum and reporting to ANSI. However, such votes (i.e., negative vote without comment or negative vote accompanied by comments not related to the proposal) shall not be factored into the numerical requirements for consensus. The ASD is not required to solicit any comments from the negative voter. The ASD is not required to conduct a recirculation ballot of the negative vote. The ASD is required to report the “no” vote as a “negative without comment” when making their final submittal to the BSR unless the ASD has been granted the authority to designate its standards as American National Standards without approval by the BSR.
4. The ASD shall maintain records of evidence regarding any change of an original vote.
5. Except in regard to votes on membership and officer-related issues, each member of a consensus body should vote one of the following positions (or the equivalent):
   a) Approve
   b) Approve, with comment
   c) Object, with reasons.
   (the reasons for a negative vote shall be given and if possible should include specific wording or actions that would resolve the objection);
   d) Abstain, with or without reason.
6. For votes on membership and officer-related issues, the affirmative/negative/abstain method of voting shall be followed. Votes with regard to these issues need not be accompanied by reasons and need not be resolved or circulated to the consensus body.

Upon completion of the procedures for canvass, for disposition of views and objections, and for appeals, the proposed standard may be submitted to ANSI for approval. (ER4.2.1.1) The ANSI Board of Standards Review (BSR) shall evaluate whether:

• The standard was developed in accordance with the procedures upon which the developer was granted accreditation, with particular attention given to whether due process was followed, consensus was achieved, and an effort was made to resolve any objections to the standard;
• Any appeal to the standards developer with respect to the standard was completed;
• Notice of the development process for the standard was provided to ANSI in accordance with PINS or its equivalent;
• Any identified conflict with another American National Standard was addressed in accordance with procedures specified or approved by ANSI;
• Other known national standards were examined with regard to harmonization and duplication of content and if duplication exists, there is a compelling need for the standard;
• ANSI’s patent policy is met, if applicable;
• ANSI’s policy on commercial terms and conditions is met if applicable.
• The information to be supplied to ANSI shall include the following or evidence thereof: (ER 4.2.1.1(h))
  1. title and designation of the American National Standard;
  2. indication of the type of action (that is, approval of a new American National Standard or reaffirmation, revision, or withdrawal of an existing American National Standard);
  3. declaration that applicable procedures were followed;
  4. a declaration that the standard is within the scope of the previously registered standards activity;
  5. a declaration that conflicts with another American National Standard have been addressed in accordance with prevailing ANSI procedures;
  6. a roster of the consensus body that indicates: the vote of each member including abstentions and unreturned ballots, if applicable; the interest category of each member; and a summary thereof;
  7. a declaration that all appeal actions related to the approval of the proposed standard have been completed;
  8. a declaration that the criteria contained in the ANSI patent policy have been met, if applicable;
  9. Identification of all unresolved negative views and objections, with names of the objector(s), and a report of attempts toward resolution.

BOMA International may decide to abandon the processing of a proposed new or revised American National Standard or portion thereof at its own discretion and without a vote of the relevant consensus body. BOMA International will notify ANSI immediately of such actions which will be announced in Standards Action.

BOMA International will adhere to ANSI’s Anti-Trust policy as outlined in the most current version of ANSI Essential Requirements.

Except as otherwise permitted by ANSI’s Essential Requirements, BOMA International shall not include terms or conditions that are primarily contractual or commercial in nature, as opposed to technical, engineering, or scientific in nature. BOMA International shall not include contractual requirements; endorse or require the use of proprietary products or services; or endorse or require the use of particular conformity-assessment bodies, testing facilities or training organizations as outlined in ANSI’s Essential Requirements Section 3.2 Commercial terms and conditions, and subsections 3.2.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3.

Parties who are directly and materially interested in and who have been or will be adversely affected by any procedural action or inaction by BOMA International with regard to the development of a proposed American National Standard or the revision, reaffirmation, or withdrawal of an existing American National Standard, have the right to appeal.

