Global Efforts
ANSI/ASIS International Standards
Founded in 1955, ASIS is a society of individual security professionals dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and productivity of security professionals by developing educational programs and materials. ASIS is an ANSI-accredited Standards Developing Organization, and within ASIS the ASIS Commission on Standards and Guidelines works with national and international standards-setting organizations and industry representatives to develop voluntary standards and guidelines for security professionals. With funding from the U.S. Department of Defense, the ASIS Commission on Standards is currently promulgating four sets of standards for private security companies.
The first two standards have been published widely, while the remaining two are near publication. The first standard, PSC.1, was submitted by ANSI for International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification and was approved and published in September of 2015. PSC.4 has been completed and and received ANSI approval, but PSC.3 is still awaiting ANSI certification.
ASIS/ANSI PSC.1 Adoption by Countries
Two countries have adopted ASIS standards for their private security contracting. After the approval by ANSI of ASIS PSC.1 in May of 2012, the United States Department of Defense adopted the standard. The U.S. specifies in its DFARS regulations that all contracts with private security providers must use PSC.1. In December of 2012, the United Kingdom announced that PSC.1 would be the standard for all its future private security contracts.