Reviewing and optimising MPS certification standards
All MPS standards are reviewed at least once every five years and, if necessary, updated through a recurring cycle.
Revision of a standard
The process starts with identifying the required and desired changes. This is based on continuous new insights from MPS, such as an adjusted product strategy, applicable exemptions, input from different stakeholders, or market developments that lead to an improvement of the standard. The input from these various insights may result in a revision.
New version
When the general requirements and criteria change and this leads to the development of a new draft version, this draft is submitted to stakeholders through a public consultation. All users are informed about this consultation so that they have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the changes and provide feedback. A minimum period of sixty days applies. The feedback is assessed by MPS and may then be incorporated into the new version.
After revision, the new version of the standard is submitted for approval to the Council of Experts MPS. The MPS Board ratifies this decision. The new version of the standard is published on the MPS website and communicated to relevant stakeholders.
Additional decisions
In between revisions, additional decisions regarding the general requirements and criteria can be taken to improve an MPS standard. Once a draft additional decision has been drawn up, it is submitted to the Council of Experts MPS and, after any comments have been processed, ratified and published. An additional decision enters into force immediately as a supplement to the respective standard and can be found as a separate addendum per standard. When a new version is introduced, these additional decisions are incorporated into the standard.
Over 30 years ago, my journey at MPS began after I saw an advertisement in the newspaper. After the birth of my daughter, I was looking to return to work and joined the data entry department. At the time, all data was still entered manually from paper forms. Since then, I have seen the organisation grow and change, and I have grown along with it.Today, I work in the Service & Support department. No two days are the same: one day I help a customer with questions about record-keeping, the next I help them understand requirements from the auction or the UO. It is precisely this variety and the personal contact with customers that make my work interesting every day.
In 2008, I joined MPS through a recruitment agency as a secretary. I then held various positions within MPS and MPS-ECAS, including roles in the Service & Support team and as a planner. In 2018, I left the organisation for a while, but in 2023 I returned to MPS-ECAS as a back-office employee. The people are simply too much fun and the world of ornamental horticulture is so innovative that it kept drawing me back. Shortly afterwards, I started working at MPS as Coordinator Netherlands.
During the final year of my Environmental Sciences degree, I joined MPS for an internship. The internship worked out so well for both sides that I was able to stay afterwards. It felt like a natural next step, because I immediately felt at home here and was given the opportunity to continue developing myself.My work is very varied. I work on different projects and products, carry out research and analyses and contribute to practical solutions. I also manage various systems, support customers with complex technical questions and work with external parties. It is precisely this combination that makes my work interesting and ensures that no two weeks are the same.
I first joined MPS through a friend who worked in MPS’s student team. I continued working here while studying Commercial Economics, and at the end of my studies, in 2004, MPS asked if I wanted to join the organisation permanently. It seemed like a great opportunity, and more than twenty years later, I am still here.No two days are the same, and that is exactly what makes my work so enjoyable. A large part of my week consists of project meetings and translating needs from within the organisation into practical solutions. Thursday afternoon is a regular fixture, which I set aside with a colleague to make MPS 1% better every week. For example, we experiment with AI, build prototypes, improve processes or develop new ideas. The goal is always to work smarter and create more value for colleagues, customers and the organisation.