Instituto Ecuatoriano de Normalización (INEN)
INEN is the competent national technical body in matters of regulation, standardization and metrology.
The Ecuadorian Service for Standardization (INEN), formerly known as the Ecuadorian Institute for Standardization, was established on 28 August 1970. INEN is the National Standards Body of the Republic of Ecuador and is in charge of technical regulation and metrology. In 2007, the Ecuadorian Quality System Law granted INEN the status of national technical arm under the Ministry of Industry and Productivity.
In close collaboration with governmental entities, industry, consumers, and academia, INEN is responsible for the development, publication, and promotion of Ecuadorian standards and standardized deliverables. INEN promotes standardization in Ecuador to contribute to the national economy, support sustainable development, promote the health, safety, and welfare of workers and the public, protect consumers, and to facilitate domestic and international trade.
The mission of the INEN is to continuously improve the quality of the national production system and the competitiveness, confidence, and satisfaction of Ecuadorian society, through standardization, technical regulation, conformity assessment and metrology processes, and fulfilling legal and regulatory requirements.
INEN is also a member of the Pan-American Standards Commission (COPANT) and Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC). INEN is part of the International Electro technical Commission (IEC) Affiliate Country Programme.
Address: E8-29 Calles Baquerizo Moreno y Diego de Almagro
Edificio: INEN P.O. Box 17-01-3999, Quito, DM EC170517 Pichincha, Ecuador
Tel:
+(593 2) 382 5960 / +(593 2) 382 5961
E-mail:
mauricio.maldonado@normalizacion.gob.ec
Website:
http://www.normalizacion.gob.ec/
Servicio de Acreditación Ecuatoriano (SAE)
SAE is responsible for accreditation, that is, for recognizing the technical competence of the different conformity assessment bodies (OEC). These organizations provide testing, calibration, inspection or certification services for management systems, people or products.
The SAE was created in 2007 —under the name of the Ecuadorian Accreditation Body— as one of the key components of the national quality infrastructure. The legal body that contains the set of standards and principles that govern quality in the country is the Law of the Ecuadorian Quality System, published in the Official Gazette on February 22, 2007.
As established by this law and its respective regulations, the Ministry of Industries and Productivity, MIPRO, is the governing institution of the Ecuadorian Quality System.
The Minister of Industries or his representative is the one who presides over the Inter-ministerial Quality Committee (CIMC), which gives guidelines and policies to the Quality System. The representatives of the Ministers Coordinating Production, Environment, Tourism, Agriculture, Health, Transportation and Electricity are also part of the CIMC.
CIMC's attributions include coordinating and facilitating the comprehensive implementation of national policies relevant to quality. In addition, the CIMC formulates the policies based on which imported goods and products will be defined that must comply with technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.
Through the Undersecretary of Quality, the Ministry of Industries prepares the Annual Quality Plan, which is approved by the CIMC. In the 2016 Plan, one of the objectives is to promote and disseminate quality in the different strategic sectors: telecommunications, mining, hydrocarbons, water, electricity and the environment.
https://www.acreditacion.gob.ec/conoce-como-funciona-el-sistema-ecuatoriano-de-calidad/
Other public and private quality control entities
Other public entities and institutions that issue standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures, such as regulatory agencies, are also part of the Ecuadorian quality infrastructure.
For more information on regulatory departments and quality control laboratories’ contact details, please see the following links: 4.1 Government Contact List
