IEEE Standards Association Operations Manual – Clause 7

In accordance with IEEE Bylaw I-303.6, the IEEE SA is the only body authorized to represent IEEE on matters concerning IEEE standards activity. IEEE SA’s participation and membership in other standards organizations shall in no way diminish its independence and authority over its own standards-development activity.

The positions of other standards organizations in which the IEEE SA participates are not necessarily those of the IEEE or of the IEEE SA.

The IEEE SA establishes cooperative agreements with other organizations based on its strategic needs, including but not limited to memoranda of understanding (MOU), adoption agreements, and joint development agreements.

The IEEE SA staff, working with the other organizations involved, is responsible for negotiating any business and legal agreements with other organizations. The IEEE SA staff negotiates agreements consistent with the strategic and financial direction set by the IEEE SA BOG.

No Standards Committee, working group, or volunteer can develop an agreement for the IEEE SA without the participation of an IEEE SA staff member. Signing authority on behalf of the IEEE SA for any agreement shall rest with the Managing Director, IEEE SA.

The policies and procedures stated in this manual apply to External Representatives of IEEE for which the IEEE SA has oversight responsibility.

An External Representative (ER) is a volunteer who has been appointed by the IEEE SA Board of Governors (BOG) to represent IEEE on standards matters to an organization, committee, or entity external to IEEE, and where a voting position on behalf of IEEE is explicitly required.

A volunteer who serves as a liaison between an IEEE SA committee and an external committee acting only as an information conduit or expressing opinion as part of consensus building is exempt from policies and procedures described in this clause.

An Owning Board/Committee (OBC) is an IEEE SA board, an IEEE SA committee, or Standards Committee responsible for ensuring that positions taken by an ER on technical matters represent the consensus view of the OBC and all materially interested IEEE Technical Committees that provide timely input by any deadline established by the OBC. Positions taken by an ER on policy matters are established by the IEEE SA BOG.

A request to establish a new ER position shall be reviewed by both the IEEE SA BOG and the IEEE SA Standards Board to determine the appropriateness of the ER relationship and to determine the OBC.

The ER shall be an IEEE member of any grade except Student grade and shall be a member of the IEEE SA. The ER shall be a member or designee of the OBC.

If an OBC ceases to function as an OBC, the ER shall be responsible to the next higher board/committee until a replacement OBC is identified. The ER shall supply the next higher board/committee with the required documentation to enable it to take on this function.

The chair of an OBC shall not serve as an ER unless an exception is granted by the next higher board/committee upon the request of the OBC. The next higher board/committee may accept or deny the request and, at its discretion, may become the Owning Board/Committee for the purposes of this representation. The next higher board/committee may also grant the exception with such conditions as it believes are necessary to assure that the ER can adequately represent IEEE while serving as chair of the OBC. If the next higher board/committee becomes the OBC for the purposes of this representation, then the ER shall provide the reports described in 7.1.4 to this next higher board/committee.

The ER shall act in the best interest of the IEEE SA at all times. The ER should refer to documented IEEE objectives or consensus positions wherever possible and should encourage development and documentation of relevant objectives or positions where they do not exist.

The ER should not represent another group in the same external organization, committee, or entity to which that person is serving as an IEEE ER. However, recognizing that an ER might need to represent another group (such as his/her employer that underwrites travel costs), the ER may be permitted to represent that group as well as IEEE in the same external organization, committee, or entity. In such situations, the individual serving as an ER shall recuse himself/herself from voting on issues that would result in a conflict between his/her duty to IEEE and his/her duty to the other group. The ER shall report such situations to the OBC at the earliest practical time. Once the OBC is made aware of the situation by the ER, the OBC shall decide the best course of action to provide the IEEE position on the issue to the external organization.

When appointing an ER, the OBC shall review the following:

— Scientific and technical expertise (e.g., membership in relevant technical societies) relevant to the scope of operations and activities of the external organization, committee, or entity.

— Familiarity with the operations and goals of the specific external organization, committee, or entity.

— The ability to articulate IEEE goals, objectives, and activities clearly in the context of the external organization, committee, or entity.

Before an individual can serve as an ER, the OBC shall determine that the individual does not have a conflict of interest with respect to the activities of the specific external organization, committee, or entity to which the ER would represent IEEE. To enable the OBC to make this determination, the individual shall

1. File, with the OBC and the Administrator of the IEEE SA Board of Governors, a letter stating their affiliation(s). This disclosure of affiliation shall meet the requirements of IEEE SA Standards Board Operations Manual sections 5.1.2.3 and 5.1.2.4 and shall be signed by the individual.
2. File, with the OBC and the Administrator of the IEEE SA Board of Governors, a letter of endorsement from each affiliation disclosed. The letter(s) shall document several key factors relative to the position as the ER and is to be signed by both the individual and by someone who has management responsibility for the individual for that affiliation. The letter(s) shall contain at least the following:
   1. Statement of qualification based on expertise in respect to the attributes described above
   2. Statement of support for providing necessary resources (e.g., time, travel expenses to meetings), and
   3. Recognition by the individual and by their affiliation of the expectation to act in accordance with the conditions stated in subclause 7.1.2.
3. Complete the IEEE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement.

The ER shall provide regular written reports to the OBC in a format and frequency that has been prescribed by the OBC.

Upon recommendation of the OBC, an ER candidate shall be considered for appointment as an ER by the IEEE SA BOG. The OBC shall indicate a desired term of appointment for each recommended ER candidate.

An ER may be reappointed upon recommendation of the OBC and confirmation by the IEEE SA BOG.

An ER shall update documentation whenever necessary due to a change in circumstances that would make the documentation on file with the OBC and/or the IEEE SA BOG substantively inaccurate, including changes in affiliation or employment.

The OBC shall establish the report format and frequency for ERs under its responsibility (see 7.1.4).

The OBC shall provide an annual report to the IEEE SA BOG on the status of ERs under its responsibility.

The OBC should attempt to identify IEEE technical communities (e.g., IEEE Societies, Standards Committees, etc.) that are likely to have an interest in positions represented by ERs under the OBC’s responsibility. The OBC shall develop liaison relationships with those IEEE technical communities that have indicated interest in the activities of the OBC and shall keep them informed of positions represented by the ERs under the OBC’s responsibility.

The OBC shall provide information about positions represented by ERs under its responsibility to materially interested individuals within IEEE upon request.

The IEEE SA BOG shall maintain a list of all ERs on the IEEE SA web site. The web site will include a link to an email alias that will allow any comments about ER activity to be submitted to the Secretary of the IEEE SA Board of Governors, who will then direct their handling through appropriate channels.

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