The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and Agrément South Africa (ASA) are two independent organisations concerned with technical approvals in South Africa. The SABS operates within a wide range of areas and deals with standards and codes of practice relating to conventional products. The SABS is aligned with international organisations for standardisation. Unlike the SABS, ASA only operates within the construction industry. The agency was established to assess innovative, non-standardised construction products and systems. ASA is aligned with the World Federation of Technical Assessment Organisations. In terms of industry practice, when construction products or systems are concerned, the development phase of the product/system in its lifecycle determines whether the SABS or ASA gets involved.