1. Complaint
   The appellant shall file a written complaint with the secretariat within thirty days after the date of notification of action or at any time with respect to inaction. The complaint shall state the nature of the objection(s) including any adverse effects, the clause(s) for these procedures or the standard that is at issue, actions or inactions that are issue, and the specific remedial action(s) that would satisfy the appellant’s concerns. Previous efforts to resolve the objection(s) and the outcome of each shall be noted.
2. Response
   Within thirty days after receipt of the complaint, the respondent (chair or secretariat representative) shall respond in writing to the appellant, specifically addressing each allegation of fact in the complaint to the extent of the respondent’s knowledge.
3. Hearing
   If the appellant and the respondent are unable to resolve the written complaint in a manner consistent with these procedures, the appellant has ten days to request a hearing with an appeals panel. If the appellant does not request the hearing within ten days, the appeal is considered closed.
4. Appeals Panel
   The appeals panel shall consist of three individuals who have not been directly involved in the matter in dispute, and who will not be materially or directly affected by any decision made or to be made in the dispute. At least two members shall be acceptable to the appellant and at least two shall be acceptable to the respondent.
5. Conduct of the Hearing
   The appellant has the burden of demonstrating adverse effects, improper actions or inactions, and the efficacy of the requested remedial action. The respondent has the burden of demonstrating the consensus body and the secretariat took all actions in compliance with these procedures and that the requested remedial action would be ineffective or detrimental. Each party may adduce other pertinent arguments, and members of the appeals panel may address questions to individuals.
6. Decision
   The appeals panel shall render its decision in writing within thirty days, stating findings of fact and conclusions, with reasons therefore, based on a preponderance of the evidence presented to the appeals panel. The appellant will receive a written copy of the appeals panel decision. Consideration shall be given to the following positions, among others, in formulating the decision: finding for the appellant, remanding the action to the consensus body or the secretariat with a specific statement of the issues and facts in regard to which fair and equitable action was not taken;
   Finding for the respondent, with a specific statement of the facts that demonstrate fair and equitable treatment of the appellant and the appellant’s objections;
   Finding that new, substantive evidence has been introduced, and remanding the entire action to the consensus body or the secretariat for appropriate reconsideration.
   7. Parliamentary Procedures
   On questions of parliamentary procedure not covered in these procedures Robert’s Rules of Order (latest edition) may be used to expedite due process.

The Interpretations Subcommittee of BOMA International’s Floor Measurement Standards Committee will review all requests for interpretations. Members of the subcommittee will be industry practitioners (floor measurement professionals and real estate professionals) appointed by the Chair of the Floor Measurement Standards Committee. No company will have more than one voting member. The Subcommittee will hold conference calls on an as-needed basis to discuss the issue and create a draft response. To be considered an official BOMA International Interpretation, the proposal requires approval by a majority of the subcommittee, by at least two-thirds of those voting. Subcommittee members who cannot make the call when voting occurs will be given 48 hours to vote on the draft interpretation. If the subcommittee is unable to reach consensus, the request for interpretation will be tabled and held for consideration for the next revision cycle. For inquiries that do not warrant a formal interpretation of the BOMA International standards, BOMA International will refer the inquirer back to the appropriate standard and/or refer them to a list of BOMA International member floor measurement professionals for assistance. Requests for interpretations must be submitted in writing to BOMA International by sending an email to [email protected]. Written responses will be provided to the inquirer, and all interpretations will be posted on the BOMA International website as “Best Practice Guidance Documents.”

BOMA International will adhere to the most current ANSI patent policy – Inclusion of Patents in American National Standards (Essential Requirements Section 3.1). If BOMA International receives a notice that a proposed, revised or approved American National Standard may require the use of such a patent claim that is not already covered by an existing assurance, the procedures in ANSI Essential Requirements Section 3.1 shall be followed.

BOMA International supports the use of the metric system and endeavors to include metric units in all BOMA publications.

BOMA International shall retain records to demonstrate compliance with all aspects of ANSI and BOMA International’s accredited procedures. Such records shall be available for audit as directed by the ANSI Executive Standards Council. For new, revised or reaffirmed ANS, records shall be retained for one complete standards cycle, or until the standard is revised. Records concerning withdrawals of all ANS shall be retained for at least five years from the date of withdrawal.