PCI accredited as National Standards Developer

Chicago — The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) has been formally accredited as a Standards Developer by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), making PCI the only ANSI-accredited Standards Developer dedicated to precast concrete structures and systems. The accreditation allows PCI’s voluntary consensus documents relating to the design, detailing, fabrication, transportation, and erection of precast and precast, prestressed concrete to be registered as American National Standards. 

“As the leading technical institute for this industry, PCI has been developing standards for 60 years,” said PCI President James G. Toscas, P.E.  "Our accreditation by ANSI allows PCI to have these documents formally recognized as American National Standards.”

Since its founding in 1954, PCI has developed, maintained, and disseminated the body of knowledge for the precast concrete structures industry, which establishes engineering and quality requirements for designing, fabricating, and constructing everything from buildings and bridges to parking structures and stadiums using precast concrete. In addition to the rigorous development and review procedures PCI has traditionally utilized for its technical documents, to establish an American National Standard PCI will subject a document to a special standardization review and public comment process. 

“PCI has long been the technical institute for the precast concrete structures industry, and becoming an ANSI accredited standards developer was a logical next step in furthering our standing in this industry” says Larbi Sennour, P.E., S.E., Ph.D., FACI, FPCI, chair of the PCI Technical Activities Council. “ANSI accreditation will make it easier for code and regulating authorities to adopt PCI standards.”

Besides its broad-based professional membership, PCI has a highly-qualified staff that includes full time licensed professional engineers. This team, together with an internet-based committee management system, will provide oversight and support for PCI's standardization activities.

“PCI has a variety of guides, manuals, and other technical resources that already serve as standards for the precast concrete structures industry,” says Jason Krohn, P.E., BSCP, FACI, PCI Managing Director of Technical Activities. “Our ANSI accreditation is a testament to the capabilities and reputation that we have built over our 60 year history.”

PCI will initially focus on updating several of its existing standards, such as those relating to quality improvement, quality control, and quality assessment, to become American National Standards.