Private Sector Preparedness PS-PREP
PS-PREP (also known as Public Law 110-53: Title IX) is an acronym for Private Sector Preparedness. It constitutes a credible, practical, standards-based approach to certification of a business continuity and emergency management program for private sector organizations. It is managed by the Department of Homeland Security, administered by the American National Standards Institute’s American Society for Quality (ASQ), and accredited by the American National Accreditation Board (ANAB), and came as a recommendation from findings of the 9/11 Commission. Organizations can be certified to PS-PREP by an accredited certifying body, such as SRI Quality Systems Registrar (one of the first to apply). It is aligned and integrates well with other common management system certifications, including ISO 9001 for Quality Management and ISO 27001 for Information Security Management.
The purpose of PS-PREP is to stimulate the creation of a more resilient and recoverable private sector business environment, an acknowledged critical component of the U.S. economy, and a mainstay of national security in today’s uncertain world. It is, at this point in time, a voluntary program, but it is often a condition of contracts with government and private industry, and may be made mandatory by the U.S. Government in the future. Its main benefits are affordability, simplicity, flexibility, and scalability to the needs of smaller organizations, a more “small business-friendly” business continuity program.
Under PS-PREP, the organization has the ability to individually select and implement a set of reasonable and appropriate requirements and controls from any one (or a combination) of three different business continuity and emergency management standards. These include:
- The National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA-1600- Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs dated 2007
- The American National Standard ASIS SPC.1-2009 Organizational Resilience: Security, Preparedness, and Continuity Management Systems- Requirements with Guidance for Use
- The British Standard Institute’s BS-25999-2:2007 Business Continuity Management- Part 2: Specification.
If you need to build or improve your business continuity program and enhance your resiliency, emergency management, and recovery capabilities, please contact SRI to discuss whether this program may be right for you and your customers. Thank you! (724) 934-9000.