The U.S. marketplace is becoming increasingly globalized as evidenced by the vast array of products made in foreign countries, which are available to U.S. consumers. This growing complexity has made buyers increasingly dependent on formal methods and procedures for ensuring that the products, services, and systems that they purchase -- whether domestic or foreign -- consistently meet their needs.

Some product characteristics are vital for safe and effective performance, and simply picking up and examining the product in the marketplace cannot evaluate many of these characteristics. Such characteristics need to be determined, assessed, and assurance provided to the buyer (or other interested party) that the product conforms to requirements and that conformance is consistent from product to product. For example, if a buyer determines that it is critical that an airplane part be able to withstand pressure of at least 5000 kilograms per square centimeter, then the buyer needs assurance that none of the purchased parts will fail to withstand such pressure. The buyer cannot determine whether a part meets this requirement by simply looking at it